Luke § 14
Friday of 18th Sunday, Elias
And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· πάντως ἐρεῖτέ μοι τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην· ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν· ὅσα ἠκούσαμεν γενόμενα ἐν τῇ Καπερναούμ, ποίησον καὶ ὧδε ἐν τῇ πατρίδι σου.
И҆ речѐ къ ни̑мъ: всѧ́кѡ рече́те мѝ при́тчꙋ сїю̀: врачꙋ̀, и҆сцѣли́сѧ са́мъ: є҆ли̑ка слы́шахомъ бы̑вшаѧ въ капернаꙋ́мѣ, сотворѝ и҆ здѣ̀ во ѻ҆те́чествїи свое́мъ.
(de Cons. Ev. lib. ii. 42.) But since St. Luke mentions that great things had been already done by Him, which he knows he had not yet related, what is more evident than that he knowingly anticipated the relation of them. For he had not proceeded so far beyond our Lord's baptism as that he should be supposed to have forgotten that he had not yet related any of those things which were done in Capernaum.
Catena Aurea by AquinasAnd he said to them: Certainly you will quote me this proverb: Physician, heal yourself: whatever, etc. Their insane perfidy, although ignorant of sound faith, confesses it, calling the Lord Christ both a craftsman and a physician. For he is indeed the true craftsman, because all things were made through him. He is a physician, because all things were restored through him in heaven and on earth. And as he himself testifies about himself: Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick (Mark II). And since we have said by what instrument he works as a craftsman, let us also say by what method he heals. Passing by, he saw a man blind from birth, he spat on the ground, and made mud with the saliva, and applied it to his eyes, and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back seeing (John IX). Recognize then the greatness of his healing method, and rejoice because through this you have deserved to be enlightened. The mud from the earth is the flesh of Christ. The saliva from the mouth is his divinity, because the head of Christ is God. The saliva mixed with the mud enlightens us when baptized in the pool of Siloam, because the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory (John I), which we could not comprehend before, being hindered by darkness. Therefore, you were created through the craftsman Christ, so that you might exist. You were recreated through the physician Christ, so that after wounds you might be healthy. Although he is advised by the scornful citizens to heal himself, that is, to perform miracles in his own country, he is not excused in vain by another Evangelist, because he could not perform any miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. Lest anyone should think that a lesser affection should be given to one's own country. Therefore, he loved the citizens, but they themselves deprived themselves of the love of their fatherland through spite.
On the Gospel of LukeBy way of hidden irony he expresses their reproaches, when he adds: And he said to them: Doubtless you will say to me this similitude: for he saw them thinking this secretly. He said therefore: this you propose ironically against me, which you have secretly conceived in your hearts, because, according to what is said in Matthew twelve, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"; you propose this similitude, namely by irony: Physician, heal yourself: which is customarily said to physicians who are ailing, when they cannot help themselves, or do not know how, or are negligent: which is a mocking word directed at them. So also you, heal yourself, that is, the infirm one. Which they said rather out of unbelief and derision than out of humility and devotion, as is said in Matthew thirteen, that "he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief." Whence Bede says in the Gloss: "In vain do you await the help of heavenly mercy, if you envy the virtues bestowed on others. For the Lord is a despiser of the envious, and from those who persecute the divine benefits given to others, he turns away the miracles of his power." And note that they ironically call him physician, whom they ought truthfully to confess as physician, according to that passage in Job five: "He himself wounds and heals." They despise him whom they ought to revere and honor, according to that passage in Sirach thirty-eight: "Honor the physician on account of necessity"; and afterward: "The Most High created medicine from the earth, and a prudent man will not abhor it."
But by way of explicit invective he expresses it, when he adds: How great things we have heard done in Capernaum, namely miraculous works: whence Matthew eleven: "Woe to you, Capernaum! For if in Tyre and Sidon the mighty works had been done," etc. But how did they hear these things, since the Evangelist had not yet related that he had performed any miracles? On account of which it must be noted that the Evangelist does not follow the order of events as they happened, but the order of his own intention, and this indeed he does frequently; and therefore, when one Evangelist narrates afterward what another narrates before, there is no contradiction, because they do not intend to say that events occurred in the order in which they were written, as Augustine says in On the Harmony of the Evangelists. Moreover, Luke, together with the other two, Matthew and Mark, narrates nothing about the first coming of Christ into Galilee, but about the second; about the first, however, John alone treats. From the fame, therefore, of miracles performed in a foreign land, they reproached him because he did not perform them in his own land. Whence is added: Do so also here in your own country; and this is to say: heal yourself, that is, heal those of your own country through miracles, as you have healed others, according to that passage in Sirach fourteen: "He who is evil to himself, to whom will he be good?" and First Timothy five: "If anyone does not have care for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith"; it is said in Sirach seventeen: "He gave commandment to each one concerning his neighbor."
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4Jesus rebuked them, therefore, for asking so foolishly, "Isn't this Joseph's son?" Keeping to the goal of his teaching, he says, "Truly, I tell you, that no prophet is acceptable in his country." As I have mentioned, certain Jews affirmed that the prophecies relating to Christ had been fulfilled in the holy prophets or in certain of their own more distinguished men. For their good, he draws them away from such a supposition. He said that Elijah had been sent to a single widow and that the prophet Elisha had healed but one leper, Naaman the Syrian. By these he refers to the church of the heathen, who were about to accept him and be healed of their leprosy, by reason of Israel's remaining impenitent.
COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 12It was a common proverb among the Hebrews, invented as a reproach, for men used to cry out against infirm physicians, Physician, heal thyself.
