ACC ~ Matthew 11 v1 - 19

OVERVIEW:

After commissioning the apostles, Jesus proceeded to separate himself from them, to give them room and opportunity to do what he had called them to do (CHRYSOSTOM). When John was about to be killed by Herod, he sent his disciples to Christ, intending that when they met him, they would believe in him (JEROME, HILARY). Why did John send his disciples to ask a question he was already able to answer (GREGORY THE GREAT)? It is hardly conceivable that John was ignorant about the Christ (THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA). Was it that John was rather asking more specifically about whether he was destined to precede Jesus in his ministry into the nether world (GREGORY THE GREAT)? Anyone who is to know Christ must know him personally (THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA).

The Fathers offered various spiritual interpretations of this passage. As the law had announced Christ, predicted the forgiveness of sins and promised the kingdom of heaven, so John thoroughly accomplished all of this work. When the law’s embodiment was oppressed in prison, he sent a mission out to behold the good news (HILARY). Jesus answered nothing directly concerning his identity but left them to discern it from the miracles (CHRYSOSTOM). Jesus replied to John’s disciples: “You will be blessed if you take no offense at me” (ANONYMOUS). Jesus defended John, signifying that he had not fallen away from his former confidence, nor had he changed his mind (CHRYSOSTOM). Remember that you did not go out into the wilderness to see a man like a reed who is blown about by every wind, so irresolute that he cannot make up his mind about what he previously predicted (JEROME). John is not a reed bending with each slight breeze of approval or rumor (GREGORY THE GREAT, ANONYMOUS). John had already borne witness to Christ and in so doing received more from Christ than he gave. When John glorified Christ, he conferred human praise upon him; but Christ conferred divine glory on John (ANONYMOUS). John is described as a messenger or an angel (JEROME). One is angelic who with his human nature passes into angelic holiness and attains by the grace of God what is not his by nature. Insofar as John was a man and yet called an angel, he was more glorious than if he had been an angel both in name and nature (ANONYMOUS). Having said that he is greater than a prophet, Jesus signified in what way he is greater. In being so very near the One who was to come (CHRYSOSTOM), John attested the One who was born from a woman yet existed prior to the woman (ANONYMOUS). Any saint present with God in heaven is greater than one who remains in the battle (JEROME). Compared with all born of women, John is the greatest, but compared with those who partake of the Spirit in the kingdom of heaven, John will be found to be the least (THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA).

The glory pledged to Israel by the patriarchs, which the prophets announced and Christ offered, is now being seized and carried off by the Gentiles (HILARY). Some continue to seek to force their way into heaven by the merit of their works (JEROME). In saying that people of violence would try to take the kingdom by force, Jesus is thinking of a kind of Jewish legalism that did not believe in the way of Christ but also stood in others’ way (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). “The days of John” are understood not chronologically in reference to time but in reference to the state of the soul in readiness to hear the divine Scripture (ORIGEN). John the Baptist is called Elijah because he came in the spirit and goodness of Elijah and had the same grace and power of the Holy Spirit (JEROME, APOLLINARIS, THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA). Just as when some children are dancing and others are singing a dirge, so the Jews underwent such an experience. They accepted neither the vigor of John nor the freedom of Christ (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, JEROME).

11:1 | Instructing the Disciples

HE WENT ON FROM THERE

CHRYSTOSTOM: After Jesus commissioned the apostles, he proceeded to separate himself from them, to give them room and opportunity to do what he had called them to do. For while he was present with them and healing others, no one would be inclined to approach them. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 36.1. [1]

[1] PG 57:413; NPNF 1 10:238*.

