The Purpose of Christ's Ministry

He brought forward: 'You cannot serve God and mammon,' (Mt 6:24) showing throughout that his aim was to turn those listening away from the care regarding present things. For this one enjoys the kingdom of the heavens, whoever shows the belonging of the works, teaching and doing these things, which he himself also handed over to men while present (Mt 7:21).

Just as then, for a comparison with the perishing ones, the few were the ones being saved, so understand for me that the being-saved ones are many in comparison with the perishing few now (Mt 8:11–12). For if we do not defile ourselves regarding the bodies of the suffering, it was indeed fitting to do all things for the sake of those whose souls are badly disposed, so that he might be able to have these in the best state (Mt 9:12–13). And it was necessary for you, he says, to learn from the divine scripture, how pity for the neighbor is preferable to every sacrifice. Is it just to pity some of these, who, not having the souls most beautifully, need correction so that they might have them better? So for me too, he says, the aim of the presence is not that I might benefit men being righteous (for they would not even have needed such a thing, being righteous in manner), but that those lying badly in many sins might be transferred by a proper grace toward the better; for those who are strong, he says, have no need of a physician, but those who are doing badly.

See, he says, how great is the provision of the believing ones, whereas those teaching them what is fitting are not, so that I must endure so much labor from here to follow me (Mt 9:37–38). Calling them therefore reapers, showing that even the things having happened through the prophets happened through his own power and provision, and that before prophets and apostles he himself is Lord and Creator of all men, and upon his own seed, not upon another's, he sends and dispatches the disciples. You received free, give free (Mt 10:8).

Regarding those who devour the houses of the widows (Mt 10:33), he warns against imitating the Pharisees, teaching a new way of introducing the pure and the disinterested, and showing the imitation in the thing itself; for just as those who received gifts from him for free, he commands to give for free. Therefore, do not be anxious to take neither gold nor silver nor bronze because of the way, he says, for need, but I want you to not even have a purse, so as to show to all by the form how much you have turned away from the desire of wealth.

Having armed them sufficiently against insults, but also having trained them bravely to bear the three sufferings, because the disposition of kinship was extremely prone to undermining the calculation, being sufficient (for who could easily avoid having enmity toward those most intimate?), he says well, 'do not think so' (Mt 10:34); for I want you to be so turned away from regarding physical kinship, that they might know even more that my preaching will cause much division among the kin; for those who having seen once that which is toward piety, I want to place all and the nearest as kinship in the second place.

How is it possible? (Mt 12:30), he says, for me to be joined with the demons thus clearly, while I am doing the opposite to them and they are all doing the opposite with skill? For I and all mine strive to lift up everyone to God, and you would want the assembly of the kin to do this, but they have strived to take away everyone. Because Beelzebub is evil, and the things happening from me have immeasurable goodness, the things from you are discordant (Mt 12:33); for neither can the evil one do anything good, nor the good one evil, just as even the trees do not bear fruits unlike themselves.

As if, having been persuaded by them through miracles (Mt 12:38) and thus having been given the law such a thing, they want to do the same, so that they might be changed in their mind, if they would do this. After the spreading of Christianity and when it already begins to appear throughout the inhabited world (Mt 13:24–30), heresies will be revealed, turning away.