Homily LXXI.
Matt. XXII. 34-36.
“But when the Pharisees had heard that He had put
the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together; and one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”
doth the evangelist
express the cause, for which they ought to have held their peace, and
marks their boldness by this also. How and in what way? Because when
those others were put to silence, these again assail Him. For when they
ought even for this to hold their peace, they strive to urge further
their former endeavors,and put forward the lawyer, not desiring to learn, but making a trial of Him, and ask, “What is the first commandment?”
For since the first commandment was this, “Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God,” thinking that He would afford them
some handle, as though He would amend it, for the sake of showing that
Himself too was God, they propose the question. What then saith Christ? Indicating from what they were led to this; from having no charity, from pining with envy, from being seized by jealousy, He saith, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
But wherefore “like unto this?” Because this
makes the way for that, and by it is again established; “For
every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the
light;”and again, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no
God.” And what in consequence of this? “They are corrupt, and become abominable in their ways.” And again, “The love of money is the root of all evils; which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith;”and, “He that loveth me, will keep my commandment.”
But His commandments, and the sum of them, are, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and thy neighbor as thyself.” If therefore to love God is to love one’s neighbor, “For if thou lovest me,” He saith, “O Peter, feed my sheep,”but to love one’s neighbor worketh a keeping of the commandments, with reason doth He say, “On these hang all the law and the prophets.”
So therefore what He did before, this He doth here also. I mean, that both there, when asked about the manner of the resurrection, He also taught a resurrection, instruct
ing them beyond what they inquired; and here, being asked the first commandment, He rehearses the second also, which is not much inferior to that (for though second, it is like that), intimating to them, whence the question had arisen, that it was from hatred. “For charity envieth not.” By this He shows Himself to be submissive both to the law and to the prophets.
But wherefore doth Matthew say that he asked, tempting
Him, but Mark the contrary? “For when Jesus,” he saith, “saw that he answered discreetly, He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.”
They are not contradicting each other, but indeed fully
agreeing. For he asked indeed, tempting, at the beginning, but being
benefitted by the answer, was commended. For not at the beginning did
He commend him, but when he had said, “That to love his neighbor
is more than whole burnt sacrifices,” then He saith, “Thou
art not far from the kingdom;” because he overlooked low things, and embraced the first principle of virtue. For indeed all those are for the sake of this, as well the Sabbath as the rest.
And not even so did He make His commendation perfect, but yet deficient. For His saying, “Thou art not far off,” indicates that he is yet falling short, that he might seek after what was deficient.
But if, when He said, “There is one God, and there
is none other but He,” He commended him, wonder not, but by this
too observe, how He answers according to the opinion of them that come
unto Him. For although men say ten thousand things about Christ
unworthy of His glory, yet this at any rate they will not dare to say, that He is not God at all. Wherefore then doth He praise him that said, that beside the Father, there is no other God?
Not excepting Himself from being God; away with the
thought; but since it was not yet time to disclose His Godhead, He
suffers him to remain in the former doctrine, and praises him for
knowing well the ancient principles, so as to make him fit for the
doctrine of the New Testament, which He is bringing in its season.