11:2 | John Sends His Disciples to Jesus

JOHN REPRESENTS THE ACCOMPLISHED LAW, NOW IMPRISONED

HILARY: A fuller spiritual meaning is to be found in these actions, which were being accomplished in and through John. Here we behold the efficient power of John’s embodied action and also the grace manifest in John. As announced in prophecy: the law rose up and took shape in John. [1] For the law announced Christ, predicted the forgiveness of sins and promised the kingdom of heaven. John thoroughly accomplished all this work that belonged to the law. Therefore when the law (i.e., John) was inactive, oppressed as it was by the sins of the common people and held in chains by the vicious habits of the nation, so that Christ could not be perceived, the law (represented by John) was confined by chains and the prison. But the law (i.e., John) sent others to behold the good news. In this way unbelief would be confronted with the accomplished truth of what had been prophesied. By this means the part of the law that had been chained [2] by the misdeeds of sinners would now be freed through the understanding of the good news freely expressed. ON MATTHEW 11.2. [3]

[1] Mt 3:3; cf. Is 40:3.

[2] As John was now in chains in prison.

[3] SC 254:252-54.

JOHN SENT WORD BY HIS DISCIPLES

THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: About this text, some will argue, “When John sent his disciples, he was neither ignorant himself nor did he mean for them to learn, which seems clear to anyone who has entered to a certain extent into the meaning of the holy Scriptures.” But this is foolish, because when John was about to die and join the departed, he sent them to ask whether he was the one who was to come and free those who had been vanquished by death. [1] In this way the good news was delivered to his disciples as well. [2] John had already said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” [3] He already knew very well that the Messiah would offer his suffering up to God for the sake of all humanity. Certainly, if John indeed knew that Jesus was the Christ, he was not ignorant of the Christ. On the contrary, he knew exactly what benefits were to come to humanity through him. John might seem to be telling different people different things in different contexts. Isn’t it true that John had so much knowledge about Christ that he said a great deal about him to various people? Isn’t it true that in accordance with the greater part of what John had said in his own testimony, he recognized Jesus as the deliverer of good news? It is hardly conceivable that John was ignorant about the Christ but now was guessing and wanted to find out for sure from him. That would be inconsistent. And who would, in the attempt to discover something so great, send along his disciples as if they were competent in themselves to teach and witness?

There is another point being made here. The present life is the time when we must conduct ourselves responsibly. After death there is judgment and punishment. However, Christ’s death did not universally redeem the sins of all those who had already died. For when it is said that the bronze gates and iron bars were shattered, this is said because the body of Christ then appeared immortal for the first time and death was shown to be defeated. What does this mean, then? Were all people unrighteous before the coming of Christ? Not at all. Before Christ it was enough to refrain from idolatry and to worship the one true God in order to be saved. But now that alone is not enough. We must also know Christ personally. And so we must not imagine that someone will confess to Christ in hell, where even if all repent, no one is comforted. FRAGMENT 57. [4]

[1] The descent into hell is perhaps implied.

[2] According to one interpretation found in Origen and Gregory the Great, among others (cf. D. Sheerin, Vigilae Christianae 30 [1976]: 1ff. ), John the Baptist announced the coming of Christ even in hell. Theodore, along with Chrysostom and others, repeats this interpretation merely to deny and confute it.

[3] Jn 1:29.

[4] MKGK 115.

11:3 | Shall We Look for Another?

ARE YOU HE WHO IS TO COME?

JEROME: John asks this not because he is ignorant [1] but to guide others who are ignorant and to say to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [2] And he had heard the voice of the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” [3] Rather, it is the same sort of question as when the Savior asked where Lazarus was buried. The people only meant to show him the tomb, but he wanted them to be brought to faith and see the dead man return to life. Similarly, when John was about to be killed by Herod, he sent his disciples to Christ, intending that when they met him, the disciples would observe his appearance and powers and believe in him, and they would tell this to their teacher when he questioned them. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.11.3. [4]

[1] These words of John the Baptist suggest that he was unsure of the identity of Jesus, but in the Gospel of John he immediately demonstrates his knowledge of Christ’s superiority. In the following passages various interpretations are proposed that aim to resolve this difficulty.

[2] Jn 1:29.

[3] Mt 3:17.

[4] CCL 77:77.

FORERUNNER EVEN INTO HELL

GREGORY THE GREAT: It seems almost as if John did not know the one he had pointed out, as if he did not know whether he was the same person he had proclaimed by prophesying, by baptizing, by pointing him out!

