Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew

Matthew 13:10-11.

“And the disciples came and said unto Him, Why do You speak unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given.”

We have good cause to admire the disciples, how, longing as they do to learn, they know when they ought to ask. For they do it not before all: and this Matthew shows by saying, “And they came.” And, as to this assertion not being conjecture, Mark has expressed it more distinctly, by saying, that “they came to Him privately.” This then His brethren and His mother should also have done, and not have called Him out, and made a display.

But mark their kindly affection also, how they have much regard for the others, and seek their good first, and then their own. “For why,” it is said, “do You speak unto them in parables?” They did not say, why do you speak unto us in parables? Yea, and on other occasions also their kindliness towards men appears in many ways; as when they say, “Send the multitude away;” and, “Do you know that they were offended?”

What then says Christ? “Because it is given unto you,” so He speaks, “to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given.” But this He said, not bringing in necessity, or any allotment made causelessly and at random, but implying them to be the authors of all their own evils, and wishing to represent that the thing is a gift, and a grace bestowed from above.

It by no means follows, however, because it is a gift, that therefore free will is taken away; and this is evident from what comes after. To this purpose, in order that neither the one sort may despair, nor the other grow careless, upon being told that “it is given,” He signifies the beginning to be with ourselves.

“For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away, even that which he seems to have.”

And although the saying be full of much obscurity, yet it indicates unspeakable justice. For what He says is like this: When any one has forwardness and zeal, there shall be given unto him all things on God's part also: but if he be void of these, and contribute not his own share, neither are God's gifts bestowed. For even “what he seems to have,” so He says, “shall be taken away from him;” God not so much taking it away, as counting him unworthy of His gifts. This we also do; when we see any one listening carelessly, and when with much entreaty we cannot persuade him to attend, it remains for us to be silent. For if we are still to go on, his carelessness is aggravated. But him that is striving to learn, we lead on, and pour in much.

And well said He, “Even that which he seems to have.” For he has not really even this.

Then He also made what He had said more distinct, pointing out the meaning of, “To him that has, shall be given, but from him that has not, even that which he seems to have, shall be taken away.”

“Therefore,” says He, “speak I to them in parables; because they seeing see not.”

“It were meet then,” one may say, “to have opened their eyes, if they see not.” Nay, if the blindness were natural, it were meet to open them; but because it was a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, therefore He said not simply, “They see not,” but, “seeing, they see not;” so that the blindness is of their own wickedness. For they saw even devils cast out, and said, “By Beelzebub, prince of the devils, He casts out the devils.” They heard Him guiding them unto God, and evincing His great unanimity with Him, and they say, “This man is not of God.” Since then the judgment they pronounced was contrary both to their sight and hearing, therefore, says He, the very hearing do I take away from them. For they derive thence no advantage, but rather greater condemnation. For they not only disbelieved, but found fault also, and accused, and laid snares. However, He says not this, for it is not His will to give disgust in accusing them. Therefore neither at the beginning did He so discourse to them, but with much plainness; but because they perverted themselves, thenceforth He speaks in parables.

2. After this, lest any one should suppose His words to be a mere accusation, and lest men should say, Being our enemy He is bringing these charges and calumnies against us; He introduces the prophet also, pronouncing the same judgment as Himself.

“For in them is fulfilled,” says He, “the prophecy of Esaias, which says, By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.”

Do you see the prophet likewise, accusing them with this same accuracy? For neither did He say, You see not, but “You shall see and not perceive;” nor again, You shall not hear, but “You shall hear and not understand.” So that they first inflicted the loss on themselves, by stopping their ears, by closing their eyes, by making their heart fat. For they not only failed to hear, but also “heard heavily,” and they did this, He says,

“Lest at any time they should be converted, and I should heal them;” describing their aggravated wickedness, and their determined defection from Him. And this He says to draw them unto Him, and to provoke them, and to signify that if they would convert He would heal them: much as if one should say, “He would not look at me, and I thank him; for if he had vouchsafed me this, I should straightway have given in:” and this he says, to signify how he would have been reconciled. Even so then here too it is said, “Lest at any time they should convert, and I should heal them;” implying that both their conversion was possible, and that upon their repentance they might be saved, and that not for His own glory, but for their salvation, He was doing all things.

For if it had not been His will that they should hear and be saved, He ought to have been silent, not to have spoken in parables; but now by this very thing He stirs them up, even by speaking under a veil. “For God wills not the death of the sinner, but that he should turn unto Him and live.”

For in proof that our sin belongs not to nature, nor to necessity and compulsion, hear what He says to the apostles, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear;” not meaning this kind of sight nor hearing, but that of the mind. For indeed these too were Jews, and brought up in the same circumstances; but nevertheless they took no hurt from the prophecy, because they had the root of His blessings well settled in them, their principle of choice, I mean, and their judgment.

Do you see that, “unto you it is given,” was not of necessity? For neither would they have been blessed, unless the well-doing had been their own. For tell me not this, that it was spoken obscurely; for they might have come and asked Him, as the disciples did: but they would not, being careless and supine. Why say I, they would not? Nay, they were doing the very opposite, not only disbelieving, not only not hearkening, but even waging war, and disposed to be very bitter against all He said: which He brings in the prophet laying to their charge, in the words, “They heard heavily.”

But not such were these; wherefore He also blessed them. And in another way too He assures them again, saying,

“For verily I say unto you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them;” my coming, He means; my very miracles, my voice, my teaching. For here He prefers them not to these depraved only, but even to such as have done virtuously; yea, and He affirms them to be more blessed even than they. Why can this be? Because not only do these see what the Jews saw not, but even what those of old desired to see. For they indeed beheld by faith only: but these by sight too, and much more distinctly.