返回Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Lk. 18:1. He also told them a parable about the need to always pray and not lose heart,
Since the Lord mentioned sorrows and dangers, He also offers the remedy for them. This remedy is prayer, and not simply prayer, but constant and fervent prayer.
Lk. 18:2. saying: in a certain city there was a judge, who neither feared God nor regarded man.
Lk. 18:3. In that same city there was a widow, and she, coming to him, kept saying: defend me from my adversary.
Lk. 18:4. But for a long time he was unwilling. Yet afterward he said to himself: Though I neither fear God nor regard man,
Lk. 18:5. But, because this widow does not give me rest, I will defend her, so that she may not come anymore to trouble me.
All this, he says, is to happen to the people of that time, but against this, prayer provides great help, which we must constantly and with patience offer, keeping in mind how the persistence of the widow swayed the unjust judge. For if constant entreaty softened him, who was full of all manner of wickedness and ashamed neither before God nor before men, how much more shall we not incline to mercy the Father of compassions, God, even though He delays for the present? Notice that not being ashamed before men is a sign of great wickedness. For many do not fear God, but are at least ashamed before men, and therefore sin less. But whoever has ceased to be ashamed even before men has reached the height of wickedness. Therefore the Lord also placed afterward: "and was not ashamed before men," speaking as if to say: the judge did not fear God, and what am I saying, did not fear God? — he displayed even greater wickedness, because he was not ashamed even before men.
Lk. 18:6. And the Lord said: hear what the unjust judge says.
Lk. 18:7. God, shall He not avenge His elect, who cry out to Him day and night, though He is long-suffering over them?
Lk. 18:8. I tell you that He will give them protection shortly.
This parable teaches us, as we have said many times, that we should not lose heart in our prayers, just as it is said in another place: which of you, having a friend, will send him away if he comes and knocks at night? For if for no other reason, then because of his importunity he will open to him (Luke 11:5, 8). And again: "What man is there among you who, when his son asks him for bread," and so on? (Matt. 7:9). By all these things the Lord impresses upon us the constant practice of prayer.
Some attempted to expound this parable as thoroughly as possible and ventured to apply it to reality. The widow, they said, is the soul that has rejected her former husband, that is, the devil, who for this reason became an adversary, constantly attacking her. She comes to God, the Judge of unrighteousness, who, that is, condemns unrighteousness. This Judge fears not God, for He alone is God, and has no other whom He might fear, and regards not man, because "God does not show partiality to man" (Gal. 2:6). Upon this widow, upon the soul constantly asking God for protection from her adversary the devil, God has compassion, since her persistence overcomes Him.
Let whoever wishes accept such an understanding. It is conveyed only so that it would not remain unknown. The Lord merely teaches us by this the necessity of prayer and shows that if this judge, lawless and full of every malice, took pity because of the unceasing request, how much more will God, the source of all righteousness, quickly grant protection, even though He is longsuffering and seemingly does not listen to those who ask Him day and night. Having taught us this and shown us that at the time of the end of the world one must make use of prayer against the dangers that will then occur, the Lord adds:
Lk. 18:8. But will the Son of Man, when He comes, find faith on the earth?
By His interrogative manner of speech showing that few believers will be found at that time. For the son of lawlessness will then have such power that he would deceive even the elect, if it were possible (Matt. 24:24). Concerning that which is found rarely, the Lord customarily uses the interrogative form of speech. For example: "Who is the faithful and wise steward?" (Luke 12:42). And here, indicating the same thing, namely that those who preserve faith in God and trust in one another will then be very few in number, the Lord employed the aforementioned question.
Urging to prayer, the Lord rightly added a word about faith, since faith constitutes the beginning and foundation of all prayer. For a person will pray in vain if he does not believe that he will receive what is asked for his benefit (James 1:6–7). Therefore the Lord, teaching to pray, also mentioned faith, covertly making known that few would then be able to pray, since faith would then be found in not many. Thus the Lord, coming on the clouds, will not find faith on earth, except perhaps in a few. But He will then produce faith. For, even if unwillingly, all will confess that "Jesus is Lord... to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11), and if one must call this faith rather than necessity, there will remain none among the unbelievers who would not believe that the Savior is only the one whom he formerly blasphemed.
Lk. 18:9. He also spoke the following parable to some who were confident in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Lk. 18:10. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector.
The Lord does not cease to destroy the passion of pride with the most powerful arguments. Since it disturbs the minds of people more than all other passions, the Lord teaches about it frequently and at length. So now too He heals its worst form. For self-love has many branches. From it are born: conceit, boasting, vainglory, and the most pernicious of all — pride. Pride is the rejection of God. For when someone ascribes his good qualities not to God but to himself, what else does he do but deny God and rebel against Him? This God-opposing passion, against which the Lord arms Himself as an enemy against an enemy, the Lord promises to heal with the present parable. For He speaks it to those who were confident in themselves and did not ascribe everything to God, and who therefore also despised others, and He shows that righteousness, even though it may be admirable in other respects and bring a person close to God Himself, yet if it admits pride, it casts a person down to the lowest degree and makes him like the devil, who sometimes assumes the appearance of being equal to God.
Lk. 18:11. The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus with himself: God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Lk. 18:12. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I acquire.
The opening words of the Pharisee resemble those of a grateful man, for he says: I thank Thee, God! But his subsequent speech is filled with utter madness. For he did not say: I thank Thee that Thou hast kept me from unrighteousness, from robbery, but what? — that I am not such. He ascribed perfection to himself and to his own strength. But to condemn others — how is this characteristic of a man who knows that everything he has, he has from God? For if he were convinced that he possesses the goods of others by grace, then without doubt he would not have disparaged others, bearing in mind that he too, with respect to his own strength, is equally naked, and is clothed with a gift by mercy. Therefore the Pharisee, as one who ascribes his accomplished deeds to his own strength, is arrogant, and from this he went so far as to condemn others. The Lord indicates the arrogance and absence of humility in the Pharisee also by the word "standing." For the humble man has a humble bearing as well, but the Pharisee displayed vanity even in his outward conduct. It is true that of the publican too it is said "standing," but see what is added further: "he would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven." Therefore his standing was at the same time a bowing down, whereas the Pharisee's eyes and heart were both lifted up to heaven.