Catena Aurea by Aquinas(ordin.) It was as if they said, We have heard that you performed many cures in Capernaum; cure also thyself, i. e. Do likewise in your own city, where you were nourished and brought up.
Catena Aurea by Aquinas(ubi sup.) For though after a long time and when He had begun to show forth His miracles, He came to them; they did not receive Him, but again were inflamed with envy. Hence it follows, And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.
Catena Aurea by AquinasAs far as Luke's narrative is concerned, our Lord is not yet said to have worked any miracle in Capernaum. For before He came to Capernaum, He is said to have lived at Nazareth. I cannot but think therefore that in these words, "whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum," there lies a mystery concealed, and that Nazareth is a type of the Jews, Capernaum of the Gentiles. For the time will come when the people of Israel shall say, "The things which thou hast shown to the whole world, show also to us." Preach thy word to the people of Israel, that then at least, when the fulness of the Gentiles has entered, all Israel may be saved. Our Saviour seems to me to have well answered, No prophet is accepted in his own country, but rather according to the type than the letter; though neither was Jeremiah accepted in Anathoth his country, nor the rest of the Prophets. But it seems rather to be meant that we should say, that the people of the circumcision were the countrymen of all the Prophets. And the Gentiles indeed accepted the prophecy of Jesus Christ, esteeming Moses and the Prophets who preached of Christ, far higher than they who would not from these receive Jesus.
Catena Aurea by AquinasBut Christ will be (the Christ) of the prophets, wheresoever He is found in accordance with the prophets. And yet even at Nazareth He is not remarked as having preached anything new, whilst in another verse He is said to have been rejected by reason of a simple proverb.
Against Marcion Book IVAnd he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
εἶπε δέ· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς προφήτης δεκτός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ.
Рече́ же: а҆ми́нь гл҃ю ва́мъ, ꙗ҆́кѡ никото́рый прⷪ҇ро́къ прїѧ́тенъ є҆́сть во ѻ҆те́чествїи свое́мъ:
Therefore, the Savior excuses that he has not worked any miracles of virtue in his own country, so that no one might think that he should have a lower affection for his country. For he could not fail to love his fellow citizens, since he loved all. But those who envy have cast themselves out, through their lack of love for their country. For love does not envy... does not boast (1 Corinthians 13:4). However, the homeland is not devoid of divine blessings. For what greater miracle is there than that Christ was born in her? Therefore, see what evil envy brings. A homeland is judged unworthy because of envy, where a citizen works, which was worthy for the birth of the Son of God.
Commentary on LukeBut the Saviour purposely excuses Himself for not working miracles in His own country, that no one might suppose that love of country is a thing to be lightly esteemed by us. For it follows, But he says, Verily I say unto you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country.
But this is given for an example, that in vain can you expect the aid of Divine mercy, if you grudge to others the fruits of their virtue. The Lord despises the envious, and withdraws the miracles of His power from them that are jealous of His divine blessings in others. For our Lord's Incarnation is an evidence of His divinity, and His invisible things are proved to us by those which are visible. See then what evils envy produces. For envy a country is deemed unworthy of the works of its citizen, which was worthy of the conception of the Son of God.
Catena Aurea by AquinasHe said: Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. That the Lord Christ is called a prophet in the Scriptures, Moses is a witness, who said: God will raise up for you a prophet from among your brothers like me (Deut. XVIII). Not only he who is the head and Lord of the prophets but also Elijah, Jeremiah, and the rest of the prophets were held in less regard in their own country than in distant cities. For it is almost natural that citizens always envy their fellow citizens. For they do not consider the man's present works, but remember his fragile childhood, as if they themselves had not reached mature age through the same stages of life.
On the Gospel of LukeNow that Christ is called a Prophet in the Scriptures, Moses bears witness, saying, God shall raise up a Prophet unto you from among your brethren. (Deut. 18:15.)
Catena Aurea by AquinasHere, after the reproaches of the detractors, prophetic examples are added, confuting the detractors. For their full confutation, a general proverb is first set forth; second, a special example in Elijah, the most eminent of the Prophets; third, in Elisha, his disciple. The first is for admonishing, the second for confuting, the third for confirming. Therefore he sets forth the general proverb concerning every Prophet and people, when he says: And he said, namely Christ: Amen I say to you, that is, with certainty, because amen is a sign of affirmation. And truly so, because, as he himself says in Matthew twenty-four, "heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." That no prophet is accepted in his own country, namely neither as regards doctrine nor as regards life, in which Prophets were accustomed to have excellence. And therefore it is not surprising if he does not work miracles in his own country, which are not to be done for the ungrateful and unworthy. This denunciation of the Savior is attested by the fact that Joseph is sold by his brothers, Genesis thirty-seven, and honored by the Egyptians, Genesis forty-one. So Moses suffers insult from Aaron and Miriam, Numbers twelve, and is reproached by his fellow tribesmen, Numbers sixteen. So Abraham suffers from his countrymen; whence it is said to him: "Go forth from your land and from your kindred," Genesis twelve.
Bede in the Gloss assigns the reason for this: "The other Prophets were less honored in their homeland than in other cities, because it is almost natural for citizens to envy their fellow citizens. For they do not consider the present works of the man, nor his virtue, but they recall his frail infancy, as though they themselves had not also passed through the same stages of age to maturity."
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4As if He says, You wish me to work many miracles among you, in whose country I have been brought up, but I am aware of a very common failing in the minds of many. To a certain extent it always happens, that even the very best things are despised when they fall to a man's lot, not scantily, but ever at his will. So it happens also with respect to men. For a friend who is ever at hand, does not meet with the respect due to him.
