Bede

And one of the scribes came up who had heard them disputing. And seeing that he had answered them well, he asked him which commandment was the first of all. Jesus answered him that the first of all commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. He says the first and greatest commandment is that before all things we each should place in our innermost heart, as the only foundation of piety. This he demonstrated more clearly in conclusion, when he said: There is no greater commandment than these. Therefore the first and greatest commandment is the acknowledgement and confession of divine unity along with the performance of good works. Good works are perfected in the love of God and neighbor. The Apostle commends this briefly in other words, saying: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but faith working through love (Galatians 5).

But Jesus, seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: You are not far from the kingdom of God. He was not far from the kingdom of God because he was shown to be a supporter of the precepts that are characteristic of the New Testament and evangelical perfection. Hence, it must be more carefully inquired how Matthew says that the scribe here or the doctor of the law (as he calls him) was testing the Lord, asking about the first or greatest commandment, whom, according to this evangelist, the Lord asserts is not far from the kingdom of God, whereas it is evident that those who seek wisdom through testing cannot find it, and therefore cannot approach the gate of the heavenly kingdom, which is revealed only to the wise. For Scripture says: "And seek him in the simplicity of heart, because he is found by those who do not test him" (Wisdom 1). Unless perhaps we say that he came indeed to test the Lord, but hearing His response, being corrected, soon returned to the grace of piety; and whom he previously thought was to be deceived by testing, he later recognized must be followed by embracing. Or certainly, let us not consider the very temptation to be evil, as if wanting to deceive an enemy, but rather cautious, as wanting to test more thoroughly someone unknown. For it is not written in vain: "He who easily believes will become less in heart" (Sirach 19).

(ubi sup.) But the putting own of His enemies by the Father, does not show the weakness of the Son, but the unity of nature, by which One works in the Other; for the Son also subjects the Father's enemies, because He glorifies His Father upon earth.

(ubi sup.) The question of Jesus is useful for us even now against the Jews; for they, acknowledging that Christ is to come, assert that He is a mere man, a holy Person descended from David. Let us then ask them, as our Lord has taught us, if He be a mere man, and only the son of David, how David in the Holy Spirit calls Him Lord. They are not however reproved for calling Him David's son, but for not believing Him to be the Son of God. It goes on, And the common people heard him gladly.

(ubi sup.) To walk in long clothing is to go forth into public clad in garments too much ornamented, in which amongst other things, that rich man, who fared sumptuously every day, is said to have sinned.

(ubi sup.) We must observe that He does not forbid that those, to whom it falls by the rule of their office, should be saluted in the marketplace, or have chief seats and places at feasts, but He teaches that those who love those things unduly, whether they have them or no, are to be avoided by the faithful as wicked men: that is, He blames the intention and not the office; although this too is culpable, that the very men who wish to be called masters of the synagogue in Moses' seat, should have to do with lawsuits in the marketplace. We are in two ways ordered to beware of those who are desirous of vain glory; first, we should not be seduced by their hypocrisy into thinking that what they do is good; nor secondly, should we be excited to imitate them, through a vain rejoicing in being praised for those virtues which they affect.

(ubi sup.) But they do not only seek for praise from men, but also for gain. Wherefore there follows, Which devour widows' houses, under the pretence of long prayers. For there are men who pretending to be just hesitate not to receive money from persons who are troubled in conscience, as though they would be their advocates in the judgment. A hand stretched out to the poor is always an accompaniment to prayer, but these men pass the night in prayer, that they may take away money from the poor.

And answering, Jesus, teaching in the temple, said: How do the scribes say that Christ is the Son of David? For he himself says in the Holy Spirit: The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies as a footstool for your feet. For David himself calls him Lord, and how is he his son? The questioning of Jesus benefits us even today against the Jews. For even those who confess that Christ is to come assert that he is a simple and holy man from the lineage of David. Therefore, let us question them, instructed by the Lord, if he is a simple man, and only a son of David, how does David call him his Lord, not with uncertain error, nor of his own will, but in the Holy Spirit. They are not reprehended for calling him David's son, but because they do not believe him to be the Son of God: indeed, he himself is both Lord of David, remaining God before the ages, and appeared as the son of David, being born as a man at the end of time. But the fact that enemies are subjected to him by the Father denotes not the weakness of the Son, but the unity of nature, because in one the other works. For the Son also subjects enemies to the Father, because he glorifies the Father on earth.

