HOMILY XXXIX.

MATT. xii. 1.

At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

πρώτου

BUT Luke saith, On a double Sabbath'. Now what is a diurigodouble Sabbath? When the cessation from toil is twofold, Luke 6, both that of the regular Sabbath, and that of another feast 1. coming upon it. For they call every cessation from toil, a Sabbath.

But why could He have led them away from it, Who foreknew all, unless it had been His will that the Sabbath should be broken? It was His will indeed, but not simply so; wherefore He never breaks it without a cause, but giving reasonable excuses: that He might at once bring the Law to an end, and not startle them. But there are occasions on which He even repeals it directly, and not with circumstance: as when He anoints with the clay the eyes of the blind man 2.2 John 9, 9 6. 14. as when He saith, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work 3.3 John 5, And He doth so, by this to glorify His own Father, by the 17. other to soothe the infirmity of the Jews. At which last He is labouring here, putting forward as a plea the necessity of nature; although in the case of acknowledged sins, that

XXXIX.

558 Christ's Plea for His Disciples about the Sabbath.

HOMIL. Could not of course ever be an excuse. For neither may the 1, 2. murderer make his anger a plea, nor the adulterer allege his lust, no, nor any other excuse; but here, by mentioning their hunger, He freed them from all blame.

v. 2.

But do thou, I pray thee, admire the disciples, how entirely they control themselves, and make no account of the things of the body, but esteem the table of the flesh a secondary thing, and though they have to struggle with continual hunger, do not even so withdraw themselves. except hunger had sorely constrained them, they would not have done so much as this.

For

When they saw it, it is said,

What then do the Pharisees? they said unto Him, Behold, Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day.

Now here indeed with no great vehemence, (yet surely that would have been consistent in them,)-nevertheless they are not vehemently provoked, but simply find fault. But when Matt. He stretched out the withered hand and healed it1, then they 12, 10. were so infuriated, as even to consult together about slaying 14. and destroying Him. For where nothing great and noble is done, they are calm; but where they see any made whole, they are savage, and fret themselves, and none so intolerable as they are: such enemies are they of the salvation of

v. 3. 4.

men.

How then doth Jesus defend His disciples? Have ye not read, saith He, what David did in the temple, when he was an hungred, himself and all they that were with him? how he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

Thus, whereas in pleading for His disciples, He brings 2 John 5, forward David; for Himself, it is the Father".

17.

And observe His reproving manner: Have ye not read what David did? For great indeed was that Prophet's glory, so that Peter also afterwards pleading with the Jews, spake on this wise, Let me freely speak unto you of the Patriarch 3 Acts 2, David, that he is both dead and buried3.

29.

But wherefore doth He not call him by the name of his rank, either on this occasion or afterwards? Perhaps because He derived His race from him.

Force of the Plea from David's History.

559

XI. 4.

Now had they been a candid sort of persons, He would have MATT. turned His discourse to the disciples' suffering from hunger; but abominable as they were and inhuman, He rather rehearses unto them a history.

But Mark saith, In the days of Abiathar the High Priest1:1 Mark not stating what was contrary to the history, but implying 2, 26. that he had two names; and adds that he gave unto him2, 2Abimelech, indicating that herein also David had much to say for himself, 1 Sam. since even the very Priest suffered him; and not only suffered, 21, 6. but even ministered unto him. For tell me not that David was a Prophet, for not even so was it lawful, but the privilege was the Priests': wherefore also He added, but for the Priests only. For though he were ten thousand tines a Prophet, yet was he not a Priest; and though he were himself a Prophet, yet not so they that were with him; since to them too we know that he gave.

"What then," it might be said, "were they all one with David?" Why talk to me of dignity, where there seems to be a transgression of the law, even though it be the constraint of nature? Yea, and in this way too He hath the more entirely acquitted them of the charges, in that he who is greater is found to have done the same.