Catena Aurea by AquinasAnd yet even at Nazareth He is not remarked as having preached anything new, whilst in another verse He is said to have been rejected by reason of a simple proverb. Here at once, when I observe that they laid their hands on Him, I cannot help drawing a conclusion respecting His bodily substance, which cannot be believed to have been a phantom, since it was capable of being touched and even violently handled, when He was seized and taken and led to the very brink of a precipice.
Against Marcion Book IVBut I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
ἐπ᾿ ἀληθείας δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, πολλαὶ χῆραι ἦσαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἠλιοὺ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτε ἐκλείσθη ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐπὶ ἔτη τρία καὶ μῆνας ἕξ, ὡς ἐγένετο λιμὸς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν,
пои́стиннѣ же гл҃ю ва́мъ: мнѡ́ги вдови̑цы бѣ́ша во дни̑ и҆лїины̑ во і҆и҃ли, є҆гда̀ заключи́сѧ не́бо трѝ лѣ̑та и҆ мцⷭ҇ъ ше́сть, ꙗ҆́кѡ бы́сть гла́дъ вели́къ по все́й землѝ:
By a very apt comparison the arrogance of envious citizens is put to shame, and our Lord's conduct shown to agree with the ancient Scriptures. For it follows, But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias: not that the days were his, but that he performed his works in them.
But he says in a mystery, "In the days of Elias," because Elias brought the day to them who saw in his works the light of spiritual grace, and so the heaven was opened to them that beheld the divine mystery, but was shut when there was famine, because there was no fruitfulness in acknowledging God. But in that widow to whom Elias was sent was prefigured a type of the Church.
Catena Aurea by Aquinas(Hom. 2. de jejun. Hom. de fame.) For when he beheld the great disgrace that arose from universal plenty, he brought a famine that the people might fast, by which he checked their sin which was exceeding great. But crows were made the ministers of food to the righteous, which are wont to steal the food of others.
Catena Aurea by AquinasTruly I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel when the sky was closed for three years, etc. It is not (he says) that I withhold divine benefits from the disdainful citizens, contrary to the deeds of the prophets. For just as when famine once afflicted the whole land, no one in Judea was found worthy of hospitality to Elijah, but a widow of a foreign nation was sought, who, by the grace of faith, should be visited by such a great prophet. And just as among the many lepers there, only Naaman the Syrian, because he sought devoutly, deserved to be cured by the prophet Elisha, so here you will be deprived of the heavenly gift for no other reason than envy and faithlessness. If you were to critically examine the deeds of the prophets, and now allegorically study them, you would indeed find that the Lord, in the faithlessness and arrogance of His own homeland, from which He was not received, has noted the pride of the Jews. But by the name of Capernaum, which is interpreted as the field of consolation, He foretold the salvation of the Gentiles, where greater signs are daily performed by the apostles and the successors of the apostles, not so much in the healing of bodies as in the healing of souls. Therefore, the widow to whom Elijah was sent represents the Church of the Gentiles, which, long deserted by its Maker, nurtured with meager provision, that is, taught with the word devoid of fruit, the people ignorant of the true faith—as if it were a poor son—until the prophetic word came, which, when the fleece of Israel was dried up, with the door of heaven closed, was in danger of famine in Judea, would be nourished there and would simultaneously nourish, and thus, received by those who believed, would both refresh the believers and be refreshed by them. Hence, it is fittingly said that this same widow lived in Sarepta of Sidon. Sidon means useless hunting; Sarepta, on the other hand, denotes fire or famine of bread. For where sin abounded, grace did much more abound (Rom. 5). Where efforts were directed to acquiring superfluous things, like a concern for hunting, where there was a dire thirst and a famine of spiritual bread, there the flour and oil are blessed by the prophetic word, that is, the fruit and joy of charity, or the grace of the Lord's body and the anointing of chrism, were enriched by the inexhaustible gift of the heavenly word. So far the oil of spiritual joy and the flour of blessing in the vessels has not run out, while the rest of the nations who do not believe are in misery for the lack of divine bread, and are devoted to useless hunting. For she herself, wonderfully intending to make a mystical bread before she died, testified that she wished to gather two sticks, expressing the sign of the cross not only by the name of the wood but also by the number of the woods, by which the bread of eternal life was prepared for us.
On the Gospel of LukeHe adds a special example in Elijah, the most distinguished of the Prophets, when he says: In truth I say to you: John 17: "Your word is truth." He spoke in truth, whom they ought to have believed, and yet they did not believe; whence that passage in John 8: "If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?" and that passage in Job 6: "Why have you detracted from the words of truth?" And this is a certain truth, because it is taken from Scripture. Whence it is added: Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, who were placed in necessity on account of the lack of matrimonial companionship: Jeremiah 15: "Her widows are multiplied above the sand of the sea." They were placed in necessity on account of the lack of heavenly rain: whence he adds: When the heaven was shut up and it did not rain for three years and six months: as the Lord had threatened in Leviticus 26: "But if you will not even so obey me, I will make the heaven above you like iron"; and Deuteronomy 28: "Let the heaven that is above you be bronze." And so it came to pass because of their sins: whence Jeremiah 3: "You have polluted the land with your fornications. Therefore the drops of rain have been withheld, and the latter rain has not come." They were placed in necessity on account of the lack of earthly sustenance: and therefore it is added: When there was a great famine throughout all the land: as it is said in 3 Kings 18: "There was a severe famine," etc.; whence that word of the Psalm was verified concerning the children of Israel: "They shall suffer hunger like dogs and shall go about the city," because the king and the steward of his house went about to find pastures, 3 Kings 18.
