OUR FRIEND IS TEMPTED JUST LIKE US
While the last three chapters, represent “The new book of Genesis”; as the incarnate Word of God dwelt in the womb of the virgin as a fetus, then, after birth, to become a child, then a young man, to bless the childhood and youth; and by granting a new creation to all humanity; the fourth chapter represents“The new book of Exodus”, not for the people, to set forth anew into the wilderness
for 40 years; but for the Lord, to enter into it by Himself to be tempted, and to grant the conquest to His people................ In the old, the
people perished in the wilderness because of continuous falls; but now, the Lord, by His temptations, presented to us strength and salvation
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1- Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness |
1 - 13 |
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2- Jesus in Galilee |
14 - 15 |
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3- Jesus rejected by His own |
16 - 30 |
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4- Jesus working with authority |
31 - 37 |
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5- Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law |
38 - 41 |
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6- Jesus preaching in the synagogues of Galilee
1- JESUS’ TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS: |
42 – 44 |
In the three previous chapters, we saw our heavenly Friend condescend to partake of everything concerning us: He became a fetus in the womb like us; submitted to the law; set forth with the multitudes to be baptized by John; and being without sin to confess, He carried us as a new creation to enjoy sonhood to God the Father, and to carry in itself His Holy Spirit. The glories proclaimed in the River Jordan of glories, were to our account, and in our name; in which we came to get back our first nature, to have again the right to enjoy the lost paradise, and to encounter the Father in the daring of sonhood.
Now, having become like us, to confirm this friendship on the level of work, the Lord Christ set forth, by the Spirit, into the wilderness to be tempted for 40days Instead of setting forth into the wilderness, bearing the spirit of continuous grumbling, like the old
Israel, the Lord carried us in His body into the wilderness, by His victorious nature.
+ Come now, let us praise the Lord; … Let us sing the songs of joy to God our Savior; …. Let us trample on the devil underneath our feet; …..Let us exult celebrating the fall of the devil into humiliation and shame; ……Let us address him with the words of the prophet Jeremiah, saying: “How the hammer of the whole earth has been cut apart and broken!.................. You have been found and also caught, because you havecontended against the Lord” (Jeremiah 50: 23, 24).
From the old, and before the coming of Christ, the Savior of the whole world, Satan our great enemy kept thinking of iniquity, flowing of evil, scoffing the weakness of the human nature, and crying out: “My hand has found like a nest, the riches of the people; and as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; and there was no one who moved his wing, nor opened his mouth with even a peep” Isaiah 10: 14).
To say the truth, no one dared to challenge the devil but the Son of Man Jesus Christ, who, in our image, strongly struggled against him, hence the human nature conquered (as I have already shown) in Jesus Christ, and got the crown of victory and conquest. From the old, the Son of Man, through His prophets addresses the devil, our bitter enemy by the famous phrase: “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, who destroys all the earth” (Jeremiah 51: 25)/
Now, let us see how the Evangelist describes Jesus Christ fighting on our behalf against the destroyer of the whole earth:
“Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (1).
See the human nature in Christ, anointed by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and crowned by honor and reverence, according to the promise of God, saying: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2: 28); a prophecy first fulfilled in Jesus Christ; on account of that God did not grant His Spirit in the old to men, who were weak in minds and souls; for He says: “My Spirit shall not strive in man forever, for he is indeed flesh” (Genesis 6: 3).. But, now, in Christ, there is a new creation which is sanctified by water and Spirit, to become, no more the children of flesh and blood, but of God the Father, to have the grace of adoption, that by such fatherly compassion we became fellows in the divine nature.
No wonder, therefore, for our firstborn to be the first to receive the Holy Spirit, even though He is the Grantor of the Holy Spirit, to us, being His beloved brethren; to which the apostle Paul referred by saying: “For both He who sanctifies and
those who are being sanctified are all of one; for which reason He is not shamed to call them brethren, saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren’” (Hebrew 2: 12)
Hence, the Evangelist says that “Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan” (1)……. Now, I wish you would not pervert from the truth, and would not become dismayed to hear that Christ the Word, have been sanctified, but rather think of the wisdom of redemption and salvation; that Christ incarnated, to partake of our manhood in order to make us grow in His riches, and to honor us by His greatness; For Christ partook of everything in us except for sin.
(St. Cyril the Great)
+ The goal of Jesus Christ‘s fast and retreat, was to heal us from the covetousness of evil desires. For the sake of all, He accepted to be tempted by the devil, to teach us how we would conquer him in Him.
+ Christ came to be baptized, “to become all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22); submitted to the law, and circumcised that He might win those who are under the law; and partook of the food of those who are without the law, that He might win those without the law; ……….For the weak He became weak by the passion He endured in His body; ………He rejoiced with those who rejoice, and wept with those who weep (Romans12:15);................................. was generous with the rich,
and a prisoner to the poor ;............... got thirsty with the Samaritan woman (John 4: 7); and hungry in the wilderness
(Matthew 4: 6), that, by His fasting, to atone for the fall of the first Adam, because of his desire for food; While Adam got full of the knowledge of good and evil for our harm; Christ got hungry for our benefit.
(St. Ambrose)
Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit.............. was led by the Spirit into the wilderness; being tempted for forty days by the
devil. And in those days He ate nothing; and afterward when they had ended, He was hungry” (1, 2)
+ Christ was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, namely spiritually; He fasted, namely did not give His body its necessary needs. Someone may wonder: [What is wrong if Christ perpetually dwelt in the cities?!;…............................................................................................................................ What was the
benefit of dwelling in the wilderness, when He was in no need for goodness?!............. Why did Christ fast when He was in
no need for fasting?!............ Such virtues were set for us to overcome our evil desires, and to have control over the
emotions which kindle the wicked desires in us............... Was Christ in need for fasting, by which God the Father killed the
sin in the body; that, according to the apostle Paul:, ”For what the law could not do, for that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin. He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8: 3, 4).
Christ then condemned sin in the flesh, and wiped out the iniquity which reigned upon the human nature for a long time! While being Holy and pure by His nature, with no reproach, no change, no shadow of hypocrisy, and lacking nothing, Christ practiced fasting… Why did He fast?, Why did He retreat from dwelling in the cities, to dwell in the wilderness,
and to endured the labor of fasting?............. He has done such great things to teach us, beloved brethren. Christ drew the
plan according to which we should behave, and paved for us a straight way to walk along; the way walked by the holy congregation of monks. For, otherwise, how would they come to love the life in the wilderness, have benefit from the life of
seclusion, and see in it salvation for their souls and peace for their spirits?........... Monks forsake the world to distance
themselves from its turbulent waves and violent storms; and to free themselves from the chaos, disturbance, arrogance and evil desires; or according to the blessed Joseph, “to take off what is on them to give back to the world its possessions”. Referring to those who used to live together with Christ< the apostle Paul says: “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5: 24); and adds to that saying that such a life of asceticism has to be followed, with fasting, endurance, despise of luxurious food; by which they could conquer the devil.