We can resolve this question more quickly if we reflect on the time and order of the events. For when John is standing beside the river Jordan, he declares that this is the Redeemer of the world. But when he has been thrown into jail, he asks whether they were to look for another or whether he had come. This is not because he doubts that he is the Redeemer of the world. John now wants to know whether he who had personally come into the world would also descend personally into the courts of hell. For John had preceded Christ into the world and announced him there. He was now dying and preceding him to the nether world. This is the context in which he asks, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” But if he had spoken more fully he might have said, “Since you thought it worthy of yourself to be born for humanity, say whether you will also think it worthy of yourself to die for humanity. In this way I, who have been the herald of your birth, will also be the herald of your death. I will announce your arrival in the nether world as the One who is to come, just as I have already announced it on earth.” FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 6.1. [1]

[1] PL 76:1095-96; CS 123:28-29** (Homily 5). Why did John send his disciples to ask a question he was already able to answer? John was rather asking more specifically about whether he was destined to precede Jesus in his ministry into the nether world.

11:4-5 | Jesus Responds to John

WHAT YOU SEE AND HEAR

ANONYMOUS: And then consider whether their words are at one with their feelings. Now as it first appears, John asks Christ through his disciples, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” [1] John was actually saying to his disciples, “Go, look, and believe; for this is none other than he who was to come.” Similarly, as it first appears, Christ answered John by saying, “Go and tell John this: the blind receive their sight and the deaf hear; and blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” [2] He was actually saying to John’s disciples, “Look here, see and understand that the blind receive their sight and the deaf hear; and you will be blessed if you take no offense at me.”

What then is the meaning of “what you see and hear”? As Luke says, the Lord knew that these disciples would come from John. And at that time, he was preparing a worthy meal for a multitude of guests, good people. In this way, even though Christ was silent, his works would tell of him, [3] for those who had been cured were thanking him. Some said, “We never saw anything like this in Israel.” [4] And others said, “God has visited his people with goodness.” [5] Others said, “Glory be to God, who has given such authority to humans.” [6] And so the disciples of John would feast their eyes and ears, seeing the miracles of healing and hearing the voices of those who thanked him; or at least seeing miracles done by him and hearing his teaching; or at the very least seeing the good health of those who had been sick and hearing the testimony of those from whom demons had been cast out. INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 27. [7]

[1] Mt 11:3.

[2] Mt 11:4-6.

[3] 16.

[4] Mt 9:33; Mk 2:12.

[5] Lk 7:16.

[6] Mt 9:8.

[7] PG 56:772-73.

11:6 | One Who Takes No Offense

THE POOR RECEIVE GOOD NEWS

HILARY: And when the Lord had shown forth all of himself in miraculous works, in giving sight to the blind, the power of walking to the lame, cleansing to the lepers, hearing to the deaf, voices to the mute, life to the dead and preaching to the poor, he said, “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” Now, had anything really been done through Christ that would cause John to take offense? Not in the least. For John himself also spent his time in his own teaching and work. However, one ought to look to a higher meaning that is both powerful and fitting. What does it mean that the poor have good news preached to them? Poor people are those who have abandoned their lives, who have taken up his cross and followed, who have been made humble in spirit. For such the kingdom of heaven is prepared. Because all experiences of this kind come together in the Lord and because his cross was to be a source of offense to many, he declared that people are blessed if their faith is not threatened by a cross or death or burial. ON MATTHEW 11.3. [1]

[1] SC 254:254.

BLESSED IS ONE WHO TAKES NO OFFENSE

CHRYSOSTOM: Jesus knew the mind of John who sent them, for he knew, as God knows, our inner thoughts. There he was, actively healing the blind, lame, and many others. He healed not to teach John, who was already convinced, but those who had come to him doubting. Having healed them he said, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” And then he added pointedly, “And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” By saying this Jesus implied that he knew even his questioners’ unuttered thoughts. For if he had said simply “I am he,” this would have fallen short of overcoming their unstated sense of being offended. And it would have given fuel to some Jews who were already saying to him, “You bear record of yourself.” [1] Hence he answered nothing directly concerning his identity but left them to learn of it from the miracles, freeing what he taught from suspicion and making it plainer. Then Jesus gently chided them for being silently offended in him. He made their case for them, leaving it to their own conscience alone to judge, calling no witness of his reprimand other than they themselves who knew what they had been thinking. For it was of their own inward offense that he was thinking when he said, “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” In this way Christ drew them all the more closely to himself. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 36.2. [2]

[1] Jn 8:13.

[2] PG 57:415; NPNF 1 10:239-40**.

11:7 | Jesus Speaks About John

AS THEY WENT AWAY

CHRYSOSTOM: Why “as they went away”? That he might not seem to be flattering John. And in correcting John’s disciples, Jesus does not broadcast their suspicion. He merely provides a remedy for the thoughts that were mentally disturbing them. This made it clear to them that he knew the secrets of all. For he did not say, as he might have to the other religious leaders, “Why are you thinking evil?” For if John’s disciples had doubt in their minds it was not out of wickedness but out of ignorance. So Jesus does not rebuke them but merely corrects their understanding. He then defends John, signifying that he had not fallen away from his former confidence, nor had he changed his mind. For John was not a man easily swayed and fickle but steadfast and sure. He was far from being such as to betray the things committed to him. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 37.1. [1]

[1] PG 57:419; NPNF 1 10:243**.

THE WEAKNESS OF THE REED

GREGORY THE GREAT: He did not expect assent to this but denial. As soon as a slight breeze blows on a reed it bends away. What does the reed represent if not an unspiritual soul? As soon as it is touched by praise or slander, it turns in every direction. If a slight breeze of commendation comes from someone’s mouth, it is cheerful and proud, and it bends completely, so to speak, toward being pleasant. But if a gust of slander comes from the source from which the breeze of praise was coming, it is quickly turned in the opposite direction, toward raving anger. John was no reed, shaken by the wind. No one’s pleasant attitude made him agreeable, and no one’s anger made him bitter. FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 6.2. [1]

[1] PL 76:1096; CS 123:30* (Homily 5). John’s preaching of repentance was not shaped by what he thought other people would think of him.

11:8 | Why Did You Go Out?

SOFT RAIMENT BELONGS IN KINGS’ HOUSES

JEROME: If the Lord had intended a higher meaning unfavorable to John, as many imagine that he did, in saying “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me,” why does he now speak about John with highest praise? Because the crowd that was present did not know the inner purpose of John’s question. They thought John doubted Christ, although he himself had prophesied about him. Now the crowd learns that John asked not on his own behalf but on that of his disciples. “Why did you go out into the wilderness?” To see a man like a reed who is blown about by every wind, a man so irresolute that he cannot make up his mind about what he himself previously predicted? Or else, perhaps he is pricked by the goad of his envy for me, and his preaching runs after an empty fame, and he covets the money he may get by it? But why should this man desire wealth for abundance of feasting? He feeds on locusts and wild honey. Or wealth to wear soft clothes? His clothes are made of camel’s hair. But people who are flatterers, and run after money, and covet wealth, and overflow with luxury and wear soft clothes—such people live in the palaces of kings. Thus it is shown that the austere way of life and the strict preaching must avoid the halls of kings and turn away from the palaces of the luxurious. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.11.6. [1]

[1] CCL 77:78-79.

A MAN CLOTHED IN SOFT RAIMENT

ANONYMOUS: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A man clothed in soft raiment?” A lover of present pleasure who gladly made use of the earthly goods of the present. Didn’t you see that his garment was of camels’ hair, and he wore a leather girdle around his waist? And his food was locusts and wild honey. Thus by the testimony of his own way of life, Jesus condemned the world and its goods; yet he remained steadfastly in the world. However, he entered the world not in order to remain in it himself but to challenge the idolatry of the world’s riches. Jesus was born in the world, but he turned aside from the goods of the world. Again, although he was born in the world, he did not remain in it as a sinner; instead, in converting sinners to righteousness, he freed them from the world. For this wicked world has many pleasures with which to seduce people. INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 27. [1]

[1] PG 56:773-74.

11:9 | More Than a Prophet

THE TASK OF A PROPHET

ANONYMOUS: “Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.” Now, it is the task of a prophet to foretell Christ. But was it also the task of a prophet to recognize God while he was still implanted in the womb? It is the task of a prophet to receive prophecy in exchange for a worthy way of life and faith. But was it the task of a prophet to be made a prophet before being made a man and before receiving any reward? It is the task of a prophet to receive blessing from God. But is it the task of a prophet to confer the blessing of baptism on God? It is the task of a prophet to speak of Christ before his time. But is it the task of a prophet to stand face to face with Christ and point him out with his finger? It is the task of a prophet to give prophecies about God. But is it the task of a prophet that God should make prophecies about the prophet himself, as when he says, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face?” [1]

“This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face.’” [2] He now begins to tell the reasons why the blessed John was more than a prophet—from such a One John did deserve praise. Now John had borne witness to Christ, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” [3] But he received more from Christ than he gave. For when John glorified Christ, he conferred human praise on him; but Christ conferred divine glory on John. For John spoke of Christ as a Lamb, but when Christ foretold John he spoke of him as an angel. And John did not praise Christ in full measure, for Christ not only took away the sin of the world but also granted eternal life to the world. But Christ exalted John higher than he appeared; John was a man, but Christ called him an angel. INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 27. [4]

[1] Lk 7:27.

[2] Mt 11:10; Mal 3:1.

[3] Jn 1:29.

[4] PG 56:774.

11:10 | A Messenger to Prepare the Way

I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE

JEROME: John is greater than the other prophets for this reason: the other prophets predicted to John that someone was to come, but John pointed out with his finger that he had indeed come, saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” [1] And he reached not only the rank of a prophet but even to that of Baptist, by baptizing his Lord. This heightened his significance. He thereby fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi in which an angel is foretold. [2] John belonged to the order of the angels not by nature but by the importance of his task. It means he was the messenger who would announce the coming of the Lord. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.11.9. [3]

[1] Jn 1:29.

[2] Mal 3:1.

[3] CCL 77:79.

HOW JOHN IS GREATER THAN A PROPHET

CHRYSOSTOM: But suppose someone might say, “What if John had one opinion earlier but later changed his mind?” This is why Jesus spoke further about his garments, his imprisonment and his role in prophecy. Having said that he is greater than a prophet, Jesus signifies also in what way he is greater. And in what is he greater? In being so very near the One who was to come. For “behold, I send,” he says, “my messenger before your face,” which means in proximity to Messiah. For as with kings, those who ride near the chariot are more illustrious than the rest, just so John also appears in his course near the advent itself. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 37.2. [1]

[1] PG 57:420-21; NPNF 1 10:244**.

MY MESSENGER WILL PREPARE THE WAY

ANONYMOUS: Listen now and learn the real meaning of this. If it is not too bold to say so, I believe that insofar as John was a man and yet was called an angel because of his strength and his merit, he was more glorious than if he had been an angel both in name and nature. If an angel is called an angel, that is not so much a tribute to his merit as merely fitting to his nature. A man is miraculous, however, if with his human nature he passes into angelic holiness and attains by the grace of God what is not his by nature. INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 27. [1]

[1] PG 56:774.

11:11 | The Least in the Kingdom Greater Than John

AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN

ANONYMOUS: It is one thing to be generically the son of a woman, another thing to be [in Paul’s sense] a man “born of woman.” [1] A man such as John who is the son of a woman was born in a woman and had his origin in the woman and did not exist prior to the woman. But the unique man “born of woman” is not necessarily born initially in the woman. Christ, as we know, was a man “born of woman,” but as to what is being said here, John—the man spoken of—is the son of a woman. Christ was “born of woman” and yet existed prior to the woman. Therefore every son of a woman is born of a woman, but not every man born of a woman is the son of a woman. And thus Paul did not say that Jesus was “among the sons of women” because that would mix him in with the generic category of all sons.

Moreover, the Scripture does not say that John was greater than the other saints but that “no one greater than John has arisen.” The text makes him equal to the others, not superior. However, righteousness is so deep that no one can be perfect in it except God alone. I think that in God’s own keen judgment, each of the saints may be viewed individually as greater or lesser. From this we conclude that if no one is greater than John, he is therefore greater than them all. INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 27. [2]

[1] Gal 4:4.

[2] PG 56:775.

THE LEAST IN THE KINGDOM

THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: If John is being judged against other people according to being born from a woman, he will be found to be the greatest of them all. He alone was filled with the Holy Spirit inside his mother’s womb, so that he “leaped,” [1] and his mother prophesied because she partook in this as well. But if John is judged in relation to those who are to partake of the Spirit in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus says, he will be found to be least. Thus Jesus says that John by no means partakes of such great grace as those who will be reborn into immortality after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and that John will experience physical death. At that time, however, the Spirit’s abundance toward people will be so great that no one who has partaken of even the least part of it can afterward fall into death. FRAGMENT 59. [2]

[1] Lk 1:41.

[2] MKGK 116.

ALREADY SERVING GOD IN HEAVEN

JEROME: “Yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Now, many would like to interpret this with reference to the Savior, as meaning that the one lesser in age is the greater in worth. However, let us interpret it simply to mean that every saint who is already with God is greater than anyone who remains expectant, as yet in the battle. For it is one thing to possess the crown of victory, another to be still fighting in the ranks. Some conclude that the very newest angel who serves God in heaven is greater than any one, even the best, who dwells on the earth still in expectation. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.11.11. [1]

[1] CCL 77:80.

JESUS IS THE KINGDOM

ORIGEN: The kingdom of heaven is Jesus the Christ himself, who exhorts all people to repentance and draws them to himself by love. FRAGMENT 226. [1]

[1] GCS 41.1:107.

11:12 | The Kingdom Suffers Violence

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

HILARY: What violence? People did not believe in John the Baptist. The works of Christ were held to be of no importance. His torment on the cross was a stumbling block. “Until now” prophecy has been dormant. But now the law is fulfilled. Every prediction is finished. The spirit of Elijah is sent in advance through John’s words. Christ is proclaimed to some and acknowledged by others. He is born for some and loved by others. The violent irony is that his own people rejected him, while strangers accepted him. His own people speak ill of him, while his enemies embrace him. The act of adoption offers an inheritance, while the family rejects it. Sons refuse to accept their father’s last will, while the slaves of the household receive it. This is what is meant by the phrase “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence.” Earlier expectations are being torn apart. The glory that was pledged to Israel by the patriarchs, which was announced by the prophets and which was offered by Christ, is now being seized and carried off by the Gentiles, through their faith. ON MATTHEW 11.7. [1]

[1] SC 254:260.

11:13 | All the Law and the Prophets

FROM THE DAYS OF JOHN UNTIL NOW

ORIGEN: “The days of John” and of Jesus are understood not in reference to time but in reference to the state of the soul of the hearer of the divine Scripture. And the word now marks out clearly the days of Jesus, which the psalm points to in this way: “In his days righteousness shall arise, and there will be an abundance of peace till the time when he is taken away.” [1] One who has been previously taught comes to the beginning of Jesus’ discourses and still makes progress in introductory things by way of that road that appears to be rugged and steep. One thereby “takes by force” the kingdom of heaven, which “suffers violence.” The expression “suffers violence” is not to be taken in an active sense but a passive, as if to say “it has been taken.” [2] But if the perfect Word, when he receives someone who was awaiting freedom under the law and prophetic schoolmasters and housekeepers, bestows on such a one his father’s inheritance freely, then fittingly it is said that “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” FRAGMENT 227. [3]

[1] Ps 72:7 (71:7 LXX); the LXX has “the moon” for “he.”

[2] Origen’s observation reveals the uncertainty as to whether the verb biazetai should be understood in the active or the passive, which he himself contends and is the normal modern interpretation.

[3] GCS 41.1:108.

ALL THE PROPHETS AND THE LAW

JEROME: This should not exclude the prophets who came after John the Baptist, for we read in the Acts of the Apostles that Agabus and Philip’s four young unmarried daughters uttered prophecies. [1] But insofar as the law and prophets of the Scriptures looked toward the future, they prophesied about our Lord. So when it is written, “All the prophets and the law up to the time of John have prophesied,” [2] the time of Christ is made known as those previous voices had said it would come. Then John showed he had come. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.11.13. [3]

[1] Acts 21:8-11.

