Zacarias 1
John Chrysostom · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Zacarias 1:3
Indeed, God is good to everyone, but he shows his patient endurance especially to those who sin. And if you want to hear a paradoxical statement—paradoxical because it is not customary, but true for the great piety it reveals—listen. God always seems to be severe to the righteous but good to sinners and quick to clemency. He restores the one who sinned and fell and tells him, "Shall not he who falls arise; or he that turns away, shall he not turn back again?" And "Why did that stupid daughter of Judah turn away with a shameless revolting?" And again, "Return to me, and I will return to you." Elsewhere he assures with an oath the salvation from repentance by much clemency. " 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'I do not desire the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his way and live.' " To the righteous he says, "If a man achieves every righteousness and truth and later turns from his way and sins, I will not remember his righteousness, but he will die in his sin." O such strictness toward the righteous! O such abundant forgiveness toward the sinner! He finds so many different means, without himself changing, to keep the righteous in check and forgive the sinner, by usefully dividing his rich goodness. — HOMILIES ON REPENTANCE AND ALMSGIVING 7:5
Zacarias 1:11
"And the devil came with them." What are you saying? "With the angels?" He who rebelled, who dishonored himself? Do not worry, my dear; this is an image, a figure. It is like another passage in the [First] Book of Kings, where it is said, "And there came forth an evil spirit, and the Lord said, 'Who will deceive Ahab?' " And the spirit responded: "I will deceive him," and he indicates it in such a way. The Scripture often takes on an anthropomorphic character.… The angels came, according to the text, and the devil came with them having compassed the earth and walked around in the subcelestial regions. What do we understand by that? That the earth is filled with demons and angels, and that both are under the power of God; and that the angels present themselves before God, from whom they receive orders; and that the devil can do nothing to please himself, if he has not received permission for it from above. For if he has totally rejected the bridle and is no longer in service to God, he is not in the least held back by fear as by a bit which restrains him from using his own power. But note this: whereas the angels present themselves as servants who render an account to him of their doings, as one can see in Zechariah, the devil has nothing to say to him. Consequently the expression "he came with them" means nothing else but that he too is dependent on God.… What does the expression therefore signify? It signifies that he is with them in the world. In the same way as deceitful people and good people are mixed, so are the angels and the demons. — COMMENTARY ON JOB 1