But notice that Christ was first baptized, was filled with the Holy Spirit, then went to dwell in the wilderness, and used fasting as a weapon by whichto fight the devil and his hosts. He did all that to teach us, to follow Hislead..................................................................................................................................... You have
first to put on the helmet of God, girdle yourselves with the shield of faith, and hold the scepter of salvation............ You have
first to be provided with a power from high above, through the holy baptism, by which you can walk an honorable life with the great God; then by spiritual courage you may go into the wilderness and live in seclusion away from men; and practice a holy fast to conquer the evil desires of thebody and to overcome the devil if he intends to tempt you In Christ, then,
we find every weapon we need. He will be among the warriors, where the conquerors are crowened with the crown of
victory and conquest. Now, let us contemplate in how Christ wrestled against the devil; how “He fasted 40 days, and when they have ended, He was hungry”?
How could Christ become hungry, He who satisfies us with the fat of His grace?! …… Is He not “the heavenly Bread” which came down fromheaven? “Christ fasted, and became hungry”; for He, intending to be like us, had to
endure what a human may endure.
(St. Cyril the Great)
+ [He presents to us a comparison between the temptation of the first Adam in paradise, and the temptation of the second Adam in the wilderness; to let us contemplate in how the first Adam was driven out of paradise; and to know how
the second Adam came back from the wilderness to paradise; and to contemplate in how the reform was done and in what order.
Adam was created from (the virgin) land; and Christ was born by a ( virgin girl). Adam was created in the image of God; while Christ is Himself the image of God.
Adam had authority upon all the irrational creation; while Christ has authority on everything. Eve had a shaken personality; while the holy Virgin was characterized with wisdom.
The tree in the first instance brought forth death; while the tree in the second (the cross), brought forth life. Adam was in paradise; while Christ was in the wilderness, but came to bring back the condemned, to paradise.
As God would never retreat from His verdict, death had to come upon one, instead of the other.
Who is the shepherd who can help us against the snares of this life, and the deceptions of the devil, to strive, “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 12)… Shall God send an angel; when some of
them have fallen?!............ Shall He send “one of the seraphim like the one who came down in the midst of people of
unclean lips” (Isaiah 6: 6), he who purged the lips of just one prophet with a live coal?........... We are committed to search
for another shepherd of a different caliber for us all to follow............. Who is that great Shepherd who can provide
goodness to all, except Him who is high above all?1…...... Who can lift me up above this world except Him who is above
the world?1.............. Who is that great Shepherd who can lead both men and women, the circumcised and the
uncircumcised, the Barbarian and the Scythian (Colossians 3: 11); the slave and the free; but Him who is All in All.?!
There is a multitude of snares wherever we go; snares of the flesh; of the literality of the law; those set by the devil on the wing of the temple and on the top of the mountain; of the philosophies; of the evil desires, “for the adulterous eye is a snare for the sinner”; of the love of the world; of hypocrisy in religion; of the life of purity (the despise of the sacrament of matrimony) ; etc.................... Yet, the best way to destroy all those snaresis to set a bait for the devil, so that, once he
comes upon his prey, the snare would close shut on him; then we can say: “They have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen” (Psalm 57: 6) What could this bait be but the “body”................................................................................................................................ The Lord has taken over
Himself the body of our humility and weakness, to give the enemy the bait to fight Him, and be defeated.
Now, Christ is in the wilderness of this world to lead man, to teach him, to train him, to conform him, and to anoint him with the holy anointment. Once He finds him strong, He will lead him to the fertile pastures.................................................................................................................................. Finally, He leads him to the
garden during His passion; as it is written: “When Jesus has spoken these words, he went out with His disciples to the “Mount of Olives” wherethere was a garden, which He and His disciples entered” (John 18:1).............................................................................................................................. Finally, bringing
man back by the power of the Lord, confirms to us the fact shown by Luke, by the words addressed by the Lord to the robber crucified on His right hand: “Today, you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23: 44).
+ Jesus returned filled with the Holy Spirit, to the wilderness, to challenge the devil; for unless He was tempted by the devil, He would not conquer for my sake in a secret way; to set Adam free from captivity.
(St. Ambrose)
+ “He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (1);
He was undoubtedly led by the Holy Spirit, not as someone committed to do, or as a captive; but He longed to go to the battle to wrestle and to conquer.
(St. Jerome)
+ Jesus, our Leader, allowed for Himself to be tempted, to teach His children how to fight.
(St. Augustine)
- The temptation of the bread:
Entering into the battle on our behalf, in our name, and to our account, to conquer, the temptation against the Lord Christ started by that of the bread; when the devil sought from Him to turn the stones into bread to satisfy His hunger.
On one aspect, this temptation was somewhat similar to that of the first Adam who fell into disobedience through eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil But here, the Lord came fasting to resist the devil and to conquer him, refusing to
listen to him, despite His ability to turn the stones into bread, the way He turned water into wine in the wedding of Cana of Galilee (John 2: 1-11). And on another aspect, that temptation was allowed by the Lord to expose the deceitful fatherhood of the devil for the sinners; for the true fathe, if his son asks him for bread, would not give him a stone, according to the saying by the Lord Christ in (Luke 11: 11).
I wish we reject every stone the devil presents to us to eat as bread, to make us grow hard of heart, with no compassion nor love.
According to the scholar Origen: [The stone presented by the enemy is the heresies, he presents as deceptive bread, and make us think of as the satisfactory Word of God].
“And the devil said to Him: If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. But Jesus answere him, saying: ‘It is written: man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’” (3, 4)
+ The devil jumped to where Christ was, looked at a stone, and said to Christ: “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread’. Here, you may see the devil approaches Christ the way he approaches some man, or some saint; yet he had some doubt concerning the Divinity of Christ. To make sure, he knew that it is impossible to
change the nature of matter to another opposite to it in essence, except by a divine power. Now if it so happens that Christ changes the stone into bread, the devil will be greatly confused; but if He fails to do it, then the devil would rejoice; for he would find before him, a weak human being whom he can oppress.
Knowing what goes on in the mind of the devil, the Lord Christ did not change the stone into bread, nor proclaimed His inability to do. But rebuked the devil by saying: “Man shall not live by bread alone” (5).
By that He meant that, if given power from God, man can even live without food, as it so happened with Moses and Elijah. Moreover, Christ could fast 40 days, and did not turn stones into bread. To confuse the devil, he Lord did not say that He cannot do it, nor that He could, to make the devil leave Him alone; By that Christ intended to teach us a further lesson..
