Matt. VII. 28.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine.
Yet was it rather natural for them to grieve at the unpleasantness of His sayings, and to shudder at the loftiness of His injunctions; but now so great was the power of the Teacher, that many of them were even caught thereby, and thrown into very great admiration, and persuaded by reason of the sweetness of His sayings, not even when He ceased to speak, to depart from Him at all afterwards. For neither did the hearers depart, He having come down from the mountain, but even then the whole auditory followed Him; so great a love for His sayings had He instilled into them.
But they were astonished most of all at His authority. For not with reference to another, like the prophet and Moses, did He say what He said; but everywhere indicating Himself to be the person that had the power of deciding. For so, when setting forth His laws, He still kept adding, But I say unto you. And in reminding them of that day, He declared Himself to be the judge, both by the punishments, and by the honors.
And yet it was likely that this too would disturb them. For if, when they saw Him by His works showing forth His authority, the scribes were for stoning and persecuting Him; while there were words only to prove this, how was it other than likely for them to be offended? And especially when at first setting out these things were said, and before He had given proof of His own power? But however, they felt nothing of this; for when the heart and mind is candid, it is easily persuaded by the words of the truth. And this is just why one sort, even when the miracles were proclaiming His power, were offended; while the other on hearing mere words were persuaded and followed Him. This, I would add, the evangelist too is intimating, when he says, great multitudes followed Him, not any of the rulers, nor of the scribes, but as many as were free from vice, and had their judgment uncorrupted. And throughout the whole gospel you see that such clave unto Him. For both while He spoke, they used to listen in silence, not making any intrusion, nor breaking in upon the connection of His sayings, nor tempting Him, and desiring to find a handle like the Pharisees; and after His exhortation they followed Him again, marvelling.
But do thou mark, I pray you, the Lord’s consideration, how He varies the mode of profiting His hearers, after miracles entering on words, and again from the instruction by His words passing to miracles. Thus, both before they went up into the mountain, He healed many, preparing the way for His sayings; and after finishing that long discourse to the people, He comes again to miracles, confirming what had been said by what was done. And so, because He was teaching as one having authority, lest His so teaching should be thought boasting and arrogant, He does the very same in His works also, as having authority to heal; that they might no more be perplexed at seeing Him teach in this way, when He was working His miracles also in the same.
- For when He had come down from the mountain, there came a leper, saying, Lord, if You will, You can make me clean. Great was the understanding and the faith of him who so drew near. For he did not interrupt the teaching, nor break through the auditory, but awaited the proper time, and approaches Him when He has come down. And not at random, but with much earnestness, and at His knees, he beseeches Him, as another evangelist says, and with the genuine faith and right opinion about him. For neither did he say, If You request it of God, nor, If Thou pray, but, If You will, You can make me clean. Nor did he say, Lord, cleanse me, but leaves all to Him, and makes His recovery depend on Him, and testifies that all the authority is His.
What then, says one, if the leper’s opinion was mistaken? It were meet to do away with it, and to reprove, and set it right. Did He then so do? By no means; but quite on the contrary, He establishes and confirms what had been said. For this cause, you see, neither did He say, Be thou cleansed, but, I will, be thou clean; that the doctrine might no longer be a thing of the other’s surmising, but of His own approval.
But the apostles not so: rather in what way? The whole people being in amazement, they said, Why give heed to us, as though by our own power or authority we had made him to walk? But the Lord, though He spoke oftentimes many things modestly, and beneath His own glory, what says He here, to establish the doctrine of them that were amazed at Him for His authority? I will, be thou clean. Although in the many and great signs which He wrought, He nowhere appears to have uttered this word. Here however, to confirm the surmise both of all the people and of the leper touching His authority, He purposely added, I will.
And it was not that He said this, but did it not; but the work also followed immediately. Whereas, if he had not spoken well, but the saying had been a blasphemy, the work ought to have been interrupted. But now nature herself gave way at His command, and that speedily, as was meet, even more speedily than the evangelist has said. For the word, immediately, falls far short of the quickness that there was in the work.