Mateus 6
Philoxenus of Mabbug
Mateus 6:19-20
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where the moth and the rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where the moth and the rust do not corrupt, and where thieves break not through nor steal." And it is evident that this commandment is not applicable to solitaries and to those who are perfect, for how could "Lay not up for thyself treasure upon earth" be said to him to whom it was commanded, "Take no thought for the morrow?" And how could the words, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven of your alms," apply to the man to whom it was said, "Thou shalt not possess two coats, nor wallet, nor cloak, nor money in the wallet." And what hath the thief who stealeth, or the moth which destroyeth to do with him to whom it is commanded that, save himself, he should possess nothing? — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 8 -- First Discourse on Poverty
Mateus 6:24
Whosoever hath riches must perforce meditate thereupon, and whosoever meditateth upon riches cannot meditate upon God, and if on an occasion the remembrance of God rise up in him, it is not lasting; for it is not possible that he should remember God when he is meditating upon his possessions, or if he imagine that he doth remember Him, the remembrance is borrowed and is not true, for it is not possible that these two remembrances should dwell together at one time in the soul, and if they dwell therein one of them must necessarily be borrowed, and the other be true. And if a man think truly that he meditateth upon God while he hath in his mind the anxious care of riches, he doeth it not with all the might of his soul, which it is seemly to us to give wholly to God; for we are obliged to serve God not with one of our members, and the world with another, and to meditate upon Him at one time, and upon mammon at another, but it is right that we should give all our might to the service of the commandments, and that always the seasons may be helpful to us to remember Him, that we may become temples to Him alone, having poured out from us every meditation of the mind which is outside Him. And that man is not able to serve God worthily while he is in the world, and while he is a possessor of riches, and the owner of wealth, the word of our Redeemer Himself testifieth, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon"; and forthwith the hearer thought that henceforth the door of righteousness was shut in the face of all the children of men, for they cannot be wholly free from the care of riches, and according to the decision of the word of Christ, whosoever careth for it cannot care for God. And it is necessary for us to understand the word as it was spoken, for according to the rule of those who are perfect, the man who careth for riches cannot care for God; but a man, being a possessor of wealth, is able to be justified by that other measure of righteousness which is worked in the world, if it be that he is not a servant who worshippeth his riches, but a master of the things which he possesseth. Some men are slaves of their possessions, and some are masters of their wealth, and one man is worshipped by his possessions, and another man worshippeth them. Now the word of our Lord was spoken concerning the man who is a slave of his possessions, and who is not able to be a servant of God; "For ye cannot serve two masters." Thou seest that He shewed two masters in His discourse, and that in explaining who these were, He said, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Behold then, whosoever hath made mammon his master cannot serve God, but he serveth that master whom he hath chosen of his own freewill, his service being especially dear unto him, and his dominion over him being beloved by him, because he hath become subject unto him of his own freewill. For the children of men are wont to love exceedingly that which they have chosen of their own freewill, and they love it much more than Him Who perforce and naturally is Master over them. And behold, if there were a few men who have pleased, or who please God, it is because they were and are masters of their wealth, and they sent it forth to do everything like a slave and subject, sometimes to feed the hungry, sometimes to clothe the naked, sometimes to redeem the captive, sometimes to pay vows and offerings unto God, and sometimes to free those who were in the bondage of debts; and wheresoever the will desired to rule over it, there it sent it like a servant, even as did Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Job, and Joseph, and David, and Hezekiah. And of these men some were rich, and some were princes, and some were kings, and collectively they all were owners of great possessions and wealth; but they were masters of their riches, and their riches were not masters of them, their riches worked for them in all the good things which they wished to do, and they did not serve them in all the wickedness which mammon demanded. Now there are distinctions between the commandments, and it must be understood to whom each was spoken. For this commandment, "Ye cannot serve two masters----God and mammon," must, according to the meaning of the passage, have been spoken to those who wished to be righteous while they were still in the world, and He advised and admonished them that because they had ceased from the path of perfection they should not become wholly and entirely servants of mammon, and forsake the dominion of God which was naturally set over their lives. — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 8 -- First Discourse on Poverty
Mateus 6:24
So therefore the words, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon," are a command to those who have possessions, for because the Teacher saw that they could not rise up to the grade of perfection, He brought Himself down in His speech to their level, and He ordained for them a law which was suitable to the position in which they stood, and said, "Since it is impossible for thee to be destitute, thou shalt not become a slave to thy wealth, and serve it like one subject thereto, but thou shalt be unto it a master in the ministration of all good things. For when it is thy master, whithersoever it wisheth it sendeth thee, at one time to plunder, at another to thieve, and at another to bear false witness, at another to oppress and to despoil, at another to swear false oaths, and sometimes it sendeth thee even to commit murder, and also to the participation with devils, and it omitteth no one of these wicked things which it will command thee to do so long as it is thy lord, and thou art its servant. And as, if thou be its master, it sendeth thee to do all good things, so also if it be thy master it sendeth thee to do all wickedness." For it is the law that a master should give the command, and that the servant should be commanded, and so long as a man is the master he giveth the command, and so long as he is a servant he is commanded. And Jesus the Teacher did not lay a heavy command upon those who had possessions when He commanded them to be masters of their riches, but only that which they themselves should have desired, and because they did not know how to obtain it, He taught them in this manner. Now to those who desired to become masters of riches, and who had obtained them and they had turned and become their master, Jesus taught the knowledge of that thing which they desired; these then, Jesus commanded to be masters of their riches, and not to be servants thereof, while those who were perfect He commanded to be not even masters, and He counselled them not to humble themselves to be masters of dumb possessions. — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 8 -- First Discourse on Poverty
