Faith in Prosperity vs. Adversity
Consider one slave who does not depart from his own master in a time of trial, tribulation, and flight; but those myriads of slaves who, in the time of trial and flight, abandon the master and withdraw. Are these slaves, who in prosperity abandon the master in the time of trial, able to be like those who follow the master in adversity? Not at all.
Peter believed, but seeing the dead raised and beholding his glory, he believed; Paul believed, but seeing light from heaven, which scorched the bodily eyes and enlightened the spiritual eyes; Abraham believed, but beholding a divine vision; Isaiah believed, but seeing him sitting upon a high throne and the Cherubim around him. All saw, but in glory; but this one in insolence; therefore he also cried out, 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42).
From those concerning me, you owe it to me to say: 'Why do you say?' That I am a sinner, and a murderer, and a robber until this hour; many are my evils, I confess, but I have in my mind a hidden faith, which no one knew, except the Master alone who suffers with me. From the outside, the Master holds the outward symbols of suffering; and I, he says, did not pay attention to the apparent insolence, but I glorify the hidden kingdom. So also you say: 'Lord, do not see my apparent injustices, but the hidden faith, and, Remember me, when you come in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42).
Christ, having said nothing to anyone, but being silent, neither answering Pilate nor any other ignorant person among the Jews, answers then; and since it was very heavy and absurd to remain s at last and says to the robber: 'Amen, amen, I say to you: today you will be with me in Paradise' (Luke 23:43). Oh, the goodness of the benefactor! Since I would ask for grace with delay, and you say, 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42).
Greek
καὶ ἕνα δοῦλον ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ καὶ θλίψεως καὶ φυγῆς, οὐκ ἀναχωροῦντα τοῦ ἰδίου δεσπότου· ἐκείνους δὲ τοὺς μυρίους δούλους ἐν τῷ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ καιρῷ καὶ τῆς φυγῆς καταλιπόντας τὸν δεσπότην καὶ ὑποχωρήσαντας· ἆρά γε οὗτοι οἱ δοῦλοι οἱ ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ τὸν δεσπότην ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ 59.552 πειρασμοῦ καταλιπόντες, ὅμοιοι εἶναι δύνανται τοῦ ἐν δυσπραγίᾳ τῷ δεσπότῃ ἀκολουθήσαντος; Οὐδαμῶς. Ἐπίστευσε Πέτρος, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν νεκροὺς ἐγείραντα, τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ θεασάμενος ἐπίστευσεν· ἐπίστευσε Παῦλος, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν φῶς οὐρανόθεν, καὶ τὰς μὲν σωματικὰς ὄψεις πηρώσαντα, τὰ δὲ ψυχικὰ ὄμματα φωτίσαντα· ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλὰ θεασάμενος ὄψιν θεϊκήν· Ἡσαΐας ἐπίστευσεν, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν αὐτὸν καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ, καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ. Ὅλοι εἶδον, ἀλλ' ἐν δόξῃ· οὗτος δὲ ἐν ὕβρει· διὸ καὶ ἔκραζε, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἀπὸ τῶν κατ' ἐμὲ ὀφείλετέ μοι εἰπεῖν· διὰ τί λέγεις; Ὅτι ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, καὶ φονεύς· λῃστὴς μέχρι τῆς ὥρας ταύτης· πολλά μου τὰ κακὰ, ὁμολογῶ, ἀλλ' ἔχω ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ μου πίστιν κεκρυμμένην, ἣν οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ∆εσπότης μόνος ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάσχων. Ἔξωθεν ἔχει ὁ ∆εσπότης τὰ τοῦ πάθους φαινόμενα σύμβολα· καὶ ἐγὼ, φησὶν, οὐ προσέσχον τῇ φαινομένῃ ὕβρει, ἀλλὰ τὴν κεκρυμμένην βασιλείαν δοξάζω. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ λέγε· Κύριε, μὴ ἴδῃς μου τὰς ἀδικίας τὰς φαινομένας, ἀλλὰ τὴν πίστιν τὴν κρυπτομένην, καὶ, Μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. ∆ιόλου μηδὲν μηδενὶ λαλήσας Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ σιωπήσας, καὶ μήτε τῷ Πιλάτῳ ἀποκριθεὶς, μήτε τινὶ ἄλλῃ ἀγνώμονι ψυχῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀποκρίνεται τότε· καὶ ἐπειδὴ πολὺ βαρὺ ἦν καὶ ἄτοπον τὸ σιωπᾷν, ἀποκρίνεται λοιπὸν, καὶ λέγει τῷ λῃστῇ· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν, λέγω σοι· σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ὢ τοῦ εὐεργέτου χάρις! ἐπειδὴ βραδεῖαν ᾐτήσω τὴν χάριν, καὶ λέγεις, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου.