We continue with the interpretation of verse 17.
Saint Theophan the Recluse draws attention to a very topical problem in the spiritual life. It concerns the fact that in many people there prevails a complete spiritual indifference, an insensibility, whereby nothing is able to reach them inwardly. This is how he writes about it: “The Lord says that we who do not listen to the Gospel are like those to whom joyful songs are sung—and they do not dance; or to whom mournful songs are sung—and they do not weep. This means that we are like those with whom nothing can be done. The Kingdom of Heaven is promised to us, most radiant and full of joy, and yet we do not stir—as if nothing were being said to us. We are threatened with the inescapable Judgment and with endless torments, and yet we are not disturbed—as if we do not even hear it. Having forgotten ourselves, we have lost every sense of true self-preservation. We proceed as if led straight to destruction and show no concern whatsoever for our own destiny. We have dropped our hands, surrendered ourselves to negligence: whatever happens, let it be! Such is our condition! Is it not for this reason that suicides are so frequent? And this, too, is the fruit of contemporary teachings, of contemporary views of man and his significance! Behold your progress! Behold your enlightenment! It is better to be an utter ignoramus and to save one’s soul with the fear of God than to acquire the reputation of being enlightened and perish forever, spending one’s entire life without even once recalling what will be after death. From the word of God concerning the Kingdom of Heaven and hell, not a single letter will be omitted. Let everyone take this truth to heart as something that personally concerns him, and let him take care of himself as much as he can and as much time as still remains to him.”
Verses 18 and 19:
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ And Wisdom was justified by her children.”
Saint John Chrysostom explains in detail the meaning of these words, as well as all the effort that the Lord Jesus and Saint John the Baptist invested in order to bring salvation to the Jews: “The meaning of these words is as follows: ‘John and I came by opposite paths and acted like hunters who wish to capture an elusive beast from two opposite sides’; they take their stand opposite one another, each on his own path, and drive the beast away from themselves so that it might surely fall into the hands of one or the other. Indeed, observe with what amazement the human race looks upon John’s fasting and upon that austere life devoted to virtue. Therefore it was arranged that John should from earliest childhood be trained in so austere a life, so that through this as well his preaching might be made worthy of belief. But why, you will ask me, did Jesus Himself not choose this path? On the contrary, He too walked this path when He fasted for forty days and went about the land teaching and having nowhere to lay His head. Yet Jesus also walked another path with the same goal, and He also benefited from the path John walked, for testimony from a man who followed a strict manner of life was equivalent to walking that very path oneself—indeed, even more so. Moreover, John showed nothing beyond a strict way of life, for John performed no sign, whereas the Saviour bore witness to Himself through signs and miracles. Thus, leaving John to shine through fasting, Jesus Himself chose the opposite path: He took part in meals at the houses of tax collectors, ate and drank together with them… Now let us ask the Jews: what do you say about fasting? Is it good and worthy of praise? If so, then you ought to have submitted to John, accepted him, and believed his words; and then his words would have led you to Jesus. Or is fasting difficult and burdensome? Then you ought to have submitted to Jesus and believed Him, since He walked the opposite path. Both paths can lead you to the Kingdom. Yet the Jews were like a wild beast, rising up against both the one and the other.”
Euthymius Zigabenus continues this line of thought and explains yet another reason for Christ’s manner of acting: “John’s way of life was difficult and strict, for he did not eat bread and did not drink wine; Christ’s way of life was not so difficult and not so strict, for Jesus ate bread and drank wine. Both ways of life were opposed to one another, yet neither the one nor the other was pleasing to the Jews: because of his abstinence from bread and wine they said of John that he was possessed, and because He ate and drank they called Christ a glutton and a drunkard… Furthermore, knowing the weakness of human beings, Christ condescends to them so that they might derive greater benefit from this. Therefore He came to the tables of tax collectors and defended Himself against those who attacked Him, saying: ‘I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’ (Matt. 9:13).”
