HOMILY XXVIII. I Luke 8, 22. 2 See Mark 4, 35. MATT. viii. 23, 24. And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Now Luke', to free himself from having the order of time required of Him, saith thus, And it came to pass on a certain day that He went into a ship with His disciples; and Mark' in like manner. But this Evangelist not so, but he maintains the order in this place also. For they did not all of them write all things in this way. And these things I have mentioned before, lest any one from the omission should suppose there was a discordance. The multitudes then He sent on, but the disciples He took with Himself: for the others mention this too. And He took them with Him, not for nought, nor at hazard, but in order to make them spectators of the miracle that was to take place. For like a most excellent trainer, He was anointing them with a view to both objects; as well to be undismayed in dangers, as to be modest in honours. Thus, that they might not be high minded, because having sent away the rest, He retained them, He suffers them to be tossed with the tempest; at once correcting this, and disciplining them to bear trials nobly. For great indeed were the former miracles too, but this Why our Lord slept on the Lake. 415 VIII. contained also in it a kind of discipline, and that no incon- MATT. siderable one, and was a sign akin to that of old. For this cause He takes the disciples only with Himself. For as, when there was a display of miracles, He suffers the people also to be present; so when trials and terrors were rising up against Him, then He takes with Him none but the champions of the whole world, whom He was to discipline. 38. 24. And while Matthew merely mentioned that He was asleep', 'See Mark 4, Luke saith that it was on a pillow; signifying both His freedom from pride, and to teach us hereby a high degree of austerity 2. 2012000 φίαν. 3 8, 25. μάτων, The tempest therefore being thoroughly excited, and the sea raging, They awake Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. Matt. But He rebuked them before He rebuked the sea. Because as I said, for discipline these things were permitted, and they were a type of the temptations that were to overtake them. Yea, for after these things again, He often suffered them to fall into more grievous tempests of fortune1, and bare1 ☛gáylong with them. Wherefore Paul also said, I would not, of brethren, have you ignorant, that we were pressed out of things.” measure beyond strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life; and after this again, Who delivered us from so great52 Cor. deaths. Signifying therefore hereby, that they ought to be confident, though the waves rise high, and that He orders all things for good, He first of all reproves them. For indeed their very alarm was a profitable occurrence, that the miracle might appear greater, and their remembrance of the event be rendered lasting. Since when any thing strange is about to happen, there are prepared beforehand many things to cause remembrance, lest after the miracle hath passed by, men should sink into forgetfulness. 1, 8. 10. 6 Thus Moses also first is in fear of the serpent, and not merely in fear, but even with much distress; and then he sees that strange thing come to pass. So these too, having Exod. first looked to perish, were then saved, that having confessed the danger, they might learn the greatness of the miracle. Therefore also He sleeps: for had He been awake a i. e. the miracle at the Red Sea, afterwards mentioned. 4, 3. 4. 416 The Disciples' notions of Him, still very imperfect. HOMIL. When it happened, either they would not have feared, XXVIII. 1. or they would not have besought Him, or they would not so much as have thought of His being able to do any such thing. Therefore He sleeps, to give occasion for their timidity, and to make their perception of what was happening more distinct. For a man looks not with the same eyes on what happens in the persons of others, as in his own. Therefore since they had seen all benefitted, while themselves had enjoyed no benefit, and were supine; (for neither were they lame, nor had they any other such infirmity;) and it was meet they should enjoy His benefits by their own perception: He permits the storm, that by their deliverance they might attain to a clearer perception of the benefit. Therefore neither doth He this in the presence of the multitudes, that they might not be condemned for little faith, but He has them apart, and corrects them, and before -the tempest of the waters He puts an end to the tempests of their soul, rebuking them, and saying, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith; instructing them also, that men's fear is wrought not by the approach of the temptations, but by the weakness of their mind. But should any one say, that it was not fearfulness, or little faith, to come near and awaken Him; I would say this, that that very thing was an especial sign of their wanting the right opinion concerning Him. That is, His power to rebuke when awakened they knew, but that He could do so even sleeping, they knew not as