Look also at the order that is presented in the Pharisee's prayer. First he said what he is not, and then he enumerated what he is. Having said, "I am not such-and-such, as other men," he also puts forward various virtues: "I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of all that I acquire." For one must not only turn away from evil, but also do good (Ps. 33:15). And first one must depart from evil, and then proceed to virtue, just as when wishing to draw clean water from a muddy spring, you must first clean out the filth, and only then can you draw clean water. Note also that the Pharisee did not say in the singular: I am not a robber, not an adulterer, like others. He did not allow even in mere words a shameful name to be applied solely to his own person, but used these designations in the plural, about others. Having said, "I am not such as others," he contrasted this with: "I fast twice a week," that is, two days a week. The Pharisee's speech could have a deep meaning. Against the passion of adultery he boasts of fasting. For lust is born of sensual excess. Thus he, afflicting his body with fasting, was very far from such passions. And the Pharisees truly fasted on the second day of the week and on the fifth. Against the designation of robbers and oppressors the Pharisee contrasted the fact that he gives a tenth of all that he acquires. Robbery, he says, and the inflicting of injuries are so abhorrent to me that I give away even what is my own. In the opinion of some, the Law commands tithing in general and for all time, but those who investigate it more deeply find that it prescribes a threefold tithe. You will learn about this in detail from Deuteronomy (Deut. 12, Deut. 14), if you pay attention. Such was the conduct of the Pharisee.
Lk. 18:13. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying: God, be merciful to me a sinner!
But the tax collector behaved in a completely opposite manner. He stood at a distance and was very far from the Pharisee not only in the space between them, but also in his attire, in his words, and in the contrition of his heart. He was ashamed to lift his eyes to heaven, considering them unworthy of contemplating things above, since they loved to look upon earthly goods and to make use of them. He "beat his breast," as if striking his heart for its wicked counsels and rousing it from sleep to awareness, and said nothing else but this: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." For all this, the tax collector "went away... more... justified" than the Pharisee. For everyone who is lofty of heart is unclean before the Lord, and "the Lord resists the proud, but gives grace... to the humble" (Prov. 3:34).
Lk. 18:14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Someone might perhaps wonder why the Pharisee, although he spoke only a few words with haughtiness, was nevertheless condemned, while Job spoke very many great things about himself (Job 29:7–25), yet received a crown? This is because the Pharisee began to prattle in praise of himself when no one was compelling him to do so, and condemned others when no benefit prompted it. But Job was compelled to enumerate his virtues by the fact that his friends were pressing him, bearing down on him more heavily than the calamity itself, saying that he was suffering for his sins; and he enumerated his good deeds for the glory of God and so that people would not grow faint on the path of virtue. For if people had come to the conviction that the deeds which Job had done were sinful deeds and that he was suffering on account of them, they would have begun to withdraw from performing these very deeds, and thus instead of being hospitable they would have become inhospitable, instead of merciful and righteous they would have become merciless and unjust. For such were the deeds of Job. Thus Job enumerates his good deeds so that many would not suffer harm. Such were Job's reasons. We say nothing of the fact that in his very words, seemingly grandiloquent, perfect humility shines through. For "if only I were as in the former months," he says, "as in the days when God watched over me" (Job 29:2). Do you see? He ascribes everything to God and does not condemn others, but rather himself endures condemnation from his friends. But upon the Pharisee, who attributes everything to himself and not to God, and who needlessly condemns others, condemnation is justly brought. For everyone who "exalts himself" shall be humbled, being condemned by God, "and he who humbles himself" through self-reproach "shall be exalted," being justified by God. As it is also said: "Put Me in remembrance; let us plead together; speak, that you may be justified" (Isa. 43:26).
Lk. 18:15. They also brought infants to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples, seeing this, rebuked them.
The example of children also leads to humility. The Lord hereby teaches us to be humble, to accept everyone, and to despise no one. The disciples considered it unworthy of such a Teacher to bring children to Him. But He shows them that one must be so humble as not to disdain even the very least.
Lk. 18:16. But Jesus, calling them to Himself, said: Let the children come to Me and do not forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of God.
Thus, not having rejected the children, but having received them with pleasure, the Lord teaches humility "by deed." He also teaches "by word," saying that "of such is the Kingdom of Heaven," those who have a childlike disposition.
Lk. 18:17. Truly I say to you: whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a child will not enter into it.
A child does not exalt itself, does not demean anyone, is without malice, without guile, is neither puffed up in happiness nor cast down in sorrow, but is always perfectly simple. Therefore, whoever lives humbly and without malice, and whoever receives the Kingdom of God as a child, that is, without craftiness and curiosity, but with faith, is pleasing before God. For whoever is excessively curious and always asks, "How is this?" will perish with his unbelief and will not enter the Kingdom which he was unwilling to accept in simplicity, without curiosity, and with humility. Therefore all the apostles and all who believed in Christ in simplicity of heart can be called children, as the Lord Himself called the apostles: "Children, have you any food?" (Jn. 21:5). But the pagan sages, who search out wisdom in such a mystery as the Kingdom of God and are unwilling to accept it without reasoning, are justly cut off from this Kingdom. The Lord did not say "of these" is the Kingdom, but "of such," that is, of those who have voluntarily acquired the innocence and humble-mindedness that children possess by nature. So then, let us accept without curiosity, with faith and humility, all that belongs to the Church, which constitutes the Kingdom of God. For curiosity is characteristic of conceit and self-willed reasoning.
Lk. 18:18. And a certain ruler asked Him, saying: Good Teacher! What must I do to inherit eternal life?
This man, in the opinion of some, was a certain evil schemer and sought to trap Jesus in His words. But it is more likely that he was a lover of money, since Christ Himself exposed him as precisely such. And the evangelist Mark says that a certain man, running up and falling on his knees, asked Jesus, and "looking at him, Jesus loved him" (Mk. 10:17, 21). So then, this man was covetous. He comes to Jesus wishing to learn about eternal life. Perhaps in this case too he was driven by a passion for acquisition. For no one desires a long life so much as a covetous man. So he thought that Jesus would show him a way by which he could live forever, possess his property, and thus enjoy himself. But when the Lord said that the means of attaining eternal life is the renunciation of possessions, then he, as though reproaching himself for the question and Jesus for the answer, went away. For he needed eternal life because he had riches for many years. But when he must give up his possessions and live, it would seem, in poverty, then what need has he of eternal life?
Lk. 18:19. Jesus said to him: why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone;
He comes to the Lord as to a mere man and teacher. Therefore the Lord, to show that one should not come to Him as to a mere man, said: "No one is good but God alone." You, He says, called Me "good," so why did you also add "teacher"? It seems you take Me for one of many. But if so, then I am not good, for among men properly no one is good; only God alone is good. Therefore, if you wish to call Me good, call Me good as God, and do not come to Me as to a mere man. But if you consider Me one of ordinary men, then do not call Me good. For God alone is truly good, is the fountain of goodness and the source of essential goodness. But we men, even if we are good, are not so of ourselves, but by participation in His goodness, and possess a goodness that is mixed and capable of inclining toward evil.
Lk. 18:20. "You know the commandments: do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother."
The Law forbids first that into which we more easily fall, and then that into which few fall and infrequently: for example, adultery, since it is a fire from both the outside and the inside; murder, since anger is a great beast; while theft is less important, and one can fall into false witness infrequently. Therefore the first crimes are forbidden first, since we easily fall into them, although in other respects they are also more grievous. But these, that is, theft and false witness, the Law places in second rank, since they are committed infrequently and are less important. After these crimes, the Law placed the sin against parents. For although this sin is grievous, it does not often occur, since it is not often nor many, but rarely and few, that such bestial people are found who would dare to insult their parents.
Lk. 18:21. And he said: all these things I have kept from my youth.
Lk. 18:22. Having heard this, Jesus said to him: you still lack one thing: sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.
When the young man said that he had kept all these things from his youth, the Lord proposes to him the summit of everything: non-possessiveness. See, the Laws prescribe a truly Christian way of life. "Sell all that you have," He says. For if anything remains, you are a slave to it. And "distribute" not to wealthy relatives, but "to the poor." In my opinion, the word "distribute" also expresses the idea that one should disperse possessions with discernment, and not haphazardly. And since alongside non-possessiveness a person must also have all the other virtues, the Lord said, "and follow Me," that is, in all other respects as well be My disciple, always follow Me — and not in such a way that you follow today but not tomorrow.
Lk. 18:23. But when he heard this, he became sorrowful, for he was very rich.
As the Lord promised the covetous ruler a treasure in heaven, he nevertheless did not heed, for he was a slave to his treasures, and therefore "became sorrowful" upon hearing the Lord urge him to part with his possessions, since he desired eternal life precisely so that with his great abundance of wealth he might also live forever. The ruler's sorrow shows that he was a well-intentioned man, and not a cunning villain. For none of the Pharisees ever became sorrowful; rather, they grew hardened. It is not unknown to me that the great luminary of the universe, Chrysostom, held that this young man desired true eternal life and loved it, but was possessed by a powerful passion—love of money; yet the thought now proposed is also not out of place, that he desired eternal life as a covetous man.
Lk. 18:24. Jesus, seeing that he became sad, said: How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God!
After the rich man, having heard about the renunciation of wealth, became sorrowful, the Lord explains with a wondrous comparison "how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God." He did not say that it is impossible for them (the rich) to enter, but "hard." For it is not impossible for such people to be saved. Having distributed their wealth, they can receive heavenly blessings. But to do the former is not easy, because wealth binds more firmly than glue, and for the one whom it has mastered, it is difficult to renounce it. Below the Lord explains how this becomes impossible.
Lk. 18:25. For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.
It is utterly impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, whether you understand by "camel" the animal itself or some thick nautical rope. If it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to be saved, and the first is impossible, then all the more impossible is it for a rich man to be saved. What then must we say? First of all, that it is truly impossible for a rich man to be saved. Do not tell me, if you please, that so-and-so, being rich, distributed what he had and was saved. For he was saved not in his wealth, but when he became poor; or he was saved as a steward, but not as a rich man. And a steward is one thing, a rich man another. The rich man hoards wealth for himself, while to the steward wealth is entrusted for others. Therefore the one you point to as well, if he was saved, was saved not with his wealth, but, as we said, either by renouncing all that he had, or by managing his possessions well, as a steward. Then observe also that it is impossible for a rich man to be saved, but difficult for one who has riches. The Lord speaks as if to say: whoever is possessed by wealth, whoever is its slave and subject, will not be saved; but whoever has wealth and keeps it under his own power, rather than being himself under its power, for such a one it is difficult to be saved because of human weakness. For it is impossible not to misuse what we have. Since, as long as we have wealth, the devil strives to ensnare us so that we use it contrary to the rules and law of stewardship — and it is difficult to escape his nets. Therefore poverty is a good thing, and it is almost free from temptation.
Lk. 18:26. And those who heard it said: "Who then can be saved?"
Lk. 18:27. But He said: What is impossible with men is possible with God.
He who has a human way of thinking, that is, is carried away by earthly things and attached to the terrestrial, for him, as it is said, it is impossible to be saved, but for God this is possible; that is, when someone has God as his counselor and takes the ordinances of God and the commandments concerning poverty as his teachers, and calls upon Him for help, for that person it will be possible to be saved. For it is our part to desire the good, but to accomplish it is the work of God. And in another sense: if we, having risen above every human faintheartedness regarding wealth, desire even to make friends for ourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, then we shall be saved and shall be escorted by them into eternal habitations. For it is better if we renounce everything, or if we do not renounce everything, at least make the poor our partners, and then the impossible will become possible. Although without renouncing everything one cannot be saved, yet through the lovingkindness of God it becomes possible to be saved even in the case where several portions are distributed for genuine benefit.