Notice, beloved brethren how the nature of Christ was contrary to the covetousness of Adam; who by eating we were defeated, while by the asceticism of Christ we were victorious.
While the body subsists upon the fat of the earth; the rational soul feeds upon the eternal Word of God. The bread provided by the earth will feed the body, created from the same elements as those of the earthly bread. The heavenly bread, on the other hand, sent by God from above, will feed the soul of men, as it does for the angels.
(St. Cyril the Great)
+ This temptation reveals that the devil has three arrows to inflict wounds on the heart of man: the desire for food, the desire for vain glory, and the covetousness!! ……… My conquest in Christ started where I was defeated by the devil in Adam.
The devil says: “If you are the Son of God”. The devil knew that the Son will eventually come; but he never imagined that he would come in such weakness; that is why, he intended to make sure by tempting Him.
Now notice the weapons by which Christ conquered the devil for your sake and not for His own. Even though He is able to change the nature of elements (like what He did in the wedding of Cana of Galilee); He intended to teach us not to obey the devil in anything, not even to show off our strength; and to know by this temptation, the deceptive cleverness of the devil; in that he sometimes tempts man to make sure of a certain factabout him................................... If the Lord chose to use His
divine authority as God, we would not have got the benefit we had; but He used the general possibility, namely the use of the Words of God.
(St.Ambrose)
+ “Command this stone”,........... The deceitful Satan presents a stone instead of bread (Luke 11: 11), he wishes it to be done,
so that men would grow, not on the bread but on the stone he presents in the form of bread. I believe that Satan still shows us the stone and say to us: “Command this stone to become bread”................................................................................................................................... If you see the heretics feed on their false
teachings as bread, you should know that their debates and teachings are “the stone”, shown by Satan to eat as bread…. Let us therefore watch, let us not eat the stones of Satan, thinking that we are eating the bread of the Lord.
(The scholar Origen)
+ Be sure that the enemy attacks the heart through filling the stomach up.
(Father John of Cronstadt)
- The temptation of “No Cross”:
In the last temptation, the Lord refused to turn the stone into bread, presenting Himself as “The Living Bread which comes down
from heaven” to satisfy His believers................... Now, knowing that the anticipated Meesiah will reign forever through the cross and
the passion, the devil showed the Lord all the kingdoms of the world to seduce Him to reign, not through the cross, but through the easy way, and the wide door; which is (worshipping the devil himself).
Through strongly rejecting that wide way, Christ opened for us the door to reign together with Him, through His passion, and not through evil.
+ The Son of God, as well as the antichrist, both intend to reign; Yet the antichrist intends to reign to destroy those who belong to him; whereas Christ reigns to save those who belong to Him by the cross.................................................................................................................................. Whoever, among us is faithful,
will have Christ reign on him by His word, wisdom, justice, and truth. But, in case we prefer the evil desire over God, sin will reign on us, according to the warning of the apostle: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6: 12).
There are two kings intending to reign: sin, namely the devil on the wicked, and justice, namely Christ on the righteous.
Knowing that Christ came to take his kingdom from him by force, and to submit to His power and authority, those who submit to the deceitful,Satan showed Christ all the kingdoms of the earth, and all the inhabitants of theworld;.............................................................................................................................. he
showed Him how he reigns on his victims through evil desires, meanness love of vain glory; and the attraction of beauty
As a matter of fact, if we wish to know the extent of our misery, we shall simply find that Satan actually reigns on the majority of kingdoms ofthe world; hence the Lord calls him “ the prince of this world” (John 12: 31; 16: 11)…........................................................................................................................ He
showed Christ all the kingdoms and multitudes submitted to him “in a moment of time” (for the present time is considered as a moment if compared to eternity)… As though saying to Him: Did you come to take away from Me all
those under my authority?!.......... No!, I counsel You not to compare Yourself to me; and not to subject Yourself to the
troubles of this battle............ See!: “If You worship before me, all will be yours” (7)
Our Lord and Savior intends to reign on us, yet with justice, truth, and every virtue; He refuses to be crowned a king without labor (the cross).
“But Jesus answered and said to him: ‘Go behind Me Satan, for it is written,‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve”
(Luke 4: 8 ; Deuteronomy 6: 13). My intention is that all will be for Me, worship Me, and to no one else. That is the royal intention. Do you want Me to sin, when I came to destroy sin, and to rid men of it?!
Let us then rejoice and exult for being the Lord’s; Let us pray to Him to destroy the sin that reigned in our mortal bodies (Romans 6: 6); to reign alone on us.
(The scholar Origen)
+ “He showed Him all the kingdoms of the world” (5)
How dare you, O cursed monster, to show the Lord the kingdoms of the world, and address Him saying: “If you will worship before me, all willbe yours”(6)……… How could you promise to give what is not yours?!................................................................................................................................ Who made
you a heir to the kingdom of God?!......... You have taken all those kingdoms through cheat and deceit;............. Now give
back what you have taken by force to the incarnate Son, the Lord of the whole world; and remember what the prophet Isaiah has previously proclaimed against the devil and his hosts: “For Tophet was established of old. Yes, for the King it is prepared. He has made it deep and large. Its pyre is fire with much wood. The breath of the Lord, like a stream of
brimstone kindles it” (Isaiah 30: 33)
How could you dare, O Satan, approach the Lord, when your portion will be the deep pit?!.................. How would the Lord
worship before you, He whom the seraphim and all the hosts of angels will, not for even the blink of an eye, cease to praise His name; for it is written: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (8)?!
This verse has truly hit Satan in the heart; for he kept deceiving all those living underneath the blue heaven, to make all kneel before him with their knees. But now, as the Lord Christ has come, by His mercy, He intends to bring men back from their apostasy, to offer Him worship and glory.
(St. Cyril the Great)
+ Nothing is wrong with the authority itself, but with the vain covetousness. The establishment of authority, therefore, comes from God, and whoever uses it, would be an ambassador of God, being “God’s minister to you for good” (Romans 13: 4). Nothing wrong with the work in itself,, but with him who execute it. You have to discern between the good and the
bad use of the authority and work.
(St. Ambrose)
+ On the top of a mountain, Satan showed Christ the perishable glory of the world,…… The Savior, on the other hand descended to the lower reaches to defeat the devil with humility.
(St. Jerome)
+ The Lord proclaimed that “Satan is a liar from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth” (John 8: 44), and being as such, he therefore utters, not the truth but lies, like when he claimed: “This has been delivered to me, and I will give to whomever I wish” (6)
(St. Erinaos)
+ Satan lied from the beginning, and persisted until the end; for he is not the one to whom the kingdoms of this world are delivered, but they are God’s, as it is written: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord” (Proverb 21: 1).