And he said to them in his teaching: Beware of the scribes who desire to walk in long robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and to sit in the first seats in the synagogues, and to have the first places at feasts. Walking in long robes signifies appearing in public adorned in more splendid garments, in which among other things, that rich man who feasted sumptuously every day is described as sinning. However, it should be noted that he does not forbid those to whom it is appropriate by order of office to be greeted in the marketplace, or to sit or recline in the first places, but he certainly teaches that those who love these things inappropriately, whether they possess them or not, should be avoided by the faithful as wicked, rebuking the disposition, not the rank, with just discernment. Although this too is not free from fault, if those who desire to be called teachers in the chair of Moses in the synagogue are also involved in lawsuits in the marketplace. We are certainly commanded to beware of those desiring vain glory for two reasons, believing that what they do is good and should be done, or we may be inflamed with emulation, rejoicing in vain to be praised for the good they feign.

Those who devour widows' houses under the pretense of long prayers will receive a harsher judgment. He did not merely say, "They will receive judgment," but added "harsher," to insinuate that those who stand praying in corners to be seen by people deserve condemnation. And those who engage in such practices more extensively, as though they were more religious, not only seeking praise from people but also money, are to be punished with a severer judgment. For there are those who, pretending to be righteous and of great merit before God, do not hesitate to take money from anyone of humble means and troubled by the awareness of their sins, as though they will act as their advocates in judgment. And while the outstretched hands of the poor typically bring aid through prayers, these individuals, mainly for the purpose of taking money from the poor, spend the night in prayer. To such individuals the curse of Judas fittingly applies: "When he is judged, let him come out condemned, and let his prayer become sin" (Psalm 108). When he is judged, he comes out condemned, and he takes his prayer into sin, as he, now held in high regard by humans, then finds himself not only incapable of interceding for others but also insufficient in his own merits before the divine judgment. In fact, he will bear the punishment for the very prayers by which he deceived human judgment.

And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and watched how the crowd put money into the treasury. Because in Greek speech φυλάττειν is said to mean "to guard," and "gaza" in the Persian language means "riches," the treasury is customarily called a place where riches are kept. By this name both the chest in which the people's donations were collected for the temple's necessities and the porticoes where they were kept were called. You have an example of the porticoes in the Gospel. Jesus, He said, spoke these words in the treasury, teaching in the temple (John 8). You have about the chest in the book of Kings: And Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord. And the priests that kept the door put all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord into it. And when they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's scribe and the high priest came up and tied up and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord (2 Kings 12). Therefore, the Lord, who warned that seekers of preeminence and vain glory should be avoided, who predicted with prolonged simulated prayers that judgment would be rendered, also judges those bringing gifts to the house of the Lord with a certain scrutiny, so that He may reward each according to their heart and deeds, because in the same manner the same internal judge always acts in the Church unceasingly.

(ubi sup.) The Lord, who had warned them to avoid the desire of high place and vain glory, now distinguishes by a sure test those who brought in gifts. Wherefore it is said, And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. In the Greek language, phylassein means to keep, and gaza is a Persian word for treasure; wherefore the word gazophylacium. which is here used means a place where riches are kept, which name also was applied to the chest in which the offerings of the people were collected, for the necessary uses of the temple, and to the porch in which they were kept. You have a notice of the porch in the Gospel, These words spake Jesus in the treasury as He taught in the temple; and of the chest in the book of Kings, But Jehoiada the priest took a chest. (John 8:20, 2 Kings 12:9)

(ubi sup.) Reckoners use the word 'quadrans' for the fourth part of any thing, be it place, money, or time. Perhaps then in this place is meant the fourth part of a shekel, that is, five pence. It goes on, And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: for God does not weigh the property but the conscience of those who offer; nor did He consider the smallness of the sum in her offering, but what was the store from which it came. Wherefore He adds, For all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

(ubi sup) Again, in an allegorical way, the rich men, who cast gifts into the treasury, point out the Jews puffed up with the righteousness of the law; the poor widow is the simplicity of the Church: poor indeed, because she has cast away the spirit of pride and of the desires of worldly things; and a widow, because Jesus her husband has suffered death for her. She casts two mites into the treasury, because she brings the love of God and of her neighbour, or the gifts of faith and prayer; which are looked upon as mites in their own insignificance, but measured by the merit of a devout intention are superior to all the proud works of the Jews. The Jew sends of his abundance into the treasury, because he presumes on his own righteousness; but the Church sends her whole living into God's treasury, because she understands that even her very living is not of her own desert, but of Divine grace.

And he called his disciples and said to them: Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. This place morally indeed suggests to us that anything we offer with a good intention is acceptable to God, who values not the substance of the offerings, but the conscience; he does not consider how much is in the sacrifice, but from how much it is given. According to the rules of allegory, the rich who were putting gifts into the treasury represent the Jews proud of the righteousness of the law, whereas the poor widow signifies the simplicity of the Church. She is rightly called poor, because she has cast away either the spirit of pride or the desires for temporal things, as if they were the riches of the world. She is called a widow because her husband endured death for her, and now, hidden from her eyes in the recesses of heaven, lives as if in another part of the region. She puts two mites into the treasury, because into the sight of the Divine Majesty, where the offerings of our devout works, as if written and inscribed in a definite number, are kept, she brings either love of God and neighbor or the gifts of her faith and prayer. These, considered small due to her own frailty, but accepted because of the merit of pious intention, surpass all the works of the proud Jews.

