John Chrysostom

So whom should we cite in discoursing on clemency? Who else than the one receiving testimony from on high and especially remarkable in this case? “I found in David, son of Jesse,” Scripture says, remember, “a man after my own heart.” Now, when God gives his opinion, there are no grounds left for opposition: that verdict is proof against corruption, God judging not from favor or from hatred but making his decision on the mere virtue of the soul. It is not for this reason alone, however, that we cite him, that he received the verdict from God, but also because he is one of those nourished in the old dispensation. You see, while there is nothing remarkable for anyone in the ages of grace to be found free of resentment, forgiving enemies their sins and sparing abusers—that is, after the death of Christ, after such wonderful forgiveness of sins, after the directives redolent of sound values—in the old dispensation, by contrast, when the law permitted an eye to be plucked out for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and vengeance to be taken on the wrongdoer in equal terms, who amongst the listeners is not struck by someone found to surpass the norm of the commandments and attain to New Testament values?

If you don’t mind, however, let us refer to a theme in our preaching earlier, so that by bringing the whole story to mind we may learn that nothing is stronger than the person protected by help from on high, and nothing is more vulnerable than the person deprived of this help, surrounded though he may be with countless armies. So this man David, quite young though he was and living in his father’s house on account of his immaturity, heard the call of destiny for his virtue to become conspicuous; he was urged by his father to observe his brothers; he obeyed and was sent off to them. So, after coming on the scene to observe them, he saw the battle line drawn against the foreigner Goliath and the whole people of Saul’s company withdrawing in fright and the king himself placed in particular danger. For a while he was happy to be an onlooker and went to see the strange and unusual sight of one person pitted against so many thousands. But his brothers could not tolerate the manliness of his bearing; they were moved to hatred and said to him, “Have you come for no other reason than to see the war.” You haven’t really come to observe us.Notice, however, his good sense and great restraint. Instead of saying anything rash to them, anything harsh, he extinguished the flame of their hatred; he mollified their hatred by saying, “Isn’t it only a word?” I mean, surely you haven’t observed me taking position in the ranks? I simply wanted to watch and find out the source of this man’s extraordinary frenzy. “After all, who is this foreigner who reproaches the ranks of the living God?” Then, on hearing the man’s awful arrogance and the unspeakable cowardice of those who had gone with Saul, he said, “What will be given to the man who cuts off his head?” He showed great boldness of spirit through these words and caused amazement in every one. Realizing this, Saul sent for the young man, who had experience of nothing other than shepherding, and when he saw his age he made fun of him. Then he learned from him how he dealt with bears when they raided his flocks; you see, this remarkable young man was obliged to describe this, not out of a wish to blow his own trumpet but because he had no choice if the king was to be inspired with courage and to have regard not for the poor impression he gave but for the faith concealed within him and the assistance from on high that made the young man stronger than the grown-ups, the unarmed stronger than the armed men, the shepherd than the soldiers.

For envy is a fearful, a fearful thing, and persuades people to despise their own salvation. In this way did both Cain destroy himself, and again, before his time, the devil who was the destroyer of his father. So did Saul invite an evil demon against his own soul; yet when invited, he soon envied his physician. For such is the nature of envy; he knew that he was saved, yet he would rather have perished than see him that saved him have honor. What can be more grievous than this passion? One cannot err in calling it the devil’s offspring. And in it is contained the fruit of vainglory, or rather its root also, for both these evils are apt mutually to produce each other. And thus in truth it was that Saul even thus envied, when they said, “David smote by ten thousands.” What could be more senseless? For why do you envy? Tell me! “Because such a one praised him”? Yet surely you ought to rejoice. Besides, you do not know even whether the praise is true. And do you therefore grieve because without being admirable he has been praised as such? And yet you ought to feel pity. For if he is good, you ought not to envy him when praised, but you should praise along with those that speak well of him; but if not such, why are you galled?

As for Saul, he hated and abhorred David so much after the countless good services which he had done, after his brilliant triumphs, and the salvation which he had wrought in the matter of Goliath, that Saul could not bear to mention him by his own name but called him after his father. For once when a festival was at hand, and Saul, having devised some treachery against him and contrived a cruel plot, did not see him arrive—“where,” said he, “is the son of Jesse?” He called him by his father’s name because he thought to damage the distinguished position of that righteous man by a reference to his low birth—a miserable and despicable thought. For certainly, even if he had some accusation to bring against the father this could in no way injure David. For each man is answerable for his own deeds, and by these he can be praised and accused. But, as it was, not having any evil deed to mention, Saul brought forward his low birth, expecting by this means to throw his glory into the shade, which in fact was the height of folly. For what kind of offence is it to be the child of insignificant and humble parents? Saul, however, did not understand true wisdom in these things.

For love “does nothing unseemly,” but as it were with certain golden wings covers up all the offenses of the beloved. Thus also Jonathan loved David and heard the scorn of his father as one … “who has nothing of a man, but lives to the shame of himself and the mother who bore you.” What then? Did he grieve at these things, and hide his face and turn away from his beloved [David]? No, quite the contrary; he displayed his fondness as an ornament. And yet the one was at that time a king, and a king’s son, even Jonathan; the other a fugitive and a wanderer, David. But not even in this circumstance was he ashamed of his friendship. “For love does not act inappropriately.” This is its remarkable quality that it not only does not suffer the injured to grieve and feel irritated but even disposes him to rejoice. Accordingly, the one of whom we are speaking, after all these things, just as though he had a crown put on him, went away and fell on David’s neck. For love does not know what sort of thing shame is. Therefore it glories in those things for which another hides his face. The shame is in “not knowing how to love” rather than “incurring danger and enduring all for the beloved” when you do love.