Lk. 18:28. Peter then said: behold, we have left everything and followed You.
Lk. 18:29. He said to them: Truly I say to you: there is no one who has left house, or parents, or brothers, or sisters, or wife, or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God,
Lk. 18:30. and would not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come life everlasting.
At this, Peter asks: "behold, we have left everything," and he asks not for himself alone, but for the consolation of all the poor. Lest only the rich have good hopes of receiving much, as those who renounced much, while the poor have no hope, as those who renounced little and therefore earned a small reward — for this reason Peter asks and hears in response that both in the present and the future age, everyone who has despised his possessions for God's sake will receive recompense, even if those possessions were small. Do not look at the fact that they are small, but consider that this small amount contained all the person's means of livelihood, and that just as you placed your hope in much and great things, so he hoped to sustain his life with this little and small amount. I say nothing of the fact that one who has little has a greater attachment to it. This is evident with fathers. Having one child, they show greater attachment to it than when they have more children. So too the poor man, having one house and one field, loves them more intensely than you love your many possessions. And even if this is not the case, and the attachment of both is equal, then the renunciation is equally worthy. Therefore, in the present age as well they receive a recompense many times greater, just as these very apostles did. For each of them, having left behind a hut, now possesses magnificent churches, fields, parishes, many women attached to them by their zeal and faith, and in general everything else besides. And in the age to come they will receive not a multitude of similar fields and bodily rewards, but eternal life.
Lk. 18:31. And taking the twelve disciples aside, He said to them: behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished,
Lk. 18:32. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully treated, and spat upon,
Lk. 18:33. And they shall scourge and kill Him: and on the third day He shall rise again.
The Lord foretells His sufferings to the disciples for two purposes. First, to show that He would be crucified not against His will and not as a mere man unaware of His death, but that He knows of it beforehand and will endure it voluntarily. For if He did not wish to suffer, then as one who foresaw it, He would have avoided it. For to fall into the hands of others against one's will is characteristic of those who do not know of it in advance. Second, to persuade them to bear the coming events with ease, as things known to them beforehand and not happening to them suddenly. But if, Lord, what was long ago foretold by the prophets is to be fulfilled in You, then why do You go up to Jerusalem? For this very reason, that I may accomplish salvation. And so, He goes voluntarily.
Lk. 18:34. They understood none of these things; these words were hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what was said.
However, He spoke of this, but the disciples did not understand anything at the time. For "these words were hidden from them," especially the words about the Resurrection. They did not understand the other words either, for example, about His being delivered to the Gentiles; but the words about the resurrection they decidedly did not understand, because they were not in common use. And not all the Judaizers believed even in the general resurrection, as is evident from the Sadducees (Matt. 22:23). Perhaps you will say: if the disciples did not understand, then why did the Lord speak to them about this beforehand? What benefit was there for their consolation during the sufferings of the Cross, when they did not understand what was said? But no small benefit came later, when they afterwards recalled that what had come to pass was precisely what they had not understood when the Lord foretold it to them. This is evident from many things, especially from the words of John: "His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him" (John 12:16). And the Comforter, having reminded them of all things, instilled in them the most reliable testimony about Christ. As for how the burial was of three days, enough has been said in the commentary on the other Evangelists (see ch. 12).
Lk. 18:35. And when He drew near to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the roadside, begging,
Lk. 18:36. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what this meant.
Lk. 18:37. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
Lk. 18:38. Then he cried out: Jesus, Son of David! Have mercy on me.
During the journey the Lord performs a miracle upon the blind man, so that even His passing would not be a lesson without benefit for us and for the disciples of Christ, so that we in all things, always and everywhere would bring benefit, and nothing in us would be idle. The blind man believed that He (Jesus) is the awaited Christ (for, having been raised among the Jews, he probably knew that Christ is from the seed of David), and cried out with a loud voice: "Son of David! Have mercy on me." And by the words "have mercy on me" he expressed that he had some divine conception of Him, and did not consider Him merely a man.
Lk. 18:39. Those who were walking ahead ordered him to be silent; but he cried out all the more: Son of David! Have mercy on me.
Look, if you will, at the persistence of his confession as well — how, despite the fact that many were trying to silence him, he did not fall silent but cried out all the louder; for a fervent zeal was moving him from within.
Lk. 18:40. Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be brought to Him: and, when he had come near to Him, asked him:
Lk. 18:41. What do you want from Me? He said: Lord! That I may receive my sight.
Therefore Jesus also calls him to Himself, as one truly worthy of drawing near to Him, and asks him: "What do you want from Me?" He asks not because He does not know, but so that it would not seem to those present that the man asks for one thing while He gives another: that the man, for example, asks for money, while He, wishing to display Himself, heals his blindness. For envy can slander even in such a senseless manner. Therefore the Lord asked, and when He revealed that he wished to receive his sight, He grants him his sight.
Lk. 18:42. Jesus said to him: receive your sight! Your faith has saved you.
See also the absence of pride. "Your faith," He says, "has saved you," since you believed that I am the proclaimed Son of David, the Christ, and showed such fervor that you did not fall silent despite being forbidden. From this we learn that when we ask with faith, it is not the case that we ask for one thing and the Lord gives another, but that very thing itself. If, however, we ask for one thing and receive another, it is a clear sign that we are not asking for something good or not with faith. "You ask," it is said, "and do not receive, because you ask not for what is good" (James 4:3). Note also the authority: "receive your sight." Which of the prophets healed in this way, that is, with such authority? Hence the voice that proceeded from the true Light (John 1:9) became light for the sick man.
Lk. 18:43. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Note also the gratitude of the healed man. For he followed Jesus, "glorifying God," and disposing others to glorify Him as well.
