Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew 86.1–86.3

“… stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the King of the Jews? And Jesus said, You say so. And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.”

Do you see what he is examined about first, the thing that they kept turning over up and down continually? For since they saw that Pilate took no account of matters of the law, they bring the accusation onto public charges. So they did in the case of the apostles too, always putting these things forward and saying that they went about proclaiming a certain king, Jesus, speaking as if of a mere man, and putting on them the suspicion of usurpation. Hence it is plain that the tearing of the tunic and the amazement were a pretense. And they stirred and twisted everything so as to throw him into death. At any rate this is what Pilate then asked. What, then, does Christ say? “You have said it.” He confessed that he was a king, but a heavenly king; which elsewhere too he said more clearly, answering Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world,” so that neither they nor he might have an excuse for bringing such accusations. And he sets down an unanswerable reason, saying, “If I were of this world, my servants would have fought, so that I might not be handed over.” For this reason, to repel this suspicion, he both paid tribute himself and bade others pay it; and when they wished to make him king, he fled. “Why, then, did he not bring these things forward then,” someone says, “when he was accused of usurpation?” Because, though they had countless proofs from the facts of his power, his meekness, his gentleness, they willfully blinded themselves and acted maliciously, and the court was corrupt. For this reason he answers nothing, but is silent, though answering briefly, so as not to get a reputation for arrogance from continual silence—when the high priest adjured him, when the governor asked; but to their accusations he no longer says anything; for he was not going to persuade them. As the prophet too, showing this very thing from of old, said, “In his humiliation his judgment was taken away.” At these things the governor marveled. For it was worthy of wonder to see him showing such gentleness and keeping silent, he who had countless things to say. For those men did not accuse him from being conscious of any evil in him, but from envy and jealousy alone. At any rate, when they had set up false witnesses, why, having nothing to say, did they still press on, and why were they not pricked at heart when they saw that Judas had breathed his last, and that Pilate had washed his hands? For he did many things even at the very time to bring them to soberness, but they became better by none of these. What, then, does Pilate say? “Do you not hear how many things these testify against you?” For he wished him to be released by making his defense; therefore he also said these things; but since he answered nothing, he contrives something else too. What is this? It was their custom to release one of the condemned, and by this he tried to rescue him. “For if you do not wish,” he says, “to release him as innocent, at least grant him to the feast as one condemned.” Do you see the order reversed? For it was the custom that the request for the condemned should be the people’s, and the granting the ruler’s; but now the opposite happened, and the ruler asks the people, and not even so do they become gentle, but they grow more savage and thirst for blood, maddened by the passion of envy. For they had nothing to accuse him of, and that while he was silent; but they were refuted even so by the abundance of his righteous deeds, and keeping silent he conquered those who said countless things and raved. “And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous man; for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him.” See what happens again, enough to call them all back. For along with the proof from the facts, the dream too was no small thing. And why does he not see it himself? Either because she was more worthy, or because, if he had seen it, he would not have been believed alike, or would not even have told it. Therefore it is arranged that his wife sees it, so that it may become manifest to all. And she does not simply see it, but also suffers much, so that through his sympathy for his wife the husband might become more reluctant about the murder. And the time too contributed not a little; for she saw it on that very night. “But it was not safe for him to release him,” someone says, “since they said that he made himself a king.” Then he ought to have sought proofs and evidence, and all the tokens of usurpation: for instance, whether he levied armies, whether he collected money, whether he forged weapons, whether he attempted anything else of the kind. But he is simply carried along; therefore Christ does not free him from the charges either, saying, “He who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” So it was from weakness that he yielded. This man, then, was unmanly and soft; but the chief priests were wicked and malicious. For when he had found a device, the law of the feast that bade a condemned man be released, what do they contrive against this? “They persuaded the crowd,” it says, “to ask for Barabbas.”