And through the wise Solomon the Lord says: “By Me, kings reign, and rulers decree justice; By Me princes rule and nobles; all the judges of the earth” (Proverb 8: 15, 16)
(St. Erinaos)
+ God exposed Satan and revealed his true identity; by saying to him: “Go behind Me, Satan”…...... He revealed it through
his very name; for the word ‘Satan’ in Hebrew means (the apostate).
(St. Erinaos)
- A temptation in the sanctuaries:
After attempting to tempt the Lord “Jesus” in the living bread, through asking Him to turn the stone into bread, in which he failed, when the Lord Christ presented Himself as the true Bread which takes off from the soul its stonynature;..................................................................................................................................... And after
intending to destroy Jesus’ goal by opening before him the short and easy way to reign, without the need to go through the cross and the passions; in which he also failed, when the Lord persisted on going through the circle of thecross................................................................................................................... Now, in his third
temptation, which touches the worship to God, having taken place in Jerusalem, on the wing of the temple; in which Satan presented a verse from in the Holy Book, saying: “For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you; and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (10, 11); challenging the Lord to throw Himself down from the wing of the temple.
To such a temptation, in most cases, the shepherds, the ministers, and the godly men are often exposed; for the enemy fights them in (in the temple of God in Jerusalem); he presents to them verses from the Holy Book, distorted in some of its words, or in its understanding. In an attempt to turn their worship into formalities, show-off, and hypocrisy; he seeks from them, instead of ascending up toward the heavenlies, to throw themselves down from the wing of the temple; to let formalities and hypocrisy bring them down from their true goal.
+ “Then he (Satan) brought Him to Jerusalem” (9).
It would be unbelievable to imagine how the devil leads the Son of God, and He follows him! like a wrestler who, without fear heads toward the arena, as though saying to the enemy [You will find Me stronger than you].
Satan brought Him up to the wing of the temple, and sought from Him to throw Himself down, under the false pretense that it is for the glory of God.
The devil talks to me quoting from the Holy Book.............. I wish he does not succeed in deceiving me.
Meditate in the verse he shows the Lord; and look at how he is deceitful even in choosing the verses; with the intention to decrease the glory of God; by claiming that Jesus was in need of help from the angels;............................................................................................................................ how he quotes from the
Holy Book, a verse that does not suit the Person of Christ, but the saints in a general way.............. Christ is in no need of
help from the angels, for He is greater than them, and inherits a greater and more exalted name :”For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You” (Hebrew 1: 5-7; Psalm 2: 7).
After quoting the verse saying: “He shall give His angel charge over you to keep you, and on their hands to bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone”, he, by intention, does not complete the verse, saying: “You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra; the young lion and the serpentyou shall trample under foot” (Psalm 91: 13). You stopped there,
O Satan; Because you are the cobra, king of the serpents. You stopped there because you know for sure, that you also bear another vicious power called “the lion”, that is submitted under the feet of the righteous.
You are the “young lion and the cobra”, If you stop quoting, and do not complete the verse against yourself, yet we, reading the Holy Book with uprightness, perceive that we are given by God the authority to trample you under our feet;, not only in the Old Testament; but in the New Testament as well; For the Lord says: “Behold, I give you the authority to
trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing by any means shall hurt you” (Luke 10: 19).
(The scholar Origen)
+ “If You are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here” (9)
The third temptation implied boasting and haughtiness: “Throw yourself down from here”, to prove Your Divinity before all the world. But :
“Jesus answered and said to him: ‘It has been said: ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (12).
God does not help whomever dares to tempt Him; and Christ never performed a miracle to whomever meant to tempt Him; as it came that the Lord said: “An evil and an adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Junah” (Matthew 12: 39).
“For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you” (10) (The wing of the temple refers to the high building built beside the temple).
See how the devil quotes from the divine books to help him to aim his mean arrow! This verse which came in the psalms does not refer to Christ, for Christ is in no need for angels.
(St. Cyril the Great)
+ That is the demon of vain glory. For when man thinks that he has risen up high, he may desire performing glamorous works, to end up falling down to the pit.
He said to Him: “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here” No one utters such words except Satan in his attempt to bring the human spirit down from where it exalted by its virtues …….The devil will harm only him who pushes himself down below; namely, who forsakes heaven and chooses earth.
(St. ambrose)
+ Those are always the words of the devil, whose desire is for all to fall.
(St. Jerome)
“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time” (13).
In his persistence, in spite of his bitter defeat in all the temptations, Satan “departed from Him until opportune time”................. The rest
of the book came to include a continuous xxxxxxxxx between the Lord Christ and the devil in every way, whether directly or through His ministers. We, therefore, should not be deceived when we see the enemy depart from us, for he so does “until an opportune
time”, to come back to resume his attacks.
+ Hearing the name of “God” (12), the devil departed from Christ “until an opportune time”; for he did come back, not to
tempt Him but to fight openly against Him…............. The Holy Book tells you that “you are not wrestling against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places: (Ephesians 6: 12)
See how the Christian is exalted, how he fights against the rulers of the world (the devils). Even though he lives on earth, yet he spreads his spiritual power before the hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We shall not be rewarded by earthly things in our fight for His sake; but our reward will be spiritual, namely, the kingdom of heaven, and the inheritance of Christ.
It is befitting of us to strive strongly against the devil; for as the crown is prepared for us, we are committed to war against him; for no one will be crowned unless he conquers, and no one conquers unless he fights (2 Timothy 2: 5); and the crown will be greater the more intense is the suffering; for “narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it; and wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction and death” (Matthew 7: 13, 14)
It is befitting of us never to fear the temptations of this life; for they are an opportunity for conquest, and a material for
victory…… The deceitful one persists on wounding the believer; who, courageously holds fast;…......... If you are subject to
temptations, remember that the crowns are being prepared;........... The righteous Joseph was cast in prison as a fruit of his
purity; but he would never happen to govern Egypt unless he was sold by his brothers.
(St. Ambrose)
- JESUS IN GALILEE:
“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all” (14, 15)
The Lord Christ carried the power of the Spirit, not as a new power that was not in Him before, but, having departed from the cities and gone into the wilderness, where He fasted, was tempted by the devil, and conquered him, after He was baptized; He returned to the cities of Galilee to present what He has done in the name of humanity, to make her bear by Him the power of the Spirit. In other words, what our Lord Jesus Christ has done, by setting forth into the wilderness, fasting, and conquering the devil, is nothing but a deposit to be enjoyed by all who intend to become His disciple. It is, therefore, not befitting of anyone to set forth to ministry, without this deposit of conquest and victory in the Lord.
