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Explanation for:
Matthew
19
:
19
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
13
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"In His discourse on adhering to the law, the Lord intentionally left out certain elements until a wealthy individual approached Him and asked, \\"What do I still lack?\\" (Matthew 19:20). He did not enumerate all the commandments of the law."},{"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":"The wealthy young man asserted that he adhered to the commandments and acknowledged the significant ones. Christ responded, \\"If thou wilt be perfect, one thing thou lackest; go, sell thy possessions, and give to the poor; and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.\\" What benefit is there in observing the law yet not following Me? As we know, he departed sorrowfully because his wealth was vast. We, too, have heard His call. The word of Christ embodies the gospel, and although He is in heaven, He continues to speak to us on earth. Therefore, let us not remain unresponsive; His voice resounds loudly, so let us not be spiritually lifeless, as He calls out with a mighty cry. If you struggle to uphold the greater commandments, then fulfill the lesser ones; if the weight of the greater becomes too much for you, take on the lighter burden. Why do you hesitate? Why resist both? Here are the greater commandments: sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me (Matthew 19:21). And here are the lesser ones: thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; thou shalt honor thy father and mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 19:19). This is what you are to do! What am I attempting to convey if you are unwilling to let go of your riches, even though I cannot persuade you not to take from others? You have heard, \\"Do not steal,\\" yet you engage in theft. In the sight of such a Judge, I consider you not merely a thief, but a robber. Have compassion on yourself, show kindness to your own soul. Life yet affords you the opportunity; do not dismiss the chance for repentance. If you were a thief yesterday, do not be one today; or if you have stolen today, aim not to do so tomorrow. Cease from evil and anticipate the rewards that follow. You desire the good for yourself, yet you do not strive to embody goodness. Your life contradicts your aspirations. If it is a significant blessing to possess a good home, how much more detrimental is it to harbor an evil soul?"},{"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":"The Lord directs the inquirer to the commandments of the law, so that the Jews will not claim that He holds the law in disregard. What follows?"},{"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":"Similarly, He emphasizes a particular Gospel teaching, urging the rejection of material wealth to challenge one's greed. On this fitting occasion, He illustrates that greed corrupts all virtues, and due to its evident destructiveness, this vice ought to be avoided. Why did Christ not present the foremost commandment, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God?’ It is because his other righteous deeds were not widely recognized, yet his devotion to God was apparent to everyone. Some may question whether these commandments of the law lead to eternal life. It can be affirmed that they do, but not in the same manner as the commandments of the Gospel. Eternal life is understood as everlasting bliss in heaven, which is diverse and plentiful, for the Father has many dwelling places."},{"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 young man believed that anything beyond the adherence to God’s commandments in the Law of Moses could grant one eternal life. This led him to inquire, “What good deed must I perform to attain eternal life?” He then sought clarification on, “Which commandments lead to eternal life?” In response, the Lord succinctly presented the very commandments that are elaborated upon in the Law of Moses. Observe the profound wisdom of the Lord: the essence of goodness lies in refraining from wrongdoing, as stated, “Turn away from evil, and do good” (Psalm 33:15). It is, moreover, often easier to avoid wrongdoing than to pursue righteousness; thus, He first highlights those commandments aimed at steering clear of sin, saying, “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness” (Basil. in conversation). He then includes those that pertain to the practice of virtue: “Honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”"},{"author-name":"Tichon of Zadonsk","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989ff6b5b4c943e70095_Tichon%20of%20Zadonsk.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":18,"exegesis-text":"Recognize that your neighbor is essentially like you, possessing the same needs and desires, yet not necessarily yearning for exactly what you desire. Just as you do, they seek every good and reject all forms of wrongdoing. Therefore, treat others as you wish to be treated, and strive to bestow upon them what you wish for yourself. This embodies the essence of Christian love for one’s neighbor. Our Lord asks this of us: \\"Love your neighbor as yourself\\" (Matthew 19:19). True love refrains from causing harm to others and aspires for their well-being. By loving your neighbor, you will avoid actions you would not desire for yourself and promote the goodness you seek for your own life."},{"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":"\\"Honor your father and mother.\\" This is the fifth commandment. Show them honor and respect through your words and actions, both in private and in public. Yield to their wishes, support them, and find peace, among other things. Additionally, \\"Love your neighbor,\\" etc.: Ex. 20:13-16, Lev. 19:18; see note on Matthew 5:43."},{"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":"Honor your father and mother; and love your neighbor as yourself – this is the greatest commandment. The path to eternal life commences with adherence to these teachings. The young man paid close attention to the Lord's message. According to St. Philaret, it is not inappropriate for this Israelite to direct our focus as Christians as well. Are we not all, above all else, frequently preoccupied with the essential inquiry: what good must I perform to attain eternal life?"},{"author-name":"Ignatij (Briantchaninow)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ce37597540c9caa5df5_Ignatij%20(Briantchaninow).png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":19,"exegesis-text":"\\"‘But if you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments’ (Matt. 19:17),” our Lord Jesus Christ responded to a young man who inquired, “’Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ (Luke 18:18). This question essentially sought to understand what goodness was required for salvation. Upon further inquiry about the commandments, the Lord directed him, as a Jewish believer in the true God, to the commandments concerning his neighbors. The young man asserted that he had observed all these commandments, and pressed on, asking, “’What do I yet lack?’” The Lord replied, “’If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross’” (Matt. 19:20-21; Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22). Through His responses, we discern that the Lord has prepared two blessed states for those who have faith in Him: the state of salvation and the state of Christian perfection. The answers reveal that the benevolent state of salvation is open to all believers, while perfection is reserved for those who both share their wealth with the poor and renounce worldly ties to follow Christ, taking up their crosses—submitting with zeal and love to the trials, dishonors, and afflictions that may befall them, embodying the true essence of Christ's path and dismissing the rationalizations presented by worldly wisdom, which opposes Christ and His cross.