Mateus 6:24
One man Jesus commanded, saying, "Be not a servant of riches," and to another He ordained the law, "Be not even a master of wealth"; to one He said, "It is a disgrace to thy freedom that thou shouldst be subject unto gold," and to the other He said, "It is a contemptible thing for thy mastership to rule over natural things, for thou art humbled to the possessions which are the shells of natural things." For to him who had forsaken mastership over everything, and had been caught fast by the desire of little wealth, He said, "Possess, only when thou hast become possessor of thy possession, let it not happen that thy possession possess thee"; but the other whom He saw had been exalted from being a servant to wealth, He raised up to a higher grade than this, and said, "Be not a master unto it." For as it is a disgrace to him that wisheth to be master of his possessions to become a servant thereto, even so is it a disgrace also to him that hath been freed from the bondage of wealth, that there should be found with him the mastership of wealth. The poor man possesseth the things of poverty, and the rich man the great and glorious things of wealth; now therefore since those which have possessions are poor, they possess poverty, which is riches and temporal possessions, but the destitute are rich, and it would be a disgrace to that excellent name if it became the possessor of the things of poverty, gold, and silver, and raiment, and if it exchanged the riches of eternity for the poverty of time, and heavenly possessions for human mammon. And that thou mightest not serve mammon our Lord said unto him that loved mammon, "Be thou its master, and let it be to thee a slave." It appeareth therefore that Jesus gave this commandment to those who were rich, but to all the others who wished to walk in the lofty path of perfection He said, "Possess not gold, nor silver, nor money in your wallets, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor staff, for the labourer is worthy of his food." — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 8 -- First Discourse on Poverty
Mateus 6:24
Take heed that thy discipleship be not unto thee for trafficking and for buying and selling, and do not place upon thyself the noble garb of discipleship, neither for vainglory, nor for the pleasures which pass away. Thou shalt not sell spiritual for carnal things, and thou shalt not exchange heavenly things for the corruptible treasures which are laid up on earth; to Him only to Whom thou wast promised by thy covenant be thou a disciple. For God taught thee of old, and He removed from before thy sight this deceitful expectation, saying, "A servant cannot serve two masters," and again by another testimony He warned thee if thou couldst not become a perfect disciple to remain in the life of the world, and it is better for thee, lest when thou hast begun to build, thou art not able to finish, and thou becomest a mockery unto every man. — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty
Mateus 6:24
Our Redeemer said in His Gospel, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon," and if in our subjection unto one lord—that is to say, unto mammon only—we are not able to serve also God therewith, how, when the masters who have brought us into subjection are many, and each one of them leadeth us forcibly after his own will, can we serve God, Who will not accept from man the service of any other thing together with His own service? What then? And if each one of all these sins, which collectively are contrary to the righteousness of God, is a drawback to its fellow in the service of Him, how can the service of them collectively avoid being a hindrance to the keeping of the commandments of God? For they are different from one another in their actions, and the Will of God is contrary unto them all, and especially unto this lust of greediness, through which all other lusts are brought in and enter in. — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 10 -- On Gluttony
Mateus 6:24
For if we are not able to serve at one time both God and mammon, according to the word of Christ, it is evident that we cannot serve both the belly and God, for it also was called "god" after the manner of mammon, and as Jesus called mammon "master," even so also did His Apostle call the belly god in the words, "Whose god is their belly, and whose glory their shame." And the word of God mocketh those who lay fast hold upon their art, who have hired themselves unto Christ for their belly's sake and not because of love for Him, even as there are also today many who are clothed with the precious garb of discipleship, and who feign to be teachers and good servants of God, not for love's sake, nor through discretion and fear, but only that they may minister unto their belly, which they have made a god unto themselves, and unto which they minister. — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 10 -- On Gluttony
Mateus 6:34
Let us then be strong in the war against this evil lust which although it be a good thing when coupled with marriage in the world, is accounted a vice if it be wrought by disciples; for not every thing is good for every man, even though it be very fair and good in its nature, for riches in the nature of their creation by their Maker are good, but if solitaries, who are commanded not to have two tunics, and not to take care for the morrow, acquire them, the possession thereof to them is a vice. And the eating of flesh and the drinking of wine is pure unto those who devote themselves unto the life of the world, but for those who of their own will have given themselves unto the maintenance of the election of the discipleship of Christ, it is not right to make use of things, except for necessity's sake. And, moreover, good and fair also are the powers and dominions of this world, for it is written, "There is no dominion which is not from God", but for those who have separated themselves from human habitation, and have promised to do great and sublime things, to desire human grades of honour is a subject for rebuke and reproach. And dwelling in cities and villages, and the habitation in the world, and life and intercourse among the children of men are not blameworthy, but for those who have become destitute for the love of God, and who have once cast off the world of their own free-will, and have gone forth to become solitaries and ascetics outside it, the dwelling among and intercourse with the children of men are unto them subjects for reprehension and blame; and there are many things like these, the doing of which is blameless unto those who have not already bound themselves by a covenant against them, but if they be done by those who have promised to abstain from them they are blameworthy. — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 12 -- First Discourse on Fornication