[2] Mt 11:13.

[3] CCL 77:80-81.

11:14 | Elijah Who Is to Come

HE IS ELIJAH

APOLLINARIS: He called John Elijah because of Elijah’s power and spirit. And since this statement of Jesus was obscure, he left the understanding of it for those capable of perceiving its meaning. But the angel Gabriel also said this about John: “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah,” [1] showing that he was the same as Elijah, even if, as a visible human being, he was other than Elijah. FRAGMENTS 62-63. [2]

[1] Lk 1:17.

[2] MKGK 18.

A NEW STATE

THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: Jesus is in effect saying: Just as Elijah will come toward the end of this present age preaching about my imminent appearance from heaven, in the same way this one [1] has spread the good news of my coming, [2] bringing an end to the old things. [3] My coming is something new, a type of the state of things that is about to occur. FRAGMENT 61. [4]

[1] John the Baptist.

[2] In the time of Christ it was a common belief among the Jews that Elijah would return to earth to announce the coming of the Messiah before the end of the world.

[3] Putting a conclusion to the things of the old covenant.

[4] MKGK 116.

HE CAME IN THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH

JEROME: So John the Baptist is called Elijah, not in accordance with foolish philosophers and certain heretics who introduce the topic of metempsychosis (transmigration of souls) [1] but because, according to other evidence of the gospel, he came in the spirit and goodness of Elijah and had either the same grace or power of the Holy Spirit. The austerity of their life and firm resolve were equally strong in Elijah and in John. Both lived in the desert. The former girded himself with a belt of skins, and the latter had a similar belt. The former was forced to flee because he accused Ahab and Jezebel of the sin of impiety in their lives. John was beheaded because he accused Herod and Herodias of unlawful marriage. There are those who think therefore that John is called Elijah because, just as Elijah would lead the way in the second coming of our Savior (according to Malachi) and would announce that the Judge was coming, so John acted at the first coming and because each was a messenger either of the first or second coming of our Lord. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.11.15. [2]

[1] As though the soul of Elijah had occupied the body of John the Baptist.

[2] CCL 77:81-82.

11:15 | Ears to Hear

LET PEOPLE HEAR

CHRYSOSTOM: Jesus did not stop even at this praise of John but said, “He is Elijah who is to come.” Then he added, to underscore the need for deeper understanding, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus said this to stir them up to inquire further. By this they were awakened so that everything might be plain and clear. Thus no one could claim that Jesus was unapproachable or that they did not dare ask him questions. For they were asking all sorts of questions and testing him in many small matters. Even when their mouths were stopped a thousand times, they did not turn away from him. For if they did not hesitate to inquire of him about these common things, they surely would be inquiring about indispensable things in whatever way they wanted to learn. In this way he himself was encouraging them and drawing them on to ask such questions. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 37.3. [1]

[1] PG 57:422; NPNF 1 10:245-46**.

11:16 | Like Children in the Marketplace

A METAPHOR OF THE GENERATION

JEROME: The comparison of children sitting in the marketplace, shouting and saying to their peers, “We sang for you and you did not dance, we lamented and you did not mourn” is made with that generation of Jews in mind. Recall the Scripture that says, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like the children sitting in the marketplace,” and the rest. We are not offered a complete understanding or a shared interpretation of allegory. But whatever we say about children should be related to their comparison with “this generation.” Those children who are sitting in the marketplace are the ones of whom the prophet Isaiah speaks: “Behold, I and my children, whom God has given me.” [1] And also the psalm: “The testimony of God is faithful, giving wisdom to children.” [2] And elsewhere: “Out of the mouth of babies and sucklings you have achieved glory.” [3] So those children sat in the marketplace or in the agora, which is described in Greek more plainly as where there are many items for sale. Because the Jews did not want to listen, the children not only spoke but shouted to them, at the top of their voices: “We sang to you, and you did not dance.” We challenged you to do good deeds at the sound of our song and to dance to our flute, just as David danced before the ark of the Lord, and you did not want to. “We lamented” and we challenged you to seek repentance, and you did not want to do even this, rejecting both proclamations, which were an exhortation as much to goodness as to repentance after committing a sin. It is no wonder you have despised the dual path to salvation since you scorned poverty and wealth alike. If you are pleased with poverty, why did John displease you? If wealth pleases you, why did the Son of Man displease you? You called one of these a man with a demon, the other a glutton and a drunkard. Therefore, because you did not want to accept either teaching, “wisdom has been vindicated by her children,” that is, the direction and teaching of God. I, who am the glory of God and the wisdom of God, have been acknowledged to have acted justly by my sons, the apostles, to whom my Father unveiled what he had hidden from wise, experienced people. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.11.16. [4]