And note here spiritually that in these two examples he shows the unworthiness of the Jews in comparison with the Gentiles with regard to the universal lack of repentance and the universal contagion of malice, which remained uncured in the Jews but was remedied in the Gentiles through Christ. For the closing of heaven designates the lack of grace and doctrine: Deuteronomy 11: "Take heed lest you depart from the Lord"; and thereafter: "And the Lord being angry shut up heaven, and the rain come not down, and the earth yield not her fruit." Concerning which rain in the Psalm: "God shall set apart a voluntary rain"; and from this comes famine and want of every good: Job 18: "Let his strength be wasted with hunger, and let famine invade his ribs." And note that the rain is said to have been withheld for three years and six months, because during the three and a half years in which the Lord preached, they did not receive the rain of grace, their sins requiring it. For although the rain came upon them, Judea nevertheless did not receive it so as to bear fruit: Hebrews 6: "The earth that drinks in the rain that comes often upon it and brings forth herbs meet for those by whom it is tilled, receives blessing from God: but that which brings forth thorns and briers is rejected and near unto a curse." In this time, however, the true preacher Elijah is sent to the widow in Zarephath of Sidon, who rightly designates the Gentile world, as Bede shows in the Great Gloss, and she was saved while the people of the Jews were abandoned, according to that passage in Acts 13: "Since you reject the word of God and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life: behold, we turn to the Gentiles."
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4He himself, an earthly angel, a heavenly man, who had neither house, nor food, nor clothing like others, carries the keys of the heavens on his tongue. And this is what follows, When the heaven was shut. But as soon as he had closed the heavens and made the earth barren, hunger reigned and bodies wasted away, as it follows, when there was a famine through the land.
Catena Aurea by AquinasFor when a famine came upon the people of Israel, i. e. of hearing the word of God, a prophet came to a widow, of whom it is said, For the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband; (Isa. 54:1, Gal. 4:27.) and when he had come, he multiplies her bread and her nourishment.
Catena Aurea by AquinasBut unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
καὶ πρὸς οὐδεμίαν αὐτῶν ἐπέμφθη Ἠλίας εἰ μὴ εἰς Σάρεπτα τῆς Σιδωνίας πρὸς γυναῖκα χήραν.
и҆ ни ко є҆ди́нѣй и҆́хъ по́сланъ бы́сть и҆лїа̀, то́кмѡ въ саре́птꙋ сїдѡ́нскꙋю къ женѣ̀ вдови́цѣ:
(Hom. in div.) Every widowed soul, bereft of virtue and divine knowledge, as soon as she receives the divine word, knowing her own failings, learns to nourish it with the bread of virtue, and to water the teaching of virtue from the fountain of life.
Catena Aurea by AquinasSidonia signifies a vain pursuit, Sarepta fire, or scarcity of bread. By all which things the Gentiles are signified, who, given up to vain pursuits, (following gain and worldly business,) were suffering from the flames of fleshly lusts, and the want of spiritual bread, until Elias, (i. e. the word of prophecy,) now that the interpretation of the Scriptures had ceased because of the faithlessness of the Jews, came to the Church, that being received into the hearts of believers he might feed and refresh them.
Catena Aurea by AquinasAnd although they were in such great necessity, it is added: And to none of them was Elijah sent, to relieve them by a miracle from the want of famine, so that the word of the Psalm might be verified in them: "Hungering and thirsting, their soul fainted within them." But he relieved a foreign woman, whence he adds: Except to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman, according to what is written in 3 Kings 17: It was said to Elijah: "Arise and go to Sarepta of the Sidonians and remain there: for I have commanded a widow woman there to feed you"—nay rather, she herself through you.
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4(Hom. in Pet. et Eli.) But when the stream was dried up by which the cup of the righteous man was filled, God said, Go to Sarepta, a city of Sidon; there I wall command a widow woman to feed you. As it follows, But to none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And this was brought to pass by a particular appointment of God. For God made him go a long journey, as far as Sidon, in order that having seen the famine of the country he should ask for rain from the Lord. But there were many rich men at that time, but none of them did any thing like the widow. For in the respect shown by the woman toward the prophet, consisted her riches not of lands, but of good will.
Catena Aurea by AquinasAnd many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
καὶ πολλοὶ λεπροὶ ἦσαν ἐπὶ Ἐλισαίου τοῦ προφήτου ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἐκαθαρίσθη εἰ μὴ Νεεμὰν ὁ Σύρος.
и҆ мно́зи прокаже́ни бѣ́хꙋ при є҆лїссе́и прⷪ҇ро́цѣ во і҆и҃ли: и҆ ни є҆ди́нъ же ѿ ни́хъ ѡ҆чи́стисѧ, то́кмѡ неема́нъ сѷрїани́нъ.
Now in a mystery the people pollute the Church, that another people might succeed, gathered together from foreigners, leprous indeed at first before it is baptized in the mystical stream, but which after the sacrament of baptism, washed from the stains of body and soul, begins to be a virgin without spot or wrinkle.