(in Marc. lib. iv. 42) Because after the founding of the Church of Christ, Judæa was to be punished for her treachery, the Lord fitly, after praising the devotedness of the Church in the person of the poor widow, goes out of the temple, and foretold its coming ruin, and the contempt in which the buildings now so wonderful were soon to be held, wherefore it is said, And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!

(ubi sup.) But it was ordered by Divine power that after that the grace of the faith of the Gospel was made known through the world, the temple itself with its ceremonies should be taken away; lest perchance some one weak in the faith, if he saw that these things which had been instituted by God still remained, might by degrees drop from the sincerity of the faith, which is in Christ Jesus, into carnal Judaism.

(ubi sup.) Again, when the Lord left the temple, all the edifice of the law and the framework of the commandments were destroyed, so that nothing could be filled up by the Jews; and now that the head has been taken away, all the limbs fight one against the other.

And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Teacher, behold what manner of stones and what buildings are here. And Jesus answering said to him: Do you see all these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. According to history, the meaning is clear. However, as the Lord departed from the temple, all the structures of the law and the composition of the commandments were so destroyed that nothing could be fulfilled by the Jews; and with the head removed, all the members clashed among themselves. And because, with faith established among the Gentiles and the Church of Christ, Judea was about to bear the worthy punishments for its perfidy, it was fitting for the Lord, after praising the devotion of the Church in the poor widow, to leave the temple, and to predict its future ruin and that the buildings then admired would soon be leveled. Divinely, it was arranged that, with the grace of the evangelical faith revealed throughout the world, the temple itself, once august with its ceremonies, would be removed, lest anyone still young and suckling in the faith, seeing those things which were made by the holy prophets and instituted by the Lord remaining, might wonder at the secular sanctity and gradually slip from the sincerity of the faith which is in Christ Jesus into carnal Judaism. Therefore, God, providing for our infirmity and desiring his Church to multiply, caused all those things to be overturned and utterly removed, so that with the shadow and type ceasing, the truth now declared throughout the world might hold the greater palm.

And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately. Tell us when these things will be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? Because as some were praising the buildings of the temple, the Lord openly responded that all these would be destroyed. The disciples secretly inquired about the time and signs of the foretold destruction. The Lord sits on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, discussing the ruin of the temple and the destruction of the nation, so that even in the very position of his body he aligns with the words he speaks, mystically indicating that while resting in the holy, he detests the madness of the proud. For who does not see that the Mount of Olives signifies the fruitful height of the holy Church, which the Lord always delights to dwell in? For truly, that mountain was known not for having unfruitful trees and a barren forest, but for producing olives, which provide light to dispel the shadows of the night, cures for infirmities, and rest for the weary. All of which particularly happen in the Church, as it itself says: But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever (Psalm 52).

(ubi sup.) Because the Lord, when some were praising the buildings of the temple, had plainly answered that all these were to be destroyed, the disciples privately enquired about the time and the signs of the destruction which was foretold; wherefore it is said: And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled. The Lord sits upon the mount of Olives, over against the temple, when He discourses upon the ruin and destruction of the temple, so that even His bodily position may be in accordance with the words which He speaks, pointing out mystically that, abiding in peace with the saints, He hates the madness of the proud. For the mount of Olives marks the fruitful sublimity of the Holy Church.

(ubi sup.) For many came forward, when destruction was hanging over Jerusalem, saying that they were Christs, and that the time of freedom was now approaching. Many teachers of heresy also arose in the Church even in the time of the Apostles; and many Antichrists came in the name of Christ, the first of whom was Simon Magus, to whom the Samaritans, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, listened, saying, This man is the great power of God: wherefore also it is added here, And shall deceive many. (Acts 8:10) Now from the time of the Passion of our Lord there ceased not amongst the Jewish people, who chose the seditious robber and rejected Christ the Saviour, either external wars or civil discord; wherefore it goes on: And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled. And when these come, the Apostles are warned not to be afraid, or to leave Jerusalem and Judæa, because the end was not to come at once, nay was to be put off for forty years. And this is what is added: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet, that is, the desolation of the province, and the last destruction of the city and temple. It goes on: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

(ubi sup.) Now it is on record that this literally took place at the time of the Jewish rebellion. But kingdom against kingdom, the pestilence of those whose word spreads as a canker, dearth of the word of God, the commotion of the whole earth, and the separation from the true faith, may all rather be understood of heretics who, by fighting one against the other, bring about the triumph of the Church.