[1] Is 8:18.

[2] Ps 19:7 (18:7 LXX).

[3] Ps 8:2.

[4] CCL 77:82-83.

11:17 | Piping but No Dancing

THE DISSONANCE OF DANCING AND LAMENTING

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: When some children are dancing and others are singing a dirge, their purpose does not agree. Both sides find fault with their friends for not being in harmony with them. So the Jews underwent such an experience when they accepted neither the gloominess of John the Baptist nor the freedom of Christ. They did not receive help one way or another. It was fitting for John as a lowly servant to deaden the passions of the body through very hardy training, and for Christ by the power of his Godhead freely to mortify the sensations of the body and the innate practice of the flesh, and to do so without reliance on strenuous ascetic labors. Nevertheless John, “while he was preaching the baptism of repentance,” [1] offered himself as a model for those who were obliged to lament, whereas the Lord “who was preaching the kingdom of heaven” [2] similarly displayed radiant freedom in himself. In this way Jesus outlined for the faithful indescribable joy and an untroubled life. The sweetness of the kingdom of heaven is like a flute. The pain of Gehenna is like a dirge. FRAGMENTS 142-43. [3]

[1] Mk 1:4; Lk 3:3.

[2] Mt 4:23; 9:35; 24:14.

[3] MKGK 198.

11:18-19 | Wisdom Known by Its Deeds

CAUSE DISTINGUISHED FROM EFFECT

HILARY: “Wisdom has been vindicated by her children.” [1] Those who resist the kingdom of heaven tear apart heaven itself in attempting to justify themselves. The action of Wisdom is just, because she has transferred her gift from the obstinate and faithless to the faithful and obedient covenant people. However, it is useful in this place to consider carefully the virtue of the remark “Wisdom has been proved right by her actions,” which Jesus certainly said about himself. For Jesus is Wisdom itself not because of his acts of power but by his very nature. [2] Everything has capability, but capability is demonstrated in actions. Thus an act of goodness is not the same as goodness itself, just as an effect is distinguishable from its cause. ON MATTHEW 9.9. [3]

[1] Mt 11:19; cf. Lk 7:35.

[2] Christ, as the Son of God preexisting the incarnation, is by nature—in addition to the Logos—the divine Wisdom. Thus the cosmological function of the Old Testament Wisdom of Proverbs 8 (cf. 1 Cor 1:24) applies to him.

[3] SC 254:262.

JOHN CAME, AND THE SON CAME

THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: Those who were looking for the truth, he says, accepted the leadership of John and of Christ. It changed their lives. They managed this wisdom for the benefit of those who were searching. He calls the things that have happened wisely, wisdom. The Jews did not believe in Christ, either through the fasting and ascetic life of John or through the submissive mode of life and providential citizenship of Christ the Lord himself. Still, he who fulfilled everything wisely by neglecting none of those things that contributed to their profit and salvation was judged harshly by them. And no longer hereafter could they accuse him, because Jesus fulfilled all his promises and did not leave behind for them a shadow either of unkindness or of ingratitude. FRAGMENT 62. [1]

[1] MKGK 117.

THE LIVING WISDOM

THEODORE OF HERACLEA: Christ himself was judged by those who believed in him to be the living, foundational wisdom, who managed everything justly. Although he was treated spitefully by the unbelieving Jews, he did not stop speaking kindly to the Jews and calling them to be his children. FRAGMENT 77. [1]

[1] MKGK 77.