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Explanation for:
Matthew
8
:
11
And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven:
12
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Given that the God of Abraham, the Maker of the heavens, is identified as the Father of Christ, it follows that Abraham resides in the heavenly kingdom, alongside the nations that place their trust in Christ, the Son of the Creator. This reinforces the idea previously expressed, namely that the benefit for the Gentiles is found in the faith of the centurion, as this signifies the nations from both the east and the west who will come to believe."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Christ not only praised the centurion verbally but also honored his faith by healing the sick man and bestowing upon him a radiant crown as well as promising him tremendous blessings. When the centurion demonstrated profound faith and humility, Christ granted him eternal life while also restoring the health of his servant. This act of grace went beyond simply healing; it was a testament to his entrance into the heavenly kingdom, contrasting with those being excluded from it. Thus, Christ reveals to all that redemption comes through faith, not adherence to the law. This precious gift will be extended not just to the Jewish people, but also to the Gentiles, with the latter receiving it even more abundantly. He adds, \\"Do not think that this was limited to the centurion; this applies universally.\\" Here, He speaks prophetically regarding the Gentiles, offering them a hopeful promise. Among His followers were also Gentiles from Galilee. He shared this message to lift the despair of the Gentiles while gently addressing the Jewish pride. To avoid challenging His audience overtly, He referenced the Gentiles later in His message, after the centurion had instigated it, and did so indirectly. Instead of stating, “Many of the Gentiles,” He said, “Many from the east and west,” implicitly referring to them. This approach prevented offense, as the implication was subtle. Furthermore, to ease any unease about the novelty of His teaching, He spoke of the bosom of Abraham instead of the kingdom, a term unfamiliar to them, which simultaneously reminded them of Abraham in a way that might provoke discomfort. Initially, John did not mention Gehenna; rather, he pointedly warned, “Do not begin to say, ‘We are children of Abraham’” (Matthew 3:9). Christ's intention was also to ensure He did not appear to refute the longstanding traditions. Whoever admires the patriarchs and regards their legacy as the inheritance of the righteous negates any doubts about this. Therefore, it should not be assumed that there is only a singular warning here."},{"author-name":"Isidore of Pelusium","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88d94130e668938c9ae9d_Isidore%20of%20Pelusium.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"The Lord challenges the ungrateful Jewish people, who resist the proclamation of the Gospel, declaring that many will arise from the east and west to join Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their ancestors, in the heavenly kingdom (Matthew 8:11). Through this, He establishes the foundation of grace upon the law, draws parallels between the people of God and the patriarchs, highlights the relationship between the law and the Gospel, and indicates that those who are adept in both will receive honor through an invitation. In contrast, those who are inflated by their own heritage and lacking in virtue, while claiming to be sons of the kingdom, will find themselves in eternal suffering."},{"author-name":"Augustine of Hippo","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88950a5c988a4fc06c7ae_Augustine%20of%20Hippo.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"Behold, what you have received from the Gospel regarding the future is already unfolding. Therefore, I tell you, due to the admirable faith of the centurion, who, though a foreigner by birth, is aligned in spirit. It is remarked that many will arrive from the east and the west. Not all, but many indeed. Ultimately, the phrase referring to the east and west encompasses the entirety of the world. Many shall come from these directions and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness. The sons of the kingdom refer to the Jews. Why are they termed the sons of the kingdom? Because they were entrusted with the law, received prophets sent to them, possessed a Temple and priesthood, and observed the foreshadowing of all that was to come. Despite celebrating these foreshadowings, they failed to recognize His arrival. Thus, Christ states that the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We witness the rejection of the Jewish people alongside the call of Christians from east and west to partake in a heavenly banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, where the bread symbolizes righteousness and the drink embodies wisdom."},{"author-name":"Isaac the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88d787dfcb52d241ef899_Isaac%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":6,"exegesis-text":"If this is indeed true, what could be more illogical than the statement: ‘I am content to avoid hell, but I have no desire to enter the Kingdom’? To flee from hell is equivalent to entering the Kingdom; similarly, to be excluded from the Kingdom means one enters hell. Scripture does not present us with three realms; rather, it states: When the Son of Man comes in His glory, He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left (Matthew 25:31, 33). He identifies only two groups, one on His right and the other on His left. He distinguishes the outcomes of their respective destinations, proclaiming: And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matthew 25:46) will shine like the sun (Matthew 13:43). Furthermore, it is said: they will come from the east and the west and will recline at the table with Abraham in the kingdom of heaven; while the children of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:11, 12), which is more dreadful than any flame. Do you not see that the condition opposite to the highest joy is the most agonizing hell?"},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"He did not mention that numerous Gentiles would rest in order to avoid causing sorrow to the Jews; rather, He stated privately: ‘from the east and from the west.’ By referencing Abraham, He illustrates that He is not in opposition to the Old Testament."