Do you see how much forethought he takes to free them from the charges, and how much zeal they show to leave themselves not even a shadow of excuse? For what was required? To release the one whose guilt was confessed, or the one whose guilt was disputed? For if it was required to release men of confessed guilt, much more the doubtful. For surely this man did not seem to them worse than confessed murderers. For this reason it does not say simply that they had a robber, but a notorious one: that is, famous in wickedness, one who had committed countless murders. But nevertheless they preferred even him to the Savior of the world; and they respected neither the season, that it was holy, nor the laws of love for mankind, nor anything else of the kind; but envy blinded them once for all. And along with their own wickedness they corrupt the people too, so that they may pay the utmost penalty for the deception of those as well. When, then, they had asked for that man, he says, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” trying again by this to shame them, by making them masters of the choice, so that, being ashamed, they might at least ask for him, and the whole thing might be of their munificence. For to say, “He has not sinned,” made them more contentious; but to ask that he be saved out of love for mankind carries an irresistible persuasion and plea. But even so they said, “Crucify him.” And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out all the more, “Let him be crucified.” And seeing that he was gaining nothing, he washed his hands, saying, “I am innocent.” Why, then, do you hand him over? Why did you not snatch him away, as the centurion did Paul? For that man too knew that he could gratify the Jews, and a riot and a tumult arose because of Paul; but nevertheless he stood firm against everything. But not so this man; he was very unmanly and soft; and all together were corrupted. For neither did this man stand against the crowd, nor the crowd against the Jews; so on every side their excuse was taken away. For “they cried out all the more,” that is, they cried the louder, “Let him be crucified.” For they wished not only to kill him, but to do so on a wicked charge, and though the judge contradicted them they persisted shouting the same. Do you see how much Christ did to restore them? For as he often checked Judas, so he restrained these too, both through the whole Gospel and at the very time of the trial. For when they saw the ruler and judge washing his hands and saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” they ought to have been pricked at heart both by the words and by the deeds; and when they saw Judas having hanged himself, and when Pilate himself … to take another instead of him. For when the accuser and traitor condemns himself, and the one passing sentence washes his hands of the charges, and such a vision appears on that very night, and he begs for him as for one condemned, what defense will they have? For if they did not wish him to be innocent, yet ought they not at least to have preferred him to a robber, one confessed and very notorious? What, then, do they do? When they saw the judge washing his hands and saying, “I am innocent,” they cried out, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Then at last, when they had passed sentence against themselves, he permitted everything to happen. See here too their great derangement. For such is impulse, and evil desire does not allow one to see anything of what is needful. For grant that you curse yourselves; why do you draw the curse on your children too? But nevertheless the lover of mankind, though they acted with such madness against themselves and against their children, did not ratify the sentence, not only upon the children, but not even upon them; but from both these and those he received those who repented, and counted them worthy of countless good things. For Paul too was of them, and the myriads of those who believed in Jerusalem; “For you see, brother,” it says, “how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed.” And if some remained in unbelief, let them reckon the punishment to themselves. “Then he released Barabbas to them, and having scourged Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.” And why did he scourge him? Either as one condemned, or wishing to put a form on the judgment, or to gratify them. And yet he ought to have stood firm. For before this too he had said, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” And there were many things able to check both him and them: the signs, and the miracles, and the great forbearance of the one suffering these things, and above all the unspeakable silence. For since both by his defense and by his prayer he had shown his humanity, again by his silence and by disregarding what was said he shows his loftiness and greatness, by everything leading them to wonder at him. But they yielded to none of these things.

For when once the reasoning powers are seized as by drunkenness or some strange madness, it is difficult to recover, unless the soul that falls is very noble. For terrible, terrible it is to give room to these evil passions; therefore one must in every way beat them off and thrust back their entrance. For when they lay hold of the soul and master it, like fire falling on fuel, they kindle a bright flame. Therefore I exhort you to do everything so as to wall off their entrance, and not, comforting yourselves with this cold reasoning, to bring in every wickedness, saying, “What does this matter? And what does that matter?” For countless evils are born from this. For the devil, foul as he is, goes about the ruin of men with much … and condescension, and attacks from the smaller things. And consider. He wished to cast Saul into the nonsense of the ventriloquist. But if he had counseled this at the beginning, Saul would not have paid attention; for how would he, who was even driving them out? Therefore he brings him in quietly and little by little. For since he disobeyed Samuel, and had the whole burnt offering offered up when Samuel had not come, when charged he says, “The necessity from the enemies became greater”; and when he ought to have lamented, he was disposed as though he had done nothing. Again God commanded the things concerning the Amalekites; and he transgressed these too. From this he went on to his outrages against David, and so, slipping quietly and little by little, he did not stop until he came to the very pit of destruction and threw himself in. So too with Cain: the devil did not at once urge him to kill his brother, since he would not have persuaded him; but first he prepares him to offer the poorer things, saying, “This is no sin”; second, he kindled jealousy and envy, saying, “Nor does this matter”; third, he persuaded him to kill and to deny the murder; and he did not depart until he had put the finishing touch to the evils. Therefore one must beat back the beginnings. For indeed, even if the first sins stopped at themselves, even so one ought not to despise the first offenses; but as it is they go on to something greater when the mind is careless. Therefore one must do everything to take away their beginnings. For do not look at the nature of the sin, that it is small, but that, neglected, it becomes the root of a great one. For if one may say something wonderful, great sins do not need so much care as small and paltry ones. For the very nature of the sin makes us turn away from those; but the small ones, by this very fact, throw us into carelessness, and do not let us rise up nobly for their removal. Therefore they quickly become great while we sleep. This one may see happening in bodies too. So too with Judas this great evil was born. For if stealing the money of the poor had not seemed to him a small thing, he would not have been carried on to this betrayal. If being caught by vainglory had not seemed a small thing to the Jews, they would not have slipped into becoming killers of Christ. And one may see all evils arising from this. For no one leaps into wickedness quickly and all at once. For the soul has, it has a certain shame implanted in us, and a reverence for what is good, and it would not at once become so shameless as to cast away everything at one stroke; but quietly and little by little men perish, when they are careless. So too idolatry came in, men being honored beyond measure, both the living and the departed; so too images were worshiped; so too sexual immorality prevailed, and the other evils. And consider. Someone laughed out of season; another rebuked him; another dissolved his fear, saying, “It does not matter. For what is laughing? What could come of it?” From this jesting was born, from this foul speech, then a foul deed. Again another, rebuked for slandering his neighbor and reviling and speaking ill, despised it, saying, “Speaking ill is nothing.” From this he bred unspeakable hatred, truceless enmity, countless revilings; from the revilings, blows; from the blows, often murder.