Lk. 18:1. He also told them a parable about the need to always pray and not lose heart,
Since the Lord mentioned sorrows and dangers, He also offers the remedy for them. This remedy is prayer, and not simply prayer, but constant and fervent prayer.
Lk. 18:2. saying: in a certain city there was a judge, who neither feared God nor regarded man.
Lk. 18:3. In that same city there was a widow, and she, coming to him, kept saying: defend me from my adversary.
Lk. 18:4. But for a long time he was unwilling. Yet afterward he said to himself: Though I neither fear God nor regard man,
Lk. 18:5. But, because this widow does not give me rest, I will defend her, so that she may not come anymore to trouble me.
All this, he says, is to happen to the people of that time, but against this, prayer provides great help, which we must constantly and with patience offer, keeping in mind how the persistence of the widow swayed the unjust judge. For if constant entreaty softened him, who was full of all manner of wickedness and ashamed neither before God nor before men, how much more shall we not incline to mercy the Father of compassions, God, even though He delays for the present? Notice that not being ashamed before men is a sign of great wickedness. For many do not fear God, but are at least ashamed before men, and therefore sin less. But whoever has ceased to be ashamed even before men has reached the height of wickedness. Therefore the Lord also placed afterward: "and was not ashamed before men," speaking as if to say: the judge did not fear God, and what am I saying, did not fear God? — he displayed even greater wickedness, because he was not ashamed even before men.
Lk. 18:6. And the Lord said: hear what the unjust judge says.
Lk. 18:7. God, shall He not avenge His elect, who cry out to Him day and night, though He is long-suffering over them?
Lk. 18:8. I tell you that He will give them protection shortly.
This parable teaches us, as we have said many times, that we should not lose heart in our prayers, just as it is said in another place: which of you, having a friend, will send him away if he comes and knocks at night? For if for no other reason, then because of his importunity he will open to him (Luke 11:5, 8). And again: "What man is there among you who, when his son asks him for bread," and so on? (Matt. 7:9). By all these things the Lord impresses upon us the constant practice of prayer.
Some attempted to expound this parable as thoroughly as possible and ventured to apply it to reality. The widow, they said, is the soul that has rejected her former husband, that is, the devil, who for this reason became an adversary, constantly attacking her. She comes to God, the Judge of unrighteousness, who, that is, condemns unrighteousness. This Judge fears not God, for He alone is God, and has no other whom He might fear, and regards not man, because "God does not show partiality to man" (Gal. 2:6). Upon this widow, upon the soul constantly asking God for protection from her adversary the devil, God has compassion, since her persistence overcomes Him.
Let whoever wishes accept such an understanding. It is conveyed only so that it would not remain unknown. The Lord merely teaches us by this the necessity of prayer and shows that if this judge, lawless and full of every malice, took pity because of the unceasing request, how much more will God, the source of all righteousness, quickly grant protection, even though He is longsuffering and seemingly does not listen to those who ask Him day and night. Having taught us this and shown us that at the time of the end of the world one must make use of prayer against the dangers that will then occur, the Lord adds:
Lk. 18:8. But will the Son of Man, when He comes, find faith on the earth?
By His interrogative manner of speech showing that few believers will be found at that time. For the son of lawlessness will then have such power that he would deceive even the elect, if it were possible (Matt. 24:24). Concerning that which is found rarely, the Lord customarily uses the interrogative form of speech. For example: "Who is the faithful and wise steward?" (Luke 12:42). And here, indicating the same thing, namely that those who preserve faith in God and trust in one another will then be very few in number, the Lord employed the aforementioned question.
Urging to prayer, the Lord rightly added a word about faith, since faith constitutes the beginning and foundation of all prayer. For a person will pray in vain if he does not believe that he will receive what is asked for his benefit (James 1:6–7). Therefore the Lord, teaching to pray, also mentioned faith, covertly making known that few would then be able to pray, since faith would then be found in not many. Thus the Lord, coming on the clouds, will not find faith on earth, except perhaps in a few. But He will then produce faith. For, even if unwillingly, all will confess that "Jesus is Lord... to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11), and if one must call this faith rather than necessity, there will remain none among the unbelievers who would not believe that the Savior is only the one whom he formerly blasphemed.
Lk. 18:9. He also spoke the following parable to some who were confident in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Lk. 18:10. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector.
The Lord does not cease to destroy the passion of pride with the most powerful arguments. Since it disturbs the minds of people more than all other passions, the Lord teaches about it frequently and at length. So now too He heals its worst form. For self-love has many branches. From it are born: conceit, boasting, vainglory, and the most pernicious of all — pride. Pride is the rejection of God. For when someone ascribes his good qualities not to God but to himself, what else does he do but deny God and rebel against Him? This God-opposing passion, against which the Lord arms Himself as an enemy against an enemy, the Lord promises to heal with the present parable. For He speaks it to those who were confident in themselves and did not ascribe everything to God, and who therefore also despised others, and He shows that righteousness, even though it may be admirable in other respects and bring a person close to God Himself, yet if it admits pride, it casts a person down to the lowest degree and makes him like the devil, who sometimes assumes the appearance of being equal to God.
Lk. 18:11. The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus with himself: God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Lk. 18:12. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I acquire.
The opening words of the Pharisee resemble those of a grateful man, for he says: I thank Thee, God! But his subsequent speech is filled with utter madness. For he did not say: I thank Thee that Thou hast kept me from unrighteousness, from robbery, but what? — that I am not such. He ascribed perfection to himself and to his own strength. But to condemn others — how is this characteristic of a man who knows that everything he has, he has from God? For if he were convinced that he possesses the goods of others by grace, then without doubt he would not have disparaged others, bearing in mind that he too, with respect to his own strength, is equally naked, and is clothed with a gift by mercy. Therefore the Pharisee, as one who ascribes his accomplished deeds to his own strength, is arrogant, and from this he went so far as to condemn others. The Lord indicates the arrogance and absence of humility in the Pharisee also by the word "standing." For the humble man has a humble bearing as well, but the Pharisee displayed vanity even in his outward conduct. It is true that of the publican too it is said "standing," but see what is added further: "he would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven." Therefore his standing was at the same time a bowing down, whereas the Pharisee's eyes and heart were both lifted up to heaven.