Catena Aurea by AquinasAnd there were many lepers in Israel under Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian. Because the story is well-known, it is necessary to disclose a few things about the mystery. And thus Naaman the Syrian, who is interpreted as "beauty," represents the people of the nations, once stained by the leprosy of unbelief and sins, but purified from all foulness of mind and body through the sacrament of baptism. Advised by a captured girl, which is the grace of divine inspiration, which the Jews could not keep but the Gentiles seized, he was urged to hope for salvation and to be washed seven times. Because obviously, the only type of baptism that regenerates by the Holy Spirit saves. Hence it is rightly remembered that his flesh appeared like the flesh of a small child after the washing. Either because grace as a mother begets all baptized in Christ to a single infancy, or more likely he is to be understood as the child of whom it was said: A child is born to us, a son is given to us (Isaiah 9). By whose body through baptism the whole offspring of believers is united. And so that you may know all the prefigured sacraments of baptism here, in which we are commanded to renounce Satan and to confess faith, Naaman declares that he will no longer make offerings to foreign gods, but will serve the Lord alone in all things. He also rejoices to take with him a portion of the Holy Land, because the baptized must also be confirmed by participation in the body of the Lord. Therefore, worthily, Naaman, whose body is washed by water while his heart is washed by faith, that is, the people of the nations, is preferred to the Jews, who are sullied by the leprosy of obstinacy. Worthily, the widow of Zarephath, that is, the Church, desiring to be renewed by the wood of the cross, is refreshed with the bread of the holy body and the anointing of the life-giving Spirit, while the Jews perish from the famine of the word. And it is proven that the Lord denied the gifts of virtues to His fellow citizens not because of His inability, but because of their envy, and by this example the whole nation was ultimately forsaken by Him, not because they were not loved, but because they themselves did not desire to be loved, evidently, as the teachers dispersed throughout the whole world for the salvation of the nations. But what the Lord declared about the Jews, they themselves testified by deed about themselves. For it follows:
On the Gospel of LukeFor Naaman, which means beautiful, represents the Gentile people, who is ordered to be washed seven times, because that baptism saves which the seven-fold Spirit renews. His flesh after washing began to appear as a child's, because grace like a mother begets all to one childhood, or because he is conformed to Christ, of whom it is said, Unto us a Child is born. (Isa. 9:6.)
Catena Aurea by AquinasAnother example for the confirmation of the aforesaid concerning Elisha is introduced, when he says: And many lepers were in Israel under Elisha the prophet: whence in 4 Kings 7 it is said that in the time of Elisha "four leprous men were near the gate of Samaria," and many others in similar necessity. And none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian, in 4 Kings 5, where it is said that Naaman at the word of Elisha washed himself seven times in the Jordan and was restored to full health — and this, by the just judgment of God, because they were not worthy. And by a similar argument and according to the imitation of their predecessors, he was showing that they were unworthy of the reception of miracles. Whence a similar passage in Matthew 23: "You are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who killed the Prophets: and you, fill up the measure of your fathers"; and Acts 7: "Stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hearts and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did, so do you. For which of the Prophets did your fathers not persecute?" etc. And thus they are manifestly convicted, because the lack of miracles was not to be imputed to the powerlessness or negligence of Christ, but rather to their own envy and unbelief: whence they were worthy of being deprived of miracles, just as their fathers also had been deprived.
But the infection of leprosy designates the corruption of malice, which was in all before the coming of Christ, according to that passage of the Psalm: "They are corrupt and have become abominable" etc. From this Judea was not cured: Ezekiel twenty-four: "I wished to cleanse you, and you were not cleansed from your filth; nor will you be cleansed until I cause my indignation to rest upon you." But Naaman is cleansed, who is interpreted as comeliness, and designates the people of the gentiles made comely by the Sacrament of baptism and purged of all foulness of mind and body. And Hosea eight: "How long will she not be able to be cleansed?" according to that passage of Ezekiel thirty-six: "I will pour clean water upon you, and you shall be cleansed from all your defilements." And so according to both interpretations, this was a confutation of the unbelieving Jews.
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4He cites also another similar example, adding, And there were many lepers in Israel at the time of Eliseus the Prophet, and none of them were cleansed but Naaman the Syrian, who indeed was not of Israel.
Catena Aurea by AquinasFor when the sons of the prophets were cutting "wood" with axes on the bank of the river Jordan, the iron flew off and sank in the stream; and so, on Elisha the prophet's coming up, the sons of the prophets beg of him to extract from the stream the iron which had sunk.
An Answer to the JewsIf, however, the Creator's prophet Elisha cleansed Naaman the Syrian alone, to the exclusion of so many lepers in Israel, this fact contributes nothing to the distinction of Christ, as if he were in this way the better one for cleansing this Israelite leper, although a stranger to him, whom his own Lord had been unable to cleanse.
Against Marcion Book IVNow, although He said in a preceding chapter, that "there were many lepers in lsrµl in the days of Eliseus the prophet, and none of them was cleansed saving Naaman the Syrian," yet of course the mere number proves nothing towards a difference in the gods, as tending to the abasement of the Creator in curing only one, and the pre-eminence of Him who healed ten.
Against Marcion Book IVAnd all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες θυμοῦ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ ἀκούοντες ταῦτα,
И҆ и҆спо́лнишасѧ всѝ ꙗ҆́рости въ со́нмищи, слы́шавшїи сїѧ̑:
It can not be wondered at that they lost their salvation who cast the Saviour out of their city. But the Lord who taught His Apostles by the example of Himself to be all things to all men, neither repels the willing, nor chooses the unwilling; neither struggles against those who cast Him out, nor refuses to hear those who supplicate Him. But that conduct was the result of no slight enmity, which, forgetful of the feelings of fellow citizens, converts the causes of love into the bitterest hatred. For when the Lord Himself was extending His blessings among the people, they began to inflict injuries upon Him, as it follows, And they led him unto the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down.
Catena Aurea by AquinasAnd they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue upon hearing these things, and they rose up and drove Him out of the city. Indeed, the sacrileges of the Jews, which the Lord had foretold long before through the prophet, saying: "They repay me evil for good" (Psalm 35), He teaches in the Gospel to have been completed. For while He was spreading benefits among the people, they inflicted injuries. Nor is it surprising that they lost salvation, who drove the Savior out of their borders. For the Lord is moral, and He who taught His apostles by His own example to become all things to all men, neither rejects the willing, nor binds the unwilling, nor resists those who cast Him out, nor fails those who ask. Thus, elsewhere, He left the Gerasenes, as they could not bear His powers, as if they were weak and ungrateful. At the same time, understand that it was not out of necessity but a voluntary passion of the body; not captured by the Jews, but offered by Himself. For indeed, when He wills, He is captured; when He wills, He escapes; when He wills, He is suspended; when He wills, He is not held.