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Numerous individuals, specifically among the Gentiles from both the East and West, shall approach Me in faith and find rest. The reference to Abraham serves to emphasize the inclusion of the Gentiles into God's embrace while further rebuking the Jews. Abraham's bosom represents the comfort and joy of the righteous, embodying the communion and life that is the kingdom of heaven. The belief that Abraham experienced unimaginable bliss led people to refer to Abraham's bosom as a more familiar concept than the kingdom of heaven itself. This terminology was purposefully chosen so as not to seem to contradict those who led righteous lives in the Old Testament. By exalting Abraham to the extent of naming his bosom the eternal kingdom, he removes any doubt concerning his intentions. Some suggest that the term \\"bosom\\" is akin to the name for well-known coastal locations (a bay), signifying the place of delight where Abraham resides. However, it is specifically called Abraham's bosom due to Abraham's prominent status among the Jewish people."},{"author-name":"Nicephoros (Theotokis)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8958407451968d9c204fb_Nicephoros%20(Theotokis).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":18,"exegesis-text":"The prophet Isaiah predicted belief in Christ and the redemption of the nations in this manner: ‘all the Gentiles will come to her’ (Isaiah 2:2). ‘Behold I give thee to the covenant of the generation, to the light of tongues, to be thy salvation, even to the last of the earth’ (Isaiah 49:6). In the words of Malachi: ‘Wherefore from the east of the sun even unto the west my name shall be glorified in the Gentiles’ (Malachi 1:11). Furthermore, the God-man Jesus draws on the faith of the Gentile centurion to illustrate the impending and initial conversion of the nations and their entry into the heavenly kingdom. Notice how skillfully and wisely he approaches this! To avoid enticing the Jews and to show respect for those who adhered to the law, he refrained from stating, ‘Many tongues shall believe and inherit the kingdom of heaven,’ but instead remarked: ‘many from the east and west shall come.’ He then references Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, indicating that they partake in the kingdom of God, yet announcing that the Gentiles, in fellowship with them, will share in God's glory. Having prepared his listeners in this way and removed any grounds for accusation against him, he continues with the remainder of his prophecy:"},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Redeemer encountered a faith so extraordinary that He had not witnessed it even among the Israelites. In the wild olive tree, He discovered what was absent in the cultivated olive tree; from this observation, He conveyed a lesson that was received coldly and with discomfort by the Jews: when many of the current heirs of the kingdom are cast into the darkness of hell, many will come from the east and the west and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"I assure you that numerous individuals will arrive from both the East and the West, from every corner of the earth, fulfilling ancient prophecies. They will approach Me in faith and share in the Lord's Supper, experiencing eternal joy alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the heavenly kingdom."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"\\"Many will come from the east and the west\\": with this statement, the Lord emphasizes the inclusive nature of His newly formed kingdom, challenging the biases held by the Jews who believed that the Messiah’s kingdom would be reserved for them and only for those Gentiles who conformed to their faith, while others would face condemnation and servitude to the Jews. The Lord expresses that numerous Gentiles will find a place in the kingdom of the Messiah. - \\"From the east and west\\": refers to the far reaches of the entire world, as east and west, in the biblical context, symbolize the whole globe and its distant lands (Is. 45:6; Mal. 1:11). - \\"And they shall lie down with Abraham,\\" etc.: The kingdom of heaven is depicted as a banquet where the ancient Eastern peoples reclined instead of sitting. It signifies that at this feast, Gentiles will recline alongside the patriarchs of the Jewish people. The Jews of Jesus’ time held a rather materialistic view of the Messiah's kingdom. Jesus Christ, however, certainly did not share this literal understanding with His peers; He employed it as a metaphor to convey a profound spiritual truth regarding this kingdom (cf. Matt. 26:29; Luke 13:28; Luke 14:15; cf. Matt. 22:30; Rev. 19:9; 1 Cor. 15:50). The essence of this metaphor illustrates that many Gentiles who believe in Christ will achieve salvation and joy in the Messiah’s kingdom, sharing in fellowship with the patriarchs and saints of Israel."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The genuine faith of the humble Gentile prompted Jesus Christ to envision a future reality: He foresaw the throngs of Gentiles approaching Him, recognizing how His message, sown among them, had flourished into a vast tree that offered refuge to many nations. At the same time, He discerned the Jewish people standing apart, gazing at this magnificent tree with disdain. Contemplating these thoughts, He sorrowfully declared, \\"Many shall come from east and west, and shall lie down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\\" The eternal banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob symbolized the ultimate joy of heaven for many. In the Eastern tradition, guests reclined at tables during feasts, leading the Jews to believe they, too, would recline alongside their forefathers in the heavenly realm. In response to the understanding of the Jewish audience, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to their ancestral feasts, emphasizing that they would be excluded from this celebration, just as they might cast out guests who have offended during a meal, forcing them to remain outside in the cold and darkness of night, weeping in distress and gritting their teeth from the chill. This imagery of the darkness beyond the feast and the sorrowful gnashing of teeth reflects the anguish experienced by those barred from entering the Kingdom of Heaven; however, the interpretation of these words should not be taken too literally."}]}
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