Look also at the order that is presented in the Pharisee's prayer. First he said what he is not, and then he enumerated what he is. Having said, "I am not such-and-such, as other men," he also puts forward various virtues: "I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of all that I acquire." For one must not only turn away from evil, but also do good (Ps. 33:15). And first one must depart from evil, and then proceed to virtue, just as when wishing to draw clean water from a muddy spring, you must first clean out the filth, and only then can you draw clean water. Note also that the Pharisee did not say in the singular: I am not a robber, not an adulterer, like others. He did not allow even in mere words a shameful name to be applied solely to his own person, but used these designations in the plural, about others. Having said, "I am not such as others," he contrasted this with: "I fast twice a week," that is, two days a week. The Pharisee's speech could have a deep meaning. Against the passion of adultery he boasts of fasting. For lust is born of sensual excess. Thus he, afflicting his body with fasting, was very far from such passions. And the Pharisees truly fasted on the second day of the week and on the fifth. Against the designation of robbers and oppressors the Pharisee contrasted the fact that he gives a tenth of all that he acquires. Robbery, he says, and the inflicting of injuries are so abhorrent to me that I give away even what is my own. In the opinion of some, the Law commands tithing in general and for all time, but those who investigate it more deeply find that it prescribes a threefold tithe. You will learn about this in detail from Deuteronomy (Deut. 12, Deut. 14), if you pay attention. Such was the conduct of the Pharisee.
Lk. 18:13. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying: God, be merciful to me a sinner!
But the tax collector behaved in a completely opposite manner. He stood at a distance and was very far from the Pharisee not only in the space between them, but also in his attire, in his words, and in the contrition of his heart. He was ashamed to lift his eyes to heaven, considering them unworthy of contemplating things above, since they loved to look upon earthly goods and to make use of them. He "beat his breast," as if striking his heart for its wicked counsels and rousing it from sleep to awareness, and said nothing else but this: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." For all this, the tax collector "went away... more... justified" than the Pharisee. For everyone who is lofty of heart is unclean before the Lord, and "the Lord resists the proud, but gives grace... to the humble" (Prov. 3:34).
Lk. 18:14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Someone might perhaps wonder why the Pharisee, although he spoke only a few words with haughtiness, was nevertheless condemned, while Job spoke very many great things about himself (Job 29:7–25), yet received a crown? This is because the Pharisee began to prattle in praise of himself when no one was compelling him to do so, and condemned others when no benefit prompted it. But Job was compelled to enumerate his virtues by the fact that his friends were pressing him, bearing down on him more heavily than the calamity itself, saying that he was suffering for his sins; and he enumerated his good deeds for the glory of God and so that people would not grow faint on the path of virtue. For if people had come to the conviction that the deeds which Job had done were sinful deeds and that he was suffering on account of them, they would have begun to withdraw from performing these very deeds, and thus instead of being hospitable they would have become inhospitable, instead of merciful and righteous they would have become merciless and unjust. For such were the deeds of Job. Thus Job enumerates his good deeds so that many would not suffer harm. Such were Job's reasons. We say nothing of the fact that in his very words, seemingly grandiloquent, perfect humility shines through. For "if only I were as in the former months," he says, "as in the days when God watched over me" (Job 29:2). Do you see? He ascribes everything to God and does not condemn others, but rather himself endures condemnation from his friends. But upon the Pharisee, who attributes everything to himself and not to God, and who needlessly condemns others, condemnation is justly brought. For everyone who "exalts himself" shall be humbled, being condemned by God, "and he who humbles himself" through self-reproach "shall be exalted," being justified by God. As it is also said: "Put Me in remembrance; let us plead together; speak, that you may be justified" (Isa. 43:26).
Lk. 18:15. They also brought infants to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples, seeing this, rebuked them.
The example of children also leads to humility. The Lord hereby teaches us to be humble, to accept everyone, and to despise no one. The disciples considered it unworthy of such a Teacher to bring children to Him. But He shows them that one must be so humble as not to disdain even the very least.
Lk. 18:16. But Jesus, calling them to Himself, said: Let the children come to Me and do not forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of God.
Thus, not having rejected the children, but having received them with pleasure, the Lord teaches humility "by deed." He also teaches "by word," saying that "of such is the Kingdom of Heaven," those who have a childlike disposition.
Lk. 18:17. Truly I say to you: whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a child will not enter into it.
A child does not exalt itself, does not demean anyone, is without malice, without guile, is neither puffed up in happiness nor cast down in sorrow, but is always perfectly simple. Therefore, whoever lives humbly and without malice, and whoever receives the Kingdom of God as a child, that is, without craftiness and curiosity, but with faith, is pleasing before God. For whoever is excessively curious and always asks, "How is this?" will perish with his unbelief and will not enter the Kingdom which he was unwilling to accept in simplicity, without curiosity, and with humility. Therefore all the apostles and all who believed in Christ in simplicity of heart can be called children, as the Lord Himself called the apostles: "Children, have you any food?" (Jn. 21:5). But the pagan sages, who search out wisdom in such a mystery as the Kingdom of God and are unwilling to accept it without reasoning, are justly cut off from this Kingdom. The Lord did not say "of these" is the Kingdom, but "of such," that is, of those who have voluntarily acquired the innocence and humble-mindedness that children possess by nature. So then, let us accept without curiosity, with faith and humility, all that belongs to the Church, which constitutes the Kingdom of God. For curiosity is characteristic of conceit and self-willed reasoning.
Lk. 18:18. And a certain ruler asked Him, saying: Good Teacher! What must I do to inherit eternal life?