+ Commenting on the phrase: “He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all”, the scholar Origen says: [Beware of blessing those who had the good fortune to hear the words directly from the mouth of Christ, and of feeling sorry for being
denied of that privilege.............. for the Lord spoke, not only to the congregation of the Jews; but He still speaks, not only in
our present assemblies, but in all assemblies all over the world. Jesus is still teaching and seeking tools to use to convey His teachings Today, Jesus is more glorified from all, for He is no longer known in one place (the Jewish
people), boy all over the world.
(The scholar Origen)
- JESUS REJECTED BY HIS OWN:
St. Luke presented to us a living portrait of the work done by that amazing Friend. He returned to minister in Nazareth where He had been brought up; and even though all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words of grace which proceeded out of His mouth; yet they were offended by knowing that He was Joseph’s son And when He spoke to them about the fact that His
friendship is wide open toward all – even the Gentiles – they, filled with wrath, decided to thrust Him down from the brow of the hill; but “passing through the midst of them, He went His way” (28-30).
What has taken place at the beginning of His ministry represents the larger portrait. What the people in Nazareth have done, was realized on a larger scope by the Jewish people as a whole, who rejected Him, who came to His own, and crucified Him, to get rid of Him. Yet, what the people of Nazareth have done was an integral part of the plane of the cross Even though He, who
granted the world salvation and life, was brought up in Nazareth, yet His own town chose to be condemned with perdition and death. Now, let us quote the comments of some fathers on the following evangelic text:
“So He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up; and as His custom was, He went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (16).
+ As Christ was anointed by the Father, a Savior for the whole world, it was necessary for Christ to show Himself to the Jewish people, as well as to the other peoples, to reveal His redemption work to the whole world. Yet the Lord Christ chose, in particular to favor the people of Nazarethby starting with them, on account of that He was brought up in their midst.
When He came into Nazareth, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read, a chapter in the book of Isaiah that referred to redemption, and to how Christ the Word will appear in the world as a Man to save it. ……….
We truly believe that there was no way before Christ to be anointed the Holy anointment, other than to come to the world as a Man, and to take upon Himself the nature of man.
Christ was the incarnate God. Being God, Christ would grant the Holy Spirit to the entire creation; and being Man He would receive the Holy Spirit from God His Father. While sanctifying the whole creation, whether by shining His splendor from His high-up dwelling place, that of God the Father; or by granting the Holy Spirit to the heavenly world that believes in Him, and to the earthly world that confesses His incarnation.
(St. Cyril the Great)
“And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” (17, 18)
+ Once Jesus opened the book He found before Him the text that prophesied Him….......... He read the text concerning “the
secret of Christ”: that is “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” . ……...
it so came, not by mere chance, but according to the divine will and grace.
Now, notice how Jesus applied those words saying: “He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” to Himself in the synagogue, Yes, they were poor indeed; Having had neither God, nor prophet, nor justice nor any virtue; Jesus
was sent for their sake, being poor.
(The scholar Origen)
+ The Lord Himself confirmed to them that He is the One about whom the prophecies spoke; for He has got the holy anointment and the heavenly power,
“He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are compressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (18, 19),
Which extends along the infinite years, and grants men the continuity of harvest and eternal comfort. While He enriched everyone, and despised no one, we the mean race, see His body, and reject His Divinity, proclaimed through the miracles He performed.
(St. Ambrose)
+ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me: because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” (18)
We can deduce from these words that Christ has emptied Himself of the heavenly glories, for the sake of our salvation… The HolySpirit, by nature, is in Christ; How then would He descends upon the Lord from
above?!................ In the River Jordan, as well, the Holy Spirit descended to anoint Jesus, for no other cause except for that
Christ has taken upon Himself to grant the grace of salvation to us, through granting us the Holy Spirit; we who were without the grace of the Holy Spirit, according to the words of the Holy Inspiration, saying: “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” (Genesis 6: 3).
The incarnate Christ uttered those words, for He is the true God from the true God; incarnated without undergoing any change; anointed by the anointment of joy and gladness; and the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove.
………..We know that, when kings and priests were anointed in the old covenant, they were sanctified to a certain extent; but the Lord Christ, was anointed with the spiritual ointment of sanctification, not for His own sake, but for our sake; on account of the fact that, as humans were denied the Holy Spirit, a cloud of sorrow and depression dwelt upon the earth.
(St. Cyril the Great)
“He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (18, 19)
+ We were captives to the devil; and Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives; and recovery of sight to the blind by His words andpreaching… Man was guilty, a murderer, and a captive, before having the liberty and healing from Jesus.
(The scholar Origen)
+ Christ proclaimed liberty to the captives by shackling the feet of Satan in chains; the tyrant over the necks of men; who robbed Christ of His flocks and creation, the Lord came to bring back what the devil has robbed through oppression.
Christ came to bring back the hearts that were seduced by Satan, who casted a curtain of pitch darkness on the earth, came to scatter thatdarkness, to let His flock walk in bright light, as it came in the apostle Paul’s epistle to the
Thessalonians, saying: “You are all sons of light, and sons of the day; we are not of the night nor of darkness”
(Thessalonians 5: 5)
Through the coming of Christ the Savior and redeemer, the sight was recovered to the blind, light was given on the paths, and heights were paved, according to the words of God, on the tongue of Isaiah: “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will Hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42: 6)
Christ came and proclaimed a new covenant to His brethren the children of Israel, but the bright light dwelt, as well, upon the Gentiles; proclaiming liberty to the captives and the brokenhearted; which all indicate that Christ, by nature is the true God from the true God.
Saying: “proclaiming liberty to the captives”, refers to the miserable people whom the devil caught in his snares.
Now, what is the meaning of “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord”?? This refers to the acceptable year in which Christ chose to be crucified on our behalf, for by His cross, we are accepted by God the Father, from whom we were for long separated; it is written: “The Lord says: If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12: 32). Indeed Christ was risen on the third day, overcoming the power of death; hence He says: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28: 18)
Is it not an acceptable year, in which we joined the household of Christ; when on us the banner of Jesus was raised; when we were purified by the holy baptism; and partook of the divine nature of Christ through getting the Holy Spirit?
Is it not an acceptable year, in which Christ has shown His glory by amazing signs; in which we joyfully received the grace of salvation and redemption; according to the words of the wise apostle Paul: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you” (2 Corinthians 6: 2)?; Yes indeed, it is acceptable, for in it the
Gentiles came to possess the heavenly treasure of the gospel, and the joyful message of heaven, after being far from salvation, with no hope for rescue; and having no God in Whom they may take refuge in the world.................................................................................................................................. Now, we are
members in the Christian kingdom, partners of the good hosts of the saints, and heirs of graces and blessings beyond imagination by the mind, or description by the tongue: “Eye has not seen, nor ear has heard, nor had entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2: 9)
The term “brokenhearted” refers to those faint-hearted, of shaky dogma; who, not able to resist the evil desires, loose the riddle to their mean emotions, to end up fallen in a narrow captivity. Yet Christ promises those people to set them free from their captivity, and pleads with them, saying: [Return to Me, that I heal you and forgive your sins and iniquities].