On the Gospel of LukeAfter the confutation of the detractors has been described, there is here subjoined the evasion of the persecutors. This part has two sections. In the first is described the persecution of the malicious; in the second, the evasion of the persecutors. For the description of the persecution of the malicious, three things are introduced, namely anger of mind, violence of action, and perfidy on the part of the intended end. He therefore intimates anger of mind in what he says: And all in the synagogue were filled with anger, hearing these things. Whence that passage of Amos five is verified: "They hated him who reproves in the gate" etc.; on account of which it is said in Proverbs nine: "Do not rebuke a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you." Whence from the hearing of the truth they were not instructed, but rather blinded and angered; against which it is said in Ecclesiastes seven: "Do not be quick to anger, for anger rests in the bosom of a fool"; and Job five: "Truly anger kills the foolish man," because, as it is said in Proverbs twenty-seven, "anger has no mercy, nor fury breaking forth."
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4He convicted them of their evil intentions, and therefore they are enraged, and hence what follows, And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath. Because He had said, This day is this prophecy fulfilled, they thought that He compared Himself to the prophets, and are therefore enraged, and expel Him out of their city, as it follows, And they rose up, and cast him out.
Catena Aurea by AquinasAnd rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
καὶ ἀναστάντες ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἤγαγον αὐτὸν ἕως ὀφρύος τοῦ ὄρους, ἐφ᾿ οὗ ἡ πόλις αὐτῶν ᾠκοδόμητο, εἰς τὸ κατακρημνίσαι αὐτόν.
и҆ воста́вше и҆згна́ша є҆го̀ во́нъ и҆з̾ гра́да, и҆ ведо́ша є҆го̀ до верхꙋ̀ горы̀, на не́йже гра́дъ и҆́хъ со́зданъ бѧ́ше, да бы́ша є҆го̀ низри́нꙋли:
And they led him, it says, to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way. O inheritance worse than the disciples' teacher! The devil tempts the Lord with words, the Jews with deeds. The former says, Throw yourself down; the latter attack to throw him down. Indeed, the Lord had ascended to the brow of the hill to be thrown down, but through the midst of them, with the mind of the furious suddenly changed or stunned, he descended, for he preferred to heal rather than to destroy them, so that seeing their wicked attempts frustrated, they might desist from demanding his death henceforth. For the hour of his passion had not yet come, which was not to be on any Sabbath, but on the Preparation of the Passover. Nor had he yet approached the place of passion, which was not in Nazareth, but prefigured in Jerusalem by the blood of sacrifices. Nor had he chosen the kind of death, which was proclaimed from the beginning as crucifixion. Therefore, he wished not to be thrown down by the Nazarenes, not to be stoned by the Jerusalemites, not to be killed among the Bethlehemite children by Herod, nor to be consummated by any other death. For what sign of regal power would shine forth in such a death, whereby the forehead of the faithful might be armed? But only the banner of the cross was awaited, the figure of which could be traced with the swiftest motion of the right hand against the temptations of the malignant enemy, and the same figure could also be considered a type of singular monarchy. As the Apostle, expounding the triumph of the cross, says: At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth (Philippians 2). For this is why the peaks of the same cross extend to the heavens, the depths reach the underworld, and the arms cover the earth.
On the Gospel of LukeWorse are the Jewish disciples than their master the Devil. For he says, Cast thyself down; they actually attempt to cast Him down. But Jesus having suddenly changed His mind, or seized with astonishment, went away, since He still reserves for them a place of repentance. Hence it follows, He passing through the midst of them went his way.
Catena Aurea by AquinasHe intimates, however, the violence of action, when he adds: And they rose up and cast him out of the city, as though a blasphemer; for so it was commanded: Leviticus twenty-four: "Bring forth the blasphemer outside the camp, and let all the people stone him." And so that parable of Matthew twenty-one is verified, in which it is said that the tenants "cast the son of the householder outside the vineyard; for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel," Isaiah five. So they did to Stephen, Acts seven: "They rushed upon him with one accord and cast him outside the city" etc. Whence the Savior could have said to them that passage of Judges eleven: "Are you not the ones who hated me and cast me out of my father's house?"
Their perfidy however from the standpoint of the intended goal he explains, when he adds: And they led him to the brow of the hill, as if to say: not through the gate, on which their city was built. They were leading him to a precipitous place to cast him down headlong: whence that saying of the wise woman in Second Kings twenty could be spoken to that insane people: "Why do you cast down the inheritance of the Lord?" In this, however, that they wished to cast him down headlong, "they were worse than the devil, as Bede says, because he said only in word: Cast yourself down: these attempted it in deed"; but they were not able, because he had the power to lay down his life, as is said in John ten. Whence Bede: "He wished not to be cast down headlong by the Nazarenes, not to be stoned by the Jerusalemites, not to be slain among the children by Herod; but to await the triumph of the cross. For the cross itself is the type of a singular monarchy, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow etc., Philippians two. And hence it is that the top of the cross points to the heavens, its base reaches to the underworld, and its horns cover the earth."