This man, in the opinion of some, was a certain evil schemer and sought to trap Jesus in His words. But it is more likely that he was a lover of money, since Christ Himself exposed him as precisely such. And the evangelist Mark says that a certain man, running up and falling on his knees, asked Jesus, and "looking at him, Jesus loved him" (Mk. 10:17, 21). So then, this man was covetous. He comes to Jesus wishing to learn about eternal life. Perhaps in this case too he was driven by a passion for acquisition. For no one desires a long life so much as a covetous man. So he thought that Jesus would show him a way by which he could live forever, possess his property, and thus enjoy himself. But when the Lord said that the means of attaining eternal life is the renunciation of possessions, then he, as though reproaching himself for the question and Jesus for the answer, went away. For he needed eternal life because he had riches for many years. But when he must give up his possessions and live, it would seem, in poverty, then what need has he of eternal life?
Lk. 18:19. Jesus said to him: why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone;
He comes to the Lord as to a mere man and teacher. Therefore the Lord, to show that one should not come to Him as to a mere man, said: "No one is good but God alone." You, He says, called Me "good," so why did you also add "teacher"? It seems you take Me for one of many. But if so, then I am not good, for among men properly no one is good; only God alone is good. Therefore, if you wish to call Me good, call Me good as God, and do not come to Me as to a mere man. But if you consider Me one of ordinary men, then do not call Me good. For God alone is truly good, is the fountain of goodness and the source of essential goodness. But we men, even if we are good, are not so of ourselves, but by participation in His goodness, and possess a goodness that is mixed and capable of inclining toward evil.
Lk. 18:20. "You know the commandments: do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother."
The Law forbids first that into which we more easily fall, and then that into which few fall and infrequently: for example, adultery, since it is a fire from both the outside and the inside; murder, since anger is a great beast; while theft is less important, and one can fall into false witness infrequently. Therefore the first crimes are forbidden first, since we easily fall into them, although in other respects they are also more grievous. But these, that is, theft and false witness, the Law places in second rank, since they are committed infrequently and are less important. After these crimes, the Law placed the sin against parents. For although this sin is grievous, it does not often occur, since it is not often nor many, but rarely and few, that such bestial people are found who would dare to insult their parents.
Lk. 18:21. And he said: all these things I have kept from my youth.
Lk. 18:22. Having heard this, Jesus said to him: you still lack one thing: sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.
When the young man said that he had kept all these things from his youth, the Lord proposes to him the summit of everything: non-possessiveness. See, the Laws prescribe a truly Christian way of life. "Sell all that you have," He says. For if anything remains, you are a slave to it. And "distribute" not to wealthy relatives, but "to the poor." In my opinion, the word "distribute" also expresses the idea that one should disperse possessions with discernment, and not haphazardly. And since alongside non-possessiveness a person must also have all the other virtues, the Lord said, "and follow Me," that is, in all other respects as well be My disciple, always follow Me — and not in such a way that you follow today but not tomorrow.
Lk. 18:23. But when he heard this, he became sorrowful, for he was very rich.
As the Lord promised the covetous ruler a treasure in heaven, he nevertheless did not heed, for he was a slave to his treasures, and therefore "became sorrowful" upon hearing the Lord urge him to part with his possessions, since he desired eternal life precisely so that with his great abundance of wealth he might also live forever. The ruler's sorrow shows that he was a well-intentioned man, and not a cunning villain. For none of the Pharisees ever became sorrowful; rather, they grew hardened. It is not unknown to me that the great luminary of the universe, Chrysostom, held that this young man desired true eternal life and loved it, but was possessed by a powerful passion—love of money; yet the thought now proposed is also not out of place, that he desired eternal life as a covetous man.
Lk. 18:24. Jesus, seeing that he became sad, said: How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God!
After the rich man, having heard about the renunciation of wealth, became sorrowful, the Lord explains with a wondrous comparison "how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God." He did not say that it is impossible for them (the rich) to enter, but "hard." For it is not impossible for such people to be saved. Having distributed their wealth, they can receive heavenly blessings. But to do the former is not easy, because wealth binds more firmly than glue, and for the one whom it has mastered, it is difficult to renounce it. Below the Lord explains how this becomes impossible.
Lk. 18:25. For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.
It is utterly impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, whether you understand by "camel" the animal itself or some thick nautical rope. If it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to be saved, and the first is impossible, then all the more impossible is it for a rich man to be saved. What then must we say? First of all, that it is truly impossible for a rich man to be saved. Do not tell me, if you please, that so-and-so, being rich, distributed what he had and was saved. For he was saved not in his wealth, but when he became poor; or he was saved as a steward, but not as a rich man. And a steward is one thing, a rich man another. The rich man hoards wealth for himself, while to the steward wealth is entrusted for others. Therefore the one you point to as well, if he was saved, was saved not with his wealth, but, as we said, either by renouncing all that he had, or by managing his possessions well, as a steward. Then observe also that it is impossible for a rich man to be saved, but difficult for one who has riches. The Lord speaks as if to say: whoever is possessed by wealth, whoever is its slave and subject, will not be saved; but whoever has wealth and keeps it under his own power, rather than being himself under its power, for such a one it is difficult to be saved because of human weakness. For it is impossible not to misuse what we have. Since, as long as we have wealth, the devil strives to ensnare us so that we use it contrary to the rules and law of stewardship — and it is difficult to escape his nets. Therefore poverty is a good thing, and it is almost free from temptation.
Lk. 18:26. And those who heard it said: "Who then can be saved?"
Lk. 18:27. But He said: What is impossible with men is possible with God.
He who has a human way of thinking, that is, is carried away by earthly things and attached to the terrestrial, for him, as it is said, it is impossible to be saved, but for God this is possible; that is, when someone has God as his counselor and takes the ordinances of God and the commandments concerning poverty as his teachers, and calls upon Him for help, for that person it will be possible to be saved. For it is our part to desire the good, but to accomplish it is the work of God. And in another sense: if we, having risen above every human faintheartedness regarding wealth, desire even to make friends for ourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, then we shall be saved and shall be escorted by them into eternal habitations. For it is better if we renounce everything, or if we do not renounce everything, at least make the poor our partners, and then the impossible will become possible. Although without renouncing everything one cannot be saved, yet through the lovingkindness of God it becomes possible to be saved even in the case where several portions are distributed for genuine benefit.