Those whose eyes became blind, Christ will grant them the light; for they became blind on account of that they worshipped the creation instead of the Creator, “Saying to a tree: ‘you are my father’, and to a stone; ‘you gave birth to me’” (Jeremiah 2: 27). Being ignorant of the divine nature of Christ, such people’s minds were denied the true spiritual light.
No one would object to refer all these things to the congregation of Israel, who came to be poor, brokenhearted, and captives, going aroundaimlessly in the darkness of the night, “They have all turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one” (Psalm 14: 3)
Christ came down and preached to the Israelites before any other people. Yet the other nations, who were not less ignorant and blind than the Israelites, Christ enriched with His wisdom, instructed them with His knowledge, and turned them from the weakness of reason, to the soundness ofdogma.
(St. Cyril the Great)
“Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them: ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’” (20, 21).
The words of the Lord Christ came to interpret this wonderful prophecy, for it was a divine work which was fulfilled by his coming; hence the Evangelist says: “The eyes of all who were in the Synagogue were fixed on Him”.
+ Uttering those clear prophesies, His listeners were amazed, and wondered among themselves, [from where has He got such great wisdom, when He never studied the Jewish literature?!]............................................................................................................... It was the custom of the Jews, on account of
that they have turned aside from the way of reason and prudence, and followed a twisted distorted way. to interpret the prophesies concerning the Messiah as having been already fulfilled in their kings or prophets,
To avoid falling in the same fault in which the Jews did, and to avoid any vagueness they may fall into, Christ addressed them very frankly and clearly, saying: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”. He said to them that the prophecy refers to Him; for He is the One who preached the word of salvation to the pagans, who were with no God nor law nor prophets, and were for long denied the spiritual talents;........... the One who gave liberty to the captives who endured the
bitterness of shackles and chains;............ and the One who gave light to the ways of truth and virtue, to those on whom a
cloud of darkness has closed the ways shut. Hence the Lord said: “I have come as a Light into the world” (John 12: 46). And came to break down the shackles of iniquity, to proclaim the sound justice, and finally to proclaim an acceptable year as the sign of His first coming, the banner of His salvation, and the slogan for the whole human race.
“All bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (22)
The Israelites, not perceiving the Person of Christ, nor knowing that He is the anointed of God, God of the miracles and signs, have gone astray from His teachings and uttered vanity against Him. And even though they all witnessed to the words of wisdom which proceeded out of His mouth, yet, being overcome by the spirit of doubt, they said: “Is he not Joseph’s son?” (22).................................... Could such a fact quench the bright light of the signs He performed? Why would He not be
received with reverence even though He is Joseph’s son? Have they not seen the miracles He performed?; Have they not watched how sin was buried in its grave, how Satan was imprisoned in the pit, and how his hosts were shamefully defeated?!
Even though the Israelites bore testimony to the flood of grace which proceeded from Christ’s tongue, yet they poured
their wrath on Him for belonging to Joseph. What an incredible ignorance! …… On them the words of the Holy Scripture apply, saying: “Hear now, O foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not” (Jeremiah 5: 21).
(St. Cyril the Great)
+ “”And the eyes of all who were in the Synagogue were fixed on Him” (20)
Up till the present time this happens in our assemblies and meetings, where our eyes would be fixed on the Savior, to meditate in the only begotten Son of God, the Wisdom and the Truth ……. How I long to be among such congregation
……. Where all, catechumen, believers, men, women, and children, have the eyes of their souls, not those of the body, preoccupied with looking at Jesus; as looking at Him makes His light reflect upon their faces to become more illuminated
(The scholar Origen)
+ “He said to them, ‘You will surely say this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself’; Whatever we have heard
done in Capernaum, do also here in your country’. Then He said, ‘Assuredly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country’” (23, 24).
As though, on the wrong assumption that the Lord Christ seeks temporal glory or honor from people, they say to him: [You, who have had the fame of doing miracles in a strange country, do them among your own people and relatives in your country];
+ “You will surely say to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself’ (33)
This proverb was common among the Jews, and addressed to the physicians and the wise............ The Lord Christ told
them that they seek from Him to perform miracles before their eyes, in the town he was brought up, which, they believe, is more worthy than any other place for such wonders and signs. But Christ drew their attention, as well, to that everything common is rejected, as proved by the fact, that even, after they bore witness to the words of wisdom which proceeded from His mouth, yet they defamed Him by saying: “Is he not Joseph’s son?”; No wonder then, if they go further to keep their eyes shut to His teachings; to say to them: “Assuredly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country” (24).
Even though the Lord Christ did not reject that proverb, saying: ‘Physician, heal yourself’, yet He made clear that it does not apply to him; for it is befitting of every teacher to proclaim his teachings through his life before his words, lest this proverb would apply to him.
According to St. John Chrysostom: [By that the Lord Himself put work ahead of teaching............... For whoever cannot
teach himself, while attempting to mend the ways of others, would be mocked by many. Or rather such a man will never have the ability to teach, for his works utter what is contrary to his words].
That proverb, therefore does not apply to the Lord Christ, whose works bore witness to His words............... but the secret of
their offense in the Lord, came merely for belonging to their country, that the proverb saying: No prophet is accepted in his own country”, also applies to them.
+ If ‘Anathoth, Jeremiah’s home town (Jeremiah 11: 21) did not receive him well, so were Isaiah and the rest of the prophets rejected by the peopleof circumcision Contrary to them, we, who do not belong, but foreigners to the covenant,
received Moses and the prophets who proclaimed Christ from our hearts, more than the Jews who rejected and did not bear witness to Him.
(The scholar Origen)
The Lord Christ used the opposition of His own town, a chance to proclaim His friendship on the level of all mankind, confirming that the collectiveness of the divine work has its roots even in the old covenant, saying:
“But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zerephath in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian” (25, 26).
Those words were tough on the Jewish ear, for the Jew assumed that he has a special favor in God’s eye, for having the law, the covenants, the promises, and the prophesies; and that from his race, the Messiah will eventuallycome................................................................................................................................ But the Lord Christ
revealed the truth of His love for all men with no discrimination. In the days of the prophet Elijah, the widow of Sidon enjoyed what many Jewish women did not; and the Gentile leper Naaman the Syrian has got what the Jewish lepers did not get (1 kings 17; 2 kings 5).