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4So they threw him out of their city, pronouncing by their action their own condemnation. So they confirmed what the Savior had said. They themselves were banished from the city that is above, for not having received Christ. That he might not convict them only of impiety in words, he permitted their disrespect of him to proceed to deeds. Their violence was irrational and their envy untamed. Leading him to the brow of the hill, they sought to throw him from the cliff. But he went through the midst of them without taking any notice, so to say, of their attempt. He did not refuse to suffer—he had come to do that very thing—but to wait for a suitable time. Now at the beginning of his preaching, it would have been the wrong time to have suffered before he had proclaimed the word of truth.
COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 12And yet even at Nazareth He is not remarked as having preached anything new, whilst in another verse He is said to have been rejected by reason of a simple proverb.
Against Marcion Book IVBut he passing through the midst of them went his way,
αὐτὸς δὲ διελθὼν διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν ἐπορεύετο.
ѻ҆́нъ же проше́дъ посредѣ̀ и҆́хъ, и҆дѧ́ше.
Jesus speaks about the sacrileges of the Jews, which the Lord had foretold long ago through the prophet. These sacrileges were predicted in the verse of a psalm which declares that he would suffer when in the body. It says, "They repaid me with evil things for good." These are fulfilled in the Gospel. For when he himself spread blessings among the peoples, they inflicted injuries. No wonder they who threw the Savior out of their nation lost salvation.27At the same time, understand that he was not forced to suffer the passion of his body. It was voluntary. He was not taken by the Jews but given by himself. Indeed, he is taken when he wants to be. He glides away when he wants to. He is hung when he wants to be. He is not held when he does not wish it. Here he goes up to the summit of the hill to be thrown down. But, behold, the minds of the furious men were suddenly changed or confused. He descended through their midst, for the hour of his passion had not yet come. Indeed, he still preferred to heal the Jews, rather than destroy them, so that through the unsuccessful outcome of their frenzy, they would cease to want what they could not attain.
Commentary on LukeAt the same time we must understand that this bodily endurance was not necessary, but voluntary. When He wills, He is taken, when He wills, He escapes. For how could He be held by a few who was not held by a whole people? But He would not have the impiety to be the deed of the many, in order that by a few indeed He might be afflicted, but might die for the whole world. Moreover, He had still rather heal the Jews than destroy them, that by the fruitless issue of their rage they might be dissuaded from wishing what they could not accomplish.
Catena Aurea by AquinasThe hour of His Passion had not yet come, which was to be on the preparation of the Passover, nor had He yet come to the place of His Passion, which not at Nazareth, but at Jerusalem, was prefigured by the blood of the victims; nor had He chosen this kind of death, of whom it was prophesied that He should be crucified by the world.
Catena Aurea by AquinasHere is noted the evasion of the persecutors perfect, because it was without detention, without impulsion, without portation, whence they could not do violence to him, neither by dragging, nor by pushing, nor by carrying. To show, therefore, that there was no violence of detention, it is said: But he, passing through: whence Ambrose: "What is captured by a few and held is of the will: what is not held by a people but passes through is of majesty." Whence nothing could retard the act of his power: Song of Songs two: "Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills." This passing through, however, was by his own power, but Peter's was by another's power: Acts twelve: "And passing through the first and second guard, they came" etc.
To show that there was no violence of impulsion, it is added: Through the midst of them, certain that he could not be overcome by anyone; whence he could say that word of the Psalm: "Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear." Something similar is said in John ten: "The Jews sought to seize him," namely to stone him, "and he went out of their hands." Through the midst he goes, because "the mediator of God and men" always loves the middle; whence John one: "There has stood in your midst one whom you do not know."
To show further that there was no violence of carrying, it is added: he went, namely by his own power, like the living creatures of whom it is said in Ezekiel 1 that "they went and returned in the likeness of flashing lightning." He went, namely not headlong, but descended, as Bede says, beneath the cliff, the rock yielding to him and receiving him, so that they could not reach him; whence he could say that word of John 8: "Where I go, you cannot come." In this is shown at once the Lord's power, because they could not harm him, but even the stones obeyed him; and his patience is shown, because he withdrew and did not harm them, as it is said in John 8 that "the Jews took up stones to cast at him; but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple."
Note here that in four ways was death threatened against the Lord Jesus. Some attempted to slay him by the sword, as Herod, Matthew 2; some by casting down, as here; some by stoning, as the Jews, John 8; some by crucifixion, Matthew 27. Spiritually, indeed, Christ is crucified in our relapse into sin; whence it is said of those who have fallen away, Hebrews 6: "Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God," etc. He is stoned in hardening of heart: Matthew 23: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the Prophets and stones them," etc., where the hardening of the Jews is shown. He is cast down in despair: Jeremiah 22: "They shall cut down your choicest cedar and cast it headlong into the fire"; and this is in despair. But he is slain by the sword in blasphemy, according to that word of the Psalm: "The sons of men, their teeth are arms and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword."
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4(48. in Joann.) Herein He shows both His human nature and His divine. To stand in the midst of those who were plotting against Him, and not be seized, betokened the loftiness of His divinity; but His departure declared the mystery of the dispensation, i. e. His incarnation.
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
καὶ πάντες ἐμαρτύρουν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐθαύμαζον ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις τῆς χάριτος τοῖς ἐκπορευομένοις ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλεγον· οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωσήφ;
И҆ всѝ свидѣ́тельствовахꙋ є҆мꙋ̀, [Заⷱ҇ 14] и҆ дивлѧ́хꙋсѧ ѡ҆ словесѣ́хъ блгⷣти, и҆сходѧ́щихъ и҆з̾ ᲂу҆́стъ є҆гѡ̀, и҆ глаго́лахꙋ: не се́й ли є҆́сть сн҃ъ і҆ѡ́сифовъ;
And all bore witness to him and marveled at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth. They bore witness to him, attesting truly, as he had said, that he was the one whom the prophets had sung about, truly anointed with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and that they themselves, the poor, the blind, the captives, and the broken, needed his gifts in every way.