yet. And why at all marvel that it was so now, when even after many other miracles their impressions were still rather imperfect? wherefore also they are often rebuked; as when Matt. He saith, Are ye also yet without understanding1? Marvel 15, 16. not then, if when the disciples were in such imperfect dispositions, the multitudes had no exalted imagination of Him. For They marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him? v. 27. But Christ chode not with them for calling Him a man, but waited to teach them by His signs, that their supposition was mistaken. But from what did they think Him a man? First from His appearance, then from His sleeping, and His making use of a ship. So on this account they were cast into His Godhead indicated by two successive Miracles. 417 perplexity, saying, What manner of man is this? since Matt. while the sleep and the outward appearance shewed Man, the sea and the calm declared Him God. VIII. 9. For because Moses had once done some such thing, in this regard also doth He signify His own superiority, and that the one works miracles as a slave, the other as Lord. Thus, He put forth no rod, as Moses did, neither did He stretch forth His hands to Heaven, nor did He need any prayer, but, as was meet for a Master commanding His handmaid, or a Creator His creature, so did He quiet and curb it by word and command only; and all the surge was straightway at an end, and not one trace of the disturbance remained. For this the Evangelist declared, saying, And there was a great calm. v. 26. And that which had been spoken of the Father as a great thing, this He shewed forth again by His works. And what had been said concerning Him? He spake, it saith, and the stormy wind ceased'. So here likewise, He spake, and there 'Ps.107, was a great calm. And for this most of all did the multitudes LXX. marvel at him; who would not have marvelled, had He done it in such manner as did Moses. [2.] Now when He is departed from the sea, there follows another miracle yet more awful. For men possessed with devils, like wicked runaways at sight of their master, said, 25. What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? v. 29. Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time? For, because the multitudes called Him Man, the devils came proclaiming His Godhead, and they that heard not the sea swelling and subsiding, heard from the devils the same cry, as it by its calm was loudly uttering. Then, lest the thing might seem to come of flattery, according to their actual experience they cry out and say, Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time? With this view, then, their enmity is avowed beforehand, that their entreaty may not incur suspicion. For indeed they were invisibly receiving stripes, and the sea was not in such a storm as they; galled, and inflamed, and suffering things intolerable from His mere presence. Accordingly, no man daring to bring them to Him, Christ of Himself goes unto them. And Matthew indeed relates that they said, Art Thou come E e XXVIII. 418 The Miracle of the Dæmoniacs. HOM. hither before the time to torment us? but the other Evan2, 3. gelists have added, that they also entreated and adjured Mark Him not to cast them into the deep'. For they supposed that their punishment was now close upon them, and feared, as even now about to fall into vengeance. 5, 10. Luke 8, 31. 2 οἱ περὶ τὸν Λου κᾶν. And though Luke and those who follow him say that it was one person, but this Evangelist two, this doth not exhibit any discrepancy at all. I grant if they had said, there was only one, and no other, they would appear to disagree with Matthew; but if that spake of the one, this of the two, the statement comes not of disagreement, but of a different manner of narration. That is, I for my part think, Luke singled out the fiercest one of them for his narrative, wherefore also in more tragical wise doth he report their miserable case; as, for instance, that bursting his bonds and chains he used to wander about the wilderness. And Mark saith, that he also cut himself with the stones. And their words too are such as well betray their implacable and shameless nature. For, saith he, Art thou come hither to torment us before the time? You see, that they had sinned, they could not deny, but they demand not to suffer their punishment before the time. For, since He had caught them in the act of perpetrating those horrors so incurable and lawless, and 3g deforming and punishing3 His creature in every way; and μένους. they supposed that He, for the excess of their crimes, would not await the time of their punishment: therefore they besought and entreated Him: and they that endured not even bands of iron come bound, and they that run about the mountains, are gone forth into the plain; and those who hinder all others from passing, at sight of Him blocking up the way, stand still. [3.] But what can be the reason that they love also to dwell in the tombs? They would fain suggest to the multitude a pernicious opinion, as though the souls of the dead become Dæmons", which God forbid we should ever admit into our |