[4] From the small things, then, that wicked demon so brings in the great; and from the great, despair, having found this other method, no less than the former. For sinning does not destroy so much as despairing. For he who has offended, if he is sober, quickly repents and corrects what was done; but he who has given up and does not repent falls for this reason from correction, not applying the remedies of repentance. He has a third grievous ambush too: as when he puts a guise of piety on the sin. “And where,” someone says, “did the devil prevail so much as to deceive even in these things?” Hear, and guard against his devices. Christ commanded through Paul that a wife should not be separated from her husband, and that they should not deprive one another except by agreement; but some women, supposedly out of love of self-control, withdrawing from their own husbands as though doing something pious, have pushed them into adultery. Consider, then, how great an evil it is that women who undergo so much labor should be charged as having done the greatest wrongs, and pay the utmost penalty, and push those who live with them into the pit of destruction. Others again, abstaining from foods by a law of fasting, went on little by little to abhorring them; which itself brings the greatest punishment. And this happens when some establish their own preconceptions contrary to what seems good to the Scriptures. Those among the Corinthians too thought it was a mark of perfection to taste of everything indifferently, even of things forbidden; but nevertheless this was not a mark of perfection, but of the utmost lawlessness. Therefore Paul severely rebukes them, and said they were liable to the utmost penalty. Others again think it pious to wear their hair long. And this too is among the things forbidden, and carries much shame. Again others pursue immoderate grief over their sins as something profitable; but this too belongs to the devil’s method, and Judas showed it; from this, at any rate, he hanged himself. Therefore Paul too feared for the man who had committed sexual immorality, lest he suffer something of the kind, and urged the Corinthians to snatch him away quickly, “lest such a one be swallowed up by excessive grief.” Then, showing that such a thing belongs to the devil’s ambush, he says, “Lest we be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs”—that he attacks with much guile, he means. For if he made war openly and manifestly, the victory would be easy and ready; or rather even now, if we are sober, it will be easy. For God has armed us against each of these ways. For to persuade us not to despise even the small things, hear what he exhorts, saying, “Whoever says to his brother, Fool, will be liable to the Gehenna of fire”; and, “He who has looked with licentious eyes is a complete adulterer.” And he calls those who laugh wretched, and everywhere takes away the beginnings and the seeds of evils, and says that one must give account for an idle word. Therefore Job too tended even the thoughts of his children. And against despair he says, “Does he who falls not rise? Or does he who turns away not turn back?” and again, “I do not desire the death of the sinner so much as that he turn and live”; and, “Today, if you hear his voice.” And many other such words and examples lie in Scripture. And against being destroyed under a guise of piety, hear Paul saying, “lest such a one be swallowed up by excessive grief.” Knowing these things, then, let us wall off, with the understanding that comes from the Scriptures, all the ways that turn the careless aside. And do not say, “What is it if I look at a beautiful woman with curiosity?” For if you commit the adultery in the heart, you will quickly dare that in the flesh too. Do not say, “What is it if I pass by this poor man?” For if you pass by this one, you will pass by the next; if that one, then another. Nor again, “What is it if I covet my neighbor’s goods?” For this, this destroyed Ahab; and yet he offered a price, but he took from one who was unwilling. For one must not buy by forcing, but by persuading. And if the one who offered the fitting price was so punished, because he took from one unwilling, the one who does not even do this, but seizes from one unwilling, and that while living under grace, of what punishment will he not be worthy? So that we may not be punished, then, keeping ourselves pure of all violence and robbery, and guarding against the beginnings of sins along with the sins, let us care for virtue with much zeal; for so we will also enjoy the eternal good things, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory to the ages of ages. Amen.