+ Here we see the prophet Elisha heals, not one of his own race or religion, but of a foreign race, without the law. Is this not a proof that healing depends on the will of the one seeking it, and not on his race; and that, we enjoy the divine blessings
according to the longing of our hearts, and we are not given it according to the place of our birth?! Let us then learn
to pray fervently seeking what we wish for; for the fruits of the divine blessings are not given to the lukewarm.
The widow to whom the prophet Elijah was sent was a symbol of the church, whose congregation came unclean, from all nations; before they were baptized in the Holy water, to be cleansed from the defilements of the body and soul
………Naaman the Syrian commander, is not anymore a leper, but was healed, not by the command of an earthly king, but according to the abundance of the Divine Mercy; and came out of the River Jordan like a pure chaste virgin, not having a spot or a wrinkle (Ephesians 5: 26); and became a symbol of the salvation of the Gentiles.
The way prophet Elisha rejected the gift, presented to him by the one healed, guided by the faith he learned; You, as well, be sure to walk according to what you were taught, of the Lord’s principles, following the Lord’s counsel: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Do not exchange God’s grace with money It is unbefitting of a priest in doing
the Holy Sacraments, to think of riches, but of the ministry.............. Teach this to your subordinates; and in case you find
out that one of them is a money-lover, like ‘Gehazi’, Elisha’s servant, send him away as the prophet did, who said to his servant: “Is it time to receive money, and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever” (2 kings 5; 26, 27).
(St. Ambrose)
Anyway, the Lord Christ presented the example of that widow to the Jews, as having enjoyed what many Jewish widows have not, in the days of Elijah.That widow has drawn the hearts of many fathers of the church; and about her, St. John Chrysostom
said: [That widow was more generous than our father Abraham, who gave hospitality to strangers – the Lord and two angels – from the abundance of his riches; whereas that widow presented her livelihood to the prophet of God, risking her own life to the danger of death through hunger. We do not mean to belittle the hospitality of our father Abraham; but, at the same time, we do not
deny the exaltation of the action of that Gentile widow. About her St. Ambrose spoke abundantly, specially in his essay about the widows; seeing in her a symbol of the church which enjoyed the blessings of the Messiah who opened up heaven to rain an abundance of His divine secrets.
+ The famine was all over the place, yet that widow was the only one not in need…....... Those three years, were they not
after which the Lord came to find no fruits in the fig tree, and said: “For three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground” (Luke 13: 7).
That widow is surely the one about whom it was written: “Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing and cry loud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate, than the children of the married woman, says the Lord” (Isaiah 54: 2); and, “You will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood any more” (Isaiah 54: 4).
She (the Church), probably became a widow, when she lost her Man through passion in His body; but she will receive Him on the day of judgment as the Son of Man whom she thought she lost, while “He left her for a moment “ for her faith to be justified in more glory.
The Church is ‘a virgin’, ‘a wife’, and ‘a widow’ at the same time, the three together in one body in Christ. …: She is that ‘widow’ for whose sake there was a famine for the heavenly Word on earth, to which the prophetsreferred................................................................................................................................... And she
was a barren ‘wife’, who was kept to give birth in the proper time.
Who opened before her the windows of heaven, but Christ who brings out of the sinners food for the growth of the Church?! Who has theauthority to say: “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until
the day the Lord sends rain on the earth” (1 kings 17: 14) ;................ It is God who perpetually grants His divine secrets;
who promises to send, by His grace, the unceasing spiritual joy; and presents the requirements of life, the seals of faith, and the gifts of virtues.
(St. Ambrose)
“The Jews, filled with wrath when they heard Him break their haughtiness, thrust Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff” (28,29)
According to St. Ambrose: [That was the plan of the Jews about which the prophet prophesied…............. While the Lord spread His
mercies on the multitudes, they were busy pouring curses upon Him; No marvel to seem them lose salvation, and thrust the Lord out of their city He went through passion by His own free will; He delivered Himself to them. When He chose to be arrested,
and to be crucified, nothing hindered Him to consummate His mission.
“”Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way” (30)
He passed through the midst of them by the power of His Divinity, hoping that, when they realize how they failed to throw Him down the cliff, when He was in their midst, they might repent and be healed, and not perish; And according to St. Cyril the Great: [Christ passed through the midst of them, and He went His way, not out of fear, but on account of that His hour has not yet come. He was just beginning His preaching mission, and He would not forsake it before He consummate spreading the word of salvation and truth].
According to St. Augustine: [After the traitor Judas sold Him; To show that He is going through all that by His own free will, when
they came to arrest Him, He said to them: ”Whom are you seeking?, they answered ‘Jesus of Nazareth’; and Jesus said: ‘I am He’, they drew back and fell to the ground” (John 18: 4-6)].
- JESUS WORKING WITH AUTHORITY:
“Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath; and they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority” (31, 32)
He stretched His hand to His relatives in the city of Nazareth; but having been set on the high hills of the ‘ego’, it rejected His friendship, and its people evenintended to throw Him down the cliff on which their city was built........................................................................................................................................... The Lord then went down to
Capernaum, meaning (the city of repose or comfort). The secret of its comfort is that, being below the sea level, it bore the spirit of humility, to receive the friendship of her Groom, and His work of salvation.
+ “He was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority”, not like the scribes’. The Jews were astonished and confused, when they saw before them a teacher who addresses them, not only as a prophet, but as a great God, before whom the spirit should worship before the body. Even though He is God of the law, He uttered principles that exalt above the law, according to the Scripture, saying: “I will make an everlasting covenant with you – the sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given Him as a witness to the people; a leader and commander for the people” (Isaiah 55: 3, 4; Acts 13: 34).
(St. Cyril the Great)
+ Meditate in the mercy of our Savior Christ, in how He was not offended by their reproach, nor dismayed by their oppression, to make Him forsake them and depart from Judah; but forgetting their iniquities, and only thinking of His mercy, he went ahead teaching, healing from the evilspirit, and illnesses; and searching for ways to soften the hardness of their hearts.
(St. Ambrose)
Presenting to us many concepts of the evangelic expression: ”For His word was with authority” (32), the Scholar Tertullian says: [On one aspect, they were not mere words, but included the power and activity of work]. Hence he .addresses the followers of Mercion, saying: [Give ear to the words of my Christ! For His works speak].
And the Lord Christ Himself says: “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else, believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also, and greater works than these he will do” (John 14: 11, 12). His authority is not in showing His unity with the Father, through the signs He performs with authority, but through His work in us.
According to
the scholar Tertullian in the same talk: [On another aspect, His words were with authority, having consummated the law and the prophets. His divine talk presented authority and grace; He was building and not destroying the essence of the law and the prophets].
On a third aspect, His authority was shown in His alk about how Satan got terrified, and could not endure His words: [Satan certainly knew that Jesus is the Son of God, who firmly condemns and avenges (the devil), and not just a good Man].