Lk. 18:28. Peter then said: behold, we have left everything and followed You.
Lk. 18:29. He said to them: Truly I say to you: there is no one who has left house, or parents, or brothers, or sisters, or wife, or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God,
Lk. 18:30. and would not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come life everlasting.
At this, Peter asks: "behold, we have left everything," and he asks not for himself alone, but for the consolation of all the poor. Lest only the rich have good hopes of receiving much, as those who renounced much, while the poor have no hope, as those who renounced little and therefore earned a small reward — for this reason Peter asks and hears in response that both in the present and the future age, everyone who has despised his possessions for God's sake will receive recompense, even if those possessions were small. Do not look at the fact that they are small, but consider that this small amount contained all the person's means of livelihood, and that just as you placed your hope in much and great things, so he hoped to sustain his life with this little and small amount. I say nothing of the fact that one who has little has a greater attachment to it. This is evident with fathers. Having one child, they show greater attachment to it than when they have more children. So too the poor man, having one house and one field, loves them more intensely than you love your many possessions. And even if this is not the case, and the attachment of both is equal, then the renunciation is equally worthy. Therefore, in the present age as well they receive a recompense many times greater, just as these very apostles did. For each of them, having left behind a hut, now possesses magnificent churches, fields, parishes, many women attached to them by their zeal and faith, and in general everything else besides. And in the age to come they will receive not a multitude of similar fields and bodily rewards, but eternal life.
Lk. 18:31. And taking the twelve disciples aside, He said to them: behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished,
Lk. 18:32. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully treated, and spat upon,
Lk. 18:33. And they shall scourge and kill Him: and on the third day He shall rise again.
The Lord foretells His sufferings to the disciples for two purposes. First, to show that He would be crucified not against His will and not as a mere man unaware of His death, but that He knows of it beforehand and will endure it voluntarily. For if He did not wish to suffer, then as one who foresaw it, He would have avoided it. For to fall into the hands of others against one's will is characteristic of those who do not know of it in advance. Second, to persuade them to bear the coming events with ease, as things known to them beforehand and not happening to them suddenly. But if, Lord, what was long ago foretold by the prophets is to be fulfilled in You, then why do You go up to Jerusalem? For this very reason, that I may accomplish salvation. And so, He goes voluntarily.
Lk. 18:34. They understood none of these things; these words were hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what was said.
However, He spoke of this, but the disciples did not understand anything at the time. For "these words were hidden from them," especially the words about the Resurrection. They did not understand the other words either, for example, about His being delivered to the Gentiles; but the words about the resurrection they decidedly did not understand, because they were not in common use. And not all the Judaizers believed even in the general resurrection, as is evident from the Sadducees (Matt. 22:23). Perhaps you will say: if the disciples did not understand, then why did the Lord speak to them about this beforehand? What benefit was there for their consolation during the sufferings of the Cross, when they did not understand what was said? But no small benefit came later, when they afterwards recalled that what had come to pass was precisely what they had not understood when the Lord foretold it to them. This is evident from many things, especially from the words of John: "His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him" (John 12:16). And the Comforter, having reminded them of all things, instilled in them the most reliable testimony about Christ. As for how the burial was of three days, enough has been said in the commentary on the other Evangelists (see ch. 12).
Lk. 18:35. And when He drew near to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the roadside, begging,
Lk. 18:36. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what this meant.
Lk. 18:37. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
Lk. 18:38. Then he cried out: Jesus, Son of David! Have mercy on me.
During the journey the Lord performs a miracle upon the blind man, so that even His passing would not be a lesson without benefit for us and for the disciples of Christ, so that we in all things, always and everywhere would bring benefit, and nothing in us would be idle. The blind man believed that He (Jesus) is the awaited Christ (for, having been raised among the Jews, he probably knew that Christ is from the seed of David), and cried out with a loud voice: "Son of David! Have mercy on me." And by the words "have mercy on me" he expressed that he had some divine conception of Him, and did not consider Him merely a man.
Lk. 18:39. Those who were walking ahead ordered him to be silent; but he cried out all the more: Son of David! Have mercy on me.
Look, if you will, at the persistence of his confession as well — how, despite the fact that many were trying to silence him, he did not fall silent but cried out all the louder; for a fervent zeal was moving him from within.
Lk. 18:40. Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be brought to Him: and, when he had come near to Him, asked him:
Lk. 18:41. What do you want from Me? He said: Lord! That I may receive my sight.
Therefore Jesus also calls him to Himself, as one truly worthy of drawing near to Him, and asks him: "What do you want from Me?" He asks not because He does not know, but so that it would not seem to those present that the man asks for one thing while He gives another: that the man, for example, asks for money, while He, wishing to display Himself, heals his blindness. For envy can slander even in such a senseless manner. Therefore the Lord asked, and when He revealed that he wished to receive his sight, He grants him his sight.
Lk. 18:42. Jesus said to him: receive your sight! Your faith has saved you.
See also the absence of pride. "Your faith," He says, "has saved you," since you believed that I am the proclaimed Son of David, the Christ, and showed such fervor that you did not fall silent despite being forbidden. From this we learn that when we ask with faith, it is not the case that we ask for one thing and the Lord gives another, but that very thing itself. If, however, we ask for one thing and receive another, it is a clear sign that we are not asking for something good or not with faith. "You ask," it is said, "and do not receive, because you ask not for what is good" (James 4:3). Note also the authority: "receive your sight." Which of the prophets healed in this way, that is, with such authority? Hence the voice that proceeded from the true Light (John 1:9) became light for the sick man.
Lk. 18:43. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Note also the gratitude of the healed man. For he followed Jesus, "glorifying God," and disposing others to glorify Him as well.