Saint Hilary of Poitiers explains what it means for Wisdom to be justified: “And Wisdom was justified by her children—namely, by those children who use force for the Kingdom of Heaven and conquer it by the justification of faith, confessing that the work of Wisdom is righteous, because Wisdom has transferred her gift from the stubborn and unbelieving to the faithful and obedient. Moreover, it is not difficult at this point to perceive the force of what is said, for in the words ‘Wisdom was justified’ Jesus was speaking about Himself. For He Himself is Wisdom, not by His actions, but by His very nature…”
Blessed Theophylact interprets these words and speaks in the name of Jesus as follows: “Since neither John’s way of life nor Mine pleases you, and since you despise all the paths of salvation, I, the Wisdom of God, am shown to be righteous, and you will have no excuse for your unbelief and will be fully condemned. For My part I have fulfilled everything, while you by your unbelief yourselves show that I am righteous, for I have omitted nothing.”
The next three verses read:
“Then Jesus began to reproach the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.’”
Saint John Chrysostom interprets these verses as follows: “Jesus began to reproach the cities when Wisdom had been justified—that is, when He had shown that He had fulfilled everything. Since He did not persuade the Jews, He begins to lament them, which is even more significant than threatening them. Jesus revealed to them His teaching and His miraculous power; yet since they did not abandon their stubbornness, He begins to reproach them… And so that you might be certain that the inhabitants of these cities were not evil by nature, the Lord also mentions the city from which five apostles came, for from Bethsaida came Philip and four of the chief apostles.”
Blessed Jerome explains why the Lord places pagan cities above the cities in which the Jewish people lived. He writes as follows: “Chorazin and Bethsaida, cities in Judea, Christ laments with bitterness because after so many miracles and signs they did not repent, while Tyre and Sidon, cities given over to idolatry, are set above them; they are set above them because they transgressed only the natural law, whereas the Jews, after the natural law and the word of Scripture, paid no attention at all to the miracles that were performed among them. The question arises: where is it written that the Lord performed great miracles in Chorazin and Bethsaida? Above it is written: ‘And Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues’ (Matt. 4:23). Therefore it should be understood that the Lord also performed miracles in Chorazin and Bethsaida.”
Saint Justin of Ćelije continues this interpretation and adds that the Lord looks at a person’s readiness to repent after sin. It was precisely this virtue that the pagan cities possessed. This is how he writes: “Tyre and Sidon are coastal cities, famous for their trade, wealth, luxury, and corruption, immersed in idolatry, yet nevertheless less sinful in the eyes of the Lord than the Jews, because they are more ready for repentance in sackcloth and ashes than the Jews, from whom God is according to the flesh, among whom He both lives and works. Every judgment is small for them; only the Terrible Judgment will judge them with a fitting punishment.”
Blessed Theophylact also draws attention to the degree of sinfulness, writing that the Lord Jesus Christ takes into account the degree of human sin: “The Lord says that the Jews were worse than the Tyrians and Sidonians, because the pagan Tyrians transgressed only the natural law, whereas the Jews transgressed also the Mosaic law. The pagans did not see miracles, but the sons of Israel saw them and blasphemed God. Sackcloth is a symbol of repentance, for those who were in mourning clothed themselves in sackcloth and sprinkled ashes and dust upon their heads.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse also points to yet another truth of the spiritual life—the Lord Jesus demands fruits from a people who are acquainted with the truth; that is, we human beings bear great responsibility for the fact that we are acquainted with the truth, that we know who God is. Saint Theophan writes: “The Lord performed many miracles in Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin. Yet the number of those who believed did not correspond to the number of miracles. Therefore He sternly rebuked those cities and judged that it would be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for Tyre and Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah, than for them. According to this pattern, we too ought to judge ourselves.”
Adapted for the contemporary reader based on Patristic commentary by Stanoje Stanković