What then did Saul say? Having heard David saying, “See, here is the corner of your cloak in my hand,” and everything else by which he mounted his defense along with this, he said, “Is this your voice, my child David?” O, what a great change had suddenly taken place: the one who could never bear even to call him by name, and instead hated the very mention of it, even admitted him to kinship, calling him “child.” What could be more blessed than David, who turned the murderer into a father, the wolf into a lamb, who filled the furnace of anger with heavy dew, turned the tempest into tranquility and allayed all the inflammation of resentment? Those words of David, you see, penetrated the mind of that enraged man and effected this total transformation, as you can see from those words. He did not even say, “Are these your words, my son David?” but “Is this your voice, my child David?” He was now heartened by his very utterance. Just as a father hears the voice of his son returning from somewhere and is excited not only at the sight of him but also at the sound of his voice, so Saul too, when David’s words penetrated and drove out the hostility, now recognized him as holy, and in setting aside one passion he was affected by another. That is to say, by driving out resentment he was affected by benevolence and fellow feeling.

"Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the Church of the Thessalonians." Here he gives himself no title-not "an Apostle," not "a Servant"; I suppose, because the men were newly instructed, and had not yet had any experience of him, he does not apply the title; and it was as yet the beginning of his preaching to them.

"To the Church of the Thessalonians," he says. And well. For it is probable there were few, and they not yet formed into a body; on this account he consoles them with the name of the Church. For where much time had passed, and the congregation of the Church was large, he does not apply this term. But-because the name of the Church is for the most part a name of multitude, and of a system now compacted, on this account he calls them by that name.

"In God the Father," he says, "and the Lord Jesus Christ." "Unto the Church of the Thessalonians," he says, "which is in God." Behold again the expression, "in," applied both to the Father and to the Son. For there were many assemblies, both Jewish and Grecian; but he says, "to the (Church) that is in God." It is a great dignity, and to which there is nothing equal, that it is "in God." God grant therefore that this Church may be so addressed! But I fear that it is far from that appellation. For if any one were the servant of sin, he cannot be said to be "in God." If any one walks not according to God, he cannot be said to be "in God."

"Remembering without ceasing," he says, "your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father." What is remembering without ceasing? Either remembering before God and the Father, or remembering your labor of love that is before God and the Father, or simply, "Remembering you without ceasing." Then again, that you may not think that this "remembering you without ceasing" is said simply, he has added, "before our God and Father." And because no one amongst men was praising their actions, no one giving them any reward, he says this, "You labor before God." What is "the work of faith"? That nothing has turned aside your steadfastness. For this is the work of faith. If thou believest, suffer all things; if thou dost not suffer, thou dost not believe. For are not the things promised such, that he who believes would choose to suffer even ten thousand deaths? The kingdom of heaven is set before him, and immortality, and eternal life. He therefore who believes will suffer all things. Faith then is shown through his works. Justly might one have said, not merely did you believe, but through your works you manifested it, through your steadfastness, through your zeal.

And your labor "of love." Why? what labor is it to love? Merely to love is no labor at all. But to love genuinely is great labor. For tell me, when a thousand things are stirred up that would draw us from love, and we hold out against them all, is it not labor? For what did not these men suffer, that they might not revolt from their love? Did not they that warred against the Preaching go to Paul's host, and not having found him, drag Jason before the rulers of the city? (Acts xvii. 5, 6) Tell me, is this a slight labor, when the seed had not yet taken root, to endure so great a storm, so many trials? And they demanded security of him. And having given security, he says, Jason sent away Paul. Is this a small thing, tell me? Did not Jason expose himself to danger for him? and this he calls a labor of love, because they were thus bound to him.

And observe: first he mentions their good actions, then his own, that he may not seem to boast, nor yet to love them by anticipation. "And patience," he says. For that persecution was not confined to one time, but was continual, and they warred not only with Paul, the teacher, but with his disciples also. For if they were thus affected towards those who wrought miracles, those venerable men; what think you were their feelings towards those who dwelt among them, their fellow-citizens, who had all of a sudden revolted from them? Wherefore this also he testifies of them, saying, "For ye became imitators of the Churches of God which are in Judaea."

"And of hope," he says, "in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father." For all these things proceed from faith and hope, so that what happened to them showed not their fortitude only, but that they believed with full assurance in the rewards laid up for them. For on this account God permitted that persecutions should arise immediately, that no one might say, that the Preaching was established lightly or by flattery, and that their fervor might be shown, and that it was not human persuasion, but the power of God, that persuaded the souls of the believers, so that they were prepared even for ten thousand deaths, which would not have been the case, if the Preaching had not immediately been deeply fixed and remained unshaken.

"Knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election, how that our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; even as ye know what manner of men we showed ourselves among you for your sake."

Knowing what? How "we showed ourselves among you"? Here he also touches upon his own good actions, but covertly. For he wishes first to enlarge upon their praises, and what he says is something of this sort. I knew that you were men of great and noble sort, that you were of the Elect. For this reason we also endure all things for your sake. For this, "what manner of men we showed ourselves among you," is the expression of one showing that with much zeal and much vehemence we were ready to give up our lives for your sake; and for this thanks are due not to us, but to you, because ye were elect. On this account also he says elsewhere, "And these things I endure for the Elect's sake." (2 Tim. ii. 10) For what would not one endure for the sake of God's beloved ones? And having spoken of his own part, he all but says, For if you were both beloved and elect, we suffer all things with reason. For not only did his praise of them confirm them, but his reminding them that they too themselves had displayed a fortitude corresponding to their zeal.