On the Gospel of LukeAnd they said: Is this not the son of Joseph? What blindness of the Nazarenes, who, though they recognize him by his words and deeds to be the Christ, despise him solely on account of his lineage. However, their error is our salvation and the condemnation of heretics. For they saw Jesus Christ so much as a man, that they called him the son of Joseph, and according to other evangelists, the carpenter, or the son of the carpenter. Among these things, it should be observed why Christ, appearing in the flesh, wanted to be called the son of a carpenter, or rather the carpenter himself. It is to be understood with sound intellect that even by this he taught that he was the son of the one who, before the ages, created God, who in the beginning made the heaven and the earth. For even if human things cannot be compared to divine things, it is still a perfect symbol because the father of Christ works with fire and spirit. Wherefore his precursor said of him as the carpenter's son: He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke II). He who in this great house of the world makes vessels of different kinds. Indeed, he transforms vessels of wrath into vessels of mercy by softening them with the fire of the spirit. Hence Malachi rightly said, speaking in the person of the Father: Behold, I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me, and suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his temple, and then he added shortly after: And he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver. But the Jews, ignorant of this sacrament, despise the works of divine power by contemplating his carnal lineage, as is evident not only from their preceding actions but also from the Lord's subsequent words, when it is added:
On the Gospel of LukeThey bare Him witness that it was truly He, as He had said, of whom the prophet had spoken.
Catena Aurea by AquinasTo denote the belief in the attending multitude, there is added: And all bore witness to him; all, that is, some from among all, bore witness to his holiness and innocence: Job twenty-nine: "The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me bore witness to me." And since they could not express his grace in words, therefore there is added: And they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth, just as the doctors also wondered "at his prudence and his answers," above in chapter two. And they are called words of grace, according to that passage in Ecclesiastes ten: "The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace"; and especially of this one, to whom Peter said in John six: "You have the words of eternal life"; and he himself said of himself: "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." And therefore in the Psalm: "Grace is poured forth upon your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever."
After he introduced the prophetic testimony for the instruction of believers, here he introduces an authoritative example for the confutation of detractors. And because detractors, when they are confuted, become worse, since they become persecutors, therefore in this part there are two sections. In the first of which is set forth the confutation of detractors; in the second, the avoidance of persecutors. The first part has two sections. In the first are set forth the insults of the detractors; in the second are introduced prophetic examples confuting the detractors.
He expresses the insults of the detractors in three ways, namely by way of open reproach, by way of hidden irony, by way of explicit invective. By way, I say, of open reproach he expresses it when he says: And they said: Is not this the son of Joseph? They called the Son of God the son of a carpenter; him who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and from a virginal womb they said was begotten by conjugal intercourse: whence in Matthew thirteen it is said that they were saying: "Is not this the carpenter's son?" Bede: "Great blindness, when him whom they recognize by words and deeds to be Christ, they despise on account of mere knowledge of his lineage." Something similar to this was said of Saul, in 1 Kings ten: "What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the Prophets?" and in 2 Kings twenty: "We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse." These things, however, were said not by all, but by the wicked, namely the scribes and Pharisees: whence it does not contradict what was said before, that "all bore witness to him." A similar manner of speaking is found in Scripture: "When he slew them, they sought him"—not the dead, but others. This moreover is the custom of the wicked, that when they hear someone praised, they immediately oppose it: and if they cannot do so on the part of character and knowledge, at least on the part of birth, according to that passage in Ecclesiasticus eleven: "Turning good into evil, he lies in ambush, and upon the elect he places a stain." Or even those same ones who previously praised, afterwards despised, according to that passage of the Psalm: "They praised his praise. They quickly acted and forgot his works." Or it can be understood otherwise, so that, although it is narrated here immediately, it did not however happen immediately, but after the fact.
Commentary on Luke, Chapter 4Since they did not understand Christ who had been anointed and sent by God, who was the Author of such wonderful works, they returned to their usual ways and said foolish and useless things about him. They wondered at the words of grace that he spoke. Yet they treated these words as worthless. They said, "Isn't this Joseph's son?" But how does this diminish the glory of the Worker of the miracles? What prevents him from being both venerated and admired, even had he been, as was supposed, Joseph's son? Don't you see the miracles? Satan is fallen, the herds of devils are vanquished, and multitudes are set free from various kinds of sicknesses. You praise the grace that was present in his teachings. Do you, then, in Jewish fashion, think lightly of him, because you thought Joseph was his father? How absurd! Truly is it said about them, "See! They are a foolish people. They are without understanding! They have eyes and don't see, ears, and do not hear."
COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 12But what prevents Him from filling men with awe, though He were the Son as was supposed of Joseph? Do you not see the divine miracles, Satan already prostrate, men released from their sickness?
Catena Aurea by Aquinas(Hom. 48. in Matt.) When our Lord came to Nazareth, He refrains from miracles, lest He should provoke the people to greater malice. But He sets before them His teaching no less wonderful than His miracles. For there was a certain ineffable grace in our Saviour's words which softened the hearts of the hearers. Hence it is said, And they all bare him witness.
(ubi sup.) But foolish men though wondering at the power of His words little esteemed Him because of His reputed father. Hence it follows, And they said, Is not this the son of Joseph?
Catena Aurea by AquinasCome, now, if you have read in the utterance of the prophet in the Psalms, "God hath reigned from the tree," I wait to hear what you understand thereby; for fear you may perhaps think some carpenter-king is signified, and not Christ, who has reigned from that time onward when he overcame the death which ensued from His passion of "the tree.
An Answer to the Jews