" for it

Thou

"And what is this to the question," one may say; was not surely the Sabbath, that he transgressed ?” tellest me of that which is greater, and which especially shews the wisdom of Christ, that letting go the Sabbath, He brings another example greater than the Sabbath. For it is by no means the same, to break in upon a day, and to touch that holy Table, which it was not lawful for any man to touch. Since the Sabbath indeed hath been violated, and that often; nay rather it is continually being violated, both by circumcision, and by many other works; and at Jericho too one 3 Josh.6, may see the same to have happened; but this happened then only. So that He more than obtains the victory. How then did no man blame David, although there was yet another ground of charge heavier than this, that of the Priests' murder, which had its origin from this? But He states it not, as applying himself to the present subject only.

[2.] Afterwards again He refutes it in another way also. For as at first He brought in David, by the dignity of the person quelling their pride; so when He had stopped their mouths,

3

15.

ΧΧΧΙΧ.

v. 5.

560 Plea from the Priests' profaning the Temple.

HOMIL. and had put down their boasting, then He adds also the more 2, 3. appropriate refutation. And of what sort is this? Know ye not, that in the temple the Priests profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? For in that other instance indeed, saith He, the emergency made the relaxation, but here is the relaxation even without emergency. He did not however at once thus refute them, but first by way of permission, afterwards as insisting upon his argument. Because it was meet to draw the stronger inference last, although the former argument also had of course its proper weight.

For tell me not, that it is not freeing one's self from blame, to bring forward another who is committing the same sin. For when the doer incurs no blame, the act on which he hath ventured becomes a rule for others to plead.

Nevertheless He was not satisfied with this, but subjoins also what is more decisive, saying that the deed is no sin at all; and this more than any thing was the sign of a glorious victory, to point to the law repealing itself, and in two ways doing so, first by the place, then by the Sabbath; or rather even in three ways, in that both the work is twofold that is done, and with it goes also another thing, its being done by the Priests; and what is yet more, that it is not even brought as a charge. For they, saith He, are blameless.

b

Seest thou how many points He hath stated? the place; for He saith, In the temple; the persons, for they are the Priests; the time, for He saith, the Sabbath; the act itself, for they profane; (He not having said, "they break,” but what is more grievous, they profane;) that they not only escape punishment, but are even free from blame, for they, saith He, are blameless.

Do not ye therefore account this, He saith, like the former instance. For that indeed was done both but once, and not by a priest, and was of necessity; wherefore also they were deserving of excuse; but this last is both done every Sabbath, and by Priests, and in the Temple, and according to the Law. And therefore again not by favour, but in a legal way, they are acquitted of the charges. For not at all as blaming them did I so speak, saith He, nor yet as freeing them from blame in the way of indulgence, but according to the principle of justice.

b As being done, 1. in the holy Place, 2. on the holy Day.

Why the Law of the Sabbath was severe at first. 561

XII. 6.

And He seems indeed to be defending them, but it is His MATT. disciples whom He is clearing of the alleged faults. For when He saith, "those are blameless," He means, "much more are these."

"But they are not Priests." Nay, they are greater than Priests. For the Lord of the Temple Himself is here: the Truth, not the type. Wherefore He said also,

But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than v. 6. the Temple.

Nevertheless, great as the sayings were which they heard, they made no reply, for the salvation of men was not their object.

Then, because to the hearers it would seem harsh, He quickly draws a veil over it, giving His discourse, as before, a lenient turn, yet even so expressing Himself with a rebuke. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have v. 7. mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

Seest thou how again He inclines His speech to lenity, yet again shews them to be out of the reach of lenity? For ye would not have condemned, saith He, the guiltless. Before indeed He inferred the same from what is said of the Priests, in the words, they are guiltless; but here He states it on His own authority; or rather, this too is out of the Law, for He was quoting a prophetic saying1.

! Hosea

6, 6.

[3.] After this He mentions another reason likewise; For the v. 8. Son of man, saith He, is Lord of the Sabbath day; speaking it of Himself. But Mark relates Him to have said this of our common nature also; for He said, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath2.

2 Mark

2, 27.

Wherefore then was he punished that was gathering the sticks3? Because if the laws were to be despised even at Numb. the beginning, of course they would scarcely be observed 36. afterwards.

4

15, 32

For indeed the Sabbath did at the first confer many and great benefits; for instance, it made them gentle towards those of their household, and humane; it taught them God's Providence and the Creation, as Ezekiel saith; it trained 1 Ezek. 20, 12. them by degrees to abstain from wickedness, and disposed them to regard the things of the Spirit.