Homilies on Matthew — Homily 36

St. John Chrysostom

  1. 0. Greeting
  2. Chapter 2
  3. Chapter 3
  4. Chapter 4

Matt. XI. 1.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

That is, after He had sent them, He proceeded to withdraw Himself, to give them room and opportunity to do what He had enjoined. For while He was present and healing, no one would be willing to approach them.

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Jesus, he sent two of his disciples, and asked Him, saying, Are you He that should come, or do we look for another? [[Matthew 11.2]]-3

But Luke says, they also told John of the miracles, and then he sent them. [[Luke 7.18]] However, this contains no matter of difficulty, but of consideration only; for this, among other things, indicates their jealousy towards Him.

But what follows is completely among the controverted points. Of what nature then is this? Their saying, Are You He that should come, or do we look for another? That is, he that knew Him before His miracles, he that had learned it of the Spirit, he that heard it of the Father, he who had proclaimed Him before all men; does he now send to learn of Him, whether it be Himself or no? And if yet thou did not know that it is surely He, how thinkest you yourself credible, affirming as thou dost concerning things, whereof you are ignorant? For he that is to bear witness to others, must be first worthy of credit himself. Did you not say, I am not meet to loose the latchet of His shoe? [[John 1.27]] Did you not say, I knew Him not, but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending and resting upon Him, the same is He which baptizes with the Holy Ghost? [[John 1.33]] Did you not see the Spirit in form of a dove? Did you not hear the voice? Did you not utterly forbid Him, saying, I have need to be baptized by You? [[Matthew 3.14]] Did you not say even to your disciples, He must increase, I must decrease? [[John 3.30]] Did you not teach all the people, that He should baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire? [[Matthew 3.11]] and that He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world? Did you not before His signs and miracles proclaim all these things? How then now, when He has been made manifest to all, and the fame of Him has gone out everywhere, and dead men have been raised, and devils driven away, and a display made of so great miracles, do you after this send to learn of Him?

What then is the fact? Were all these sayings a kind of fraud: a stage play and fables? Nay, who that has any understanding would say so? I say not, John, who leaped in the womb, who before his own birth proclaimed Him, the citizen of the wilderness, the exhibitor of the conversation of angels; but even though he were one of the common sort, and of them that are utterly outcast, he would not have hesitated, after so many testimonies, both on his own part and on the part of others.

Whence it is evident, that neither did he send as bein