The Lord Christ came as an intimate Friend of man, not only to teach him with authority, and not like the scribes and the Pharisees, but works to His own account with authority. That is why we see some man in the synagogue, in whom the evil spirit , as the enemy of men, could not endure the presence of that Friend, cries out, saying: “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God” (34).
The devil spirit was terrified before the presence of the Holy One, feeling that He worked with authority and power; and that his own kingdom collapses before Him. But the Lord Christ rejected the testimony of Satan, and rebuked
him, saying: “Be quiet, and come out of him” (35). Seeing that, “They were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying: “What a word this is, for with authority and power, He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out” (36)
+ Feeling the greatness of the power of the Lord Christ, and having been afflicted with failure and defeat, the unclean spirits had to seek from the Lord with craftiness to “let them alone” (34). …There is no relationship between the Lord and the unclean spirit, but this is the language of hypocrisy.
The unclean spirits confessed that Christ is “Holy One of God” (34); with the assumption that such a language might make the Lord bask in the vain greatness and haughtiness, and stop rebuking and chastising them; but, despite their craftiness, the unclean spirits fell victims of their own deceit; on account of that God could never be deceived; hence Christ muted them and ordered them to come out.
No wonder that those present were all amazed because they saw how Christ performed miracles without praying for power from high above, on account that He Himself is God, the Word of God the Father by whom everything was created; the thorn of the devil was broken, and the tongues of the unclean spirits were muted.
(St. Cyril the Great)
+ (Commenting on beginning His healing miracles and driving the evil spirits out in the Sabbath)
The Lord began His healing miracles in the Sabbath to proclaim that the new creation starts where the old one ends; and to refer, from the beginning, that the Son of God does not submit to the law, but is the Lord of the law, which He came, not to destroy, but to fulfill it (Mathew 5: 17). For the world was not created by the law, but by the Word, according to what is written: “By the word of the Lord, heaven is made” (Psalm 33: 6). Christ, therefore, did not mean, not tyo destroy the law but to fulfill it, to renew the fallen man; hence the apostle says: “Put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:10)The Lord began working on the Sabbath to show that He, being the Creator, He binds the works together, and consummates the work He started Himself.
(St. Ambrose)
+ (Commenting on the devil’s confession: “I know who You are: the Holy One of God”)
There should be a difference between our faith and that of the devils. While our faith purifies the heart; that of the devils makes him sin and do evil; saying to the Lord: “Let us alone! What have we to do with You?!”
(St. Augustine)
Healing Peter’s mother-in-law:
Healing the man in whom was the evil spirit was publicly done in the synagogue; Now the Lord heals Peter’s mother- in-law in her house, where Peter invited Him to eat He is the our Friend who works to our account wherever
and whenever He may be.
We have already talked about this particular healing miracle in our study of the gospel according to Mathew (8: 5) and to Mark (1: 31)… And we saw how Simon Peter did not request anything for himself or his own, but invited Him to
eat; and the Lord granted him what he did not ask for. It was those around the Lord who “requested from Him concerning her”; a living portrait of the practical unity of love, and of the intercession of the members of the Church for one another from the On Head, our Lord Jesus Christ.
+ Peter’s mother-in-law probably portrays our body, inflicted by the fever of the diverse sins, that pushed it to a multitude of evil desires, that burn the heart together with the body.
(St. Ambrose)
Commenting on the Lord’s visit to Peter’s mother-in-law, St. Ambrose say: [He did not hesitate to visit the widows, and to enter into the narrow rooms in the poor huts]
Even though many heard of what the Lord Christ did, yet they did not dare to carry the sick to Him to heal before sunset (40), when the Sabbath ends, and Sunday begins, for fear of breaking the Sabbath if they so did
……..Observing the Sabbath in their eyes was more important than healing the sick.
Anyway, He did not admonish them, but proclaimed the authority of His love, “He laid His hands (most probably in the form of the cross) on everyone of them and healed them” (40).
+ I wish you would notice the power of His body if He touched someone; power that heals a diversity of illnesses in a moment time, and defeats Satan and his followers. Even though the Lord could perform the miracles by His word without
stretching His hand, yet He insisted on laying His hand on the sick, to teach us that the holy body He took on Himself as His temple, was the power of the divine Word. I pray to God the Word to bind us t Him; I pray to Him to make us
bind to Him in the secret fellowship of the body of Christ; by which it would be possible for the soul to be healed from all her ailments, and become able to prevail on the attacks and the animosity of the devils.
(St. Cyril the Great)
Inviting the Lord Christ to his house, it was not only Peter’s mother-in-law who was healed of her fever, but Peter’s house became a centertoward which all the sick and those afflicted by the evil spirits head to enjoy the work of the Lord Christ in them hen the Lord enters intoour hearts, many, together with us will enjoy His comfort and
peace.
According to St. Cyril the Great, the multitudes that enjoyed the Lord’s work refer to the life of man with all its talents, emotions, and possibilities, enjoying healing and comfort in Him.
The demons cried out saying: “You are the Son of God”, But He kept on rebuking and muting them According to St. Cyril the Great:[He did not allow the demons to confess Him, for it would be unbefitting to let them force themselves on the apostolic task. Moreover, it is unbefitting to let them, with their unclean tongues, utter the secret of the redemption of Christ...................................... Yes indeed, those evil spirits should notbe believed, even if they happen to say the
truth; for the light could not be revealed by help from the darkness; as according to the apostle of Christ: “What communion has light with darkness; and what accord has Christ with Belial?” (2 Corinthians 6: 14, 15)].
And according to St. Ambrose: [It is the nature of Satan to confess the Lord Christ, but denies Him by his works].
And according to St. John Chrysostom: [The Lord did not allow the demons to utter a word; on account of that, while healing the body of the sick, and driving out the evil spirits, He intended, as well, to heal their spirits; telling them that He does all that not as showing off, nor for temporal glory………
6-JESUS PREACHING IN THE SYNAGOGUES OF GALILEE:
Having performed so many healing miracles after sunset of the Sabbath, at the start of Sunday, we do not know how many hours the Lord worked among the multitudes who came to Him to be healed; except that, according to the Evangelist: “When it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place” (42); namely early in the morning, drawing the hearts of the faithful ministers to the secret encounter with God the Father, lest they would miss their goal.
Anyway, the multitude did not leave Him alone, but “The crows sought Him and came to Hm, and tried to keep Him from leaving
them”. But, with great love He said to them: “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also” (43)….............. We may say
that the more a minister sits in secret with God, the more His heart would kindle toward the salvation of the world; for the true life of contemplation opens the heart more, and ignites it to long for the salvation of all.