\\n\\nLet us contemplate the requirements for salvation, as it is a pursuit deeply desired by all Christians and accessible to all. As noted, the Lord shared His holy teachings with a Jewish believer, highlighting the commandments directed at our neighbors without specifying faith, which He addressed in other contexts. For one seeking salvation, belief in God, Creator and Redeemer, is imperative. “’But this is eternal life,’” our Savior affirmed, “’that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent’” (John 17:3). “He who believes in the Son” (of God) “has everlasting life; but he who does not believe the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).\\n\\nIt is essential for those desiring salvation to be part of the Orthodox Church, the one genuine Church, and to adhere to its decrees. The Lord compares anyone who disregards the Church to a Gentile, a stranger to God (see Matthew 18:17). Each of us, when we recite the Creed, professes belief in the One Holy and Apostolic Church, thereby acknowledging that there is no other Church aside from this One, despite the various human societies that may claim the title. Those seeking salvation must receive baptism within the Orthodox Church, invoking the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As stated by the Lord, “’Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be condemned’” (Mark 16:16). It’s noteworthy that in Greek, the language of the New Testament, the term ‘baptism’ (baptisma) specifically signifies immersion. Thus, wherever the terms ‘baptism,’ ‘baptize,’ or similar expressions are found in the New Testament, they must be understood in the context of immersion. Consequently, the immersion of vessels in water, similar to washing dishes, is referred to in the Gospel as the ‘baptism of vessels’ (see Mark 7:8). \\n\\nHistorically, the sacrament of Baptism was performed by immersion for twelve centuries following Christ’s Nativity. It was in the West that dousing began in the twelfth century, followed by some Western societies substituting dousing with sprinkling. For those aspiring for salvation, repentance of sins and purification through confession are necessary, as supported by Scripture: “’If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He, being faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness’” (1 John 1:8-9). The sacrament of Penance preserves and renews the purity gained in Baptism and continues our union with Christ established by holy Baptism. “’By the second Baptism you are baptized according to the sacrament of Christianity,’” the priest administering the sacrament assures the penitent Christian, following the ordinance of Holy Church. In the West, the sacrament of Penance has been altered and dismissed by Protestants.\\n\\nMoreover, for salvation, it is essential to partake in the Holy Sacraments of Christ—specifically, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. “’Verily, verily,’” the Lord stated, “’unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you’” (John 6:53-54). The significant Sacrament of the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ occurs through the invocation of the Holy Spirit during the prayers that constitute the Divine Liturgy. Without an Orthodox bishop or hierarch officiating the Divine Liturgy, the bread and wine cannot undergo transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Christ. The various ancient liturgies share essential similarities in their invocation of the Holy Spirit for the transformation, with the minister blessing the prepared elements. In later developments, the invocation of the Holy Spirit was removed from the Roman liturgy, and Protestant practices eliminated the liturgy itself.\\n\\nThus, those seeking salvation must first have correct belief in God, belong to the Orthodox Church, be baptized, anointed, be cleansed from sins through repentance, and receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Secondly, they must, as the Lord instructed the young man, adhere to God’s commandments. The Lord enumerated the commandments that prohibit grave sins, reiterating what Moses had conveyed to ancient Israel: “’You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness,’” followed by the command to honor father and mother, and finally to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 19:18-20). The absence of a mention of loving God might seem striking. However, love for God is manifested in love for one’s neighbor, and as one cultivates love for their neighbor, they attain a profound spiritual treasure—love for God. “’If we love one another,’” Saint John the Theologian asserts, “’God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us’” (1 John 4:12).\\n\\nTo inherit salvation means to align oneself with the Redeemer, to maintain this alignment throughout earthly existence, and ultimately, following death, transfer with the soul to the realms of the blessed spirits, sharing in holy joy with them as we await the general resurrection of the dead. At the resurrection, we shall reunite with our bodies, which will be restored by the Lord, transformed into incorruptibility, and with those bodies, we will receive eternal bliss. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Life and the Source of Life. We partake in this life through faith in Christ's doctrine, through Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and through the anointing that accompanies baptism. The Apostles sealed Baptism with the laying on of hands, invoking the Holy Spirit upon the newly baptized (cf. Acts 19:6).\\n\\nWe sustain and nourish our alignment with the Lord through repentance for our shortcomings, through communion with His Body and Blood, and by living according to His holy commandments. He who neglects to adhere to God’s commandments, who fails to continually heal himself through repentance, and who does not maintain his alignment with Christ through communion of His Body and Blood, risks losing that alignment and ultimately salvation. “’If you keep my commandments,’” the Lord told His disciples, “’you will abide in my love. Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out as a branch, and will wither; and such branches will be gathered up, and cast into the fire, and they will be burned’” (John 15:10, 6).\\""},{"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":"Jesus reiterated the commandments from the Old Testament that prohibit causing harm to one’s neighbor, emphasized the importance of honoring one’s father and mother, and concluded with the directive to love: love your neighbor as yourself."},{"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 young man seemed to anticipate receiving some remarkable and unique guidance from such a prominent Teacher, prompting him to inquire, “What are the commandments?” When Christ listed the essential commandments from the Decalogue and the Law of Moses, particularly emphasizing the call to love one’s neighbor as oneself, the young man expressed his astonishment by stating that he had adhered to all these commandments since his youth and was eager to pursue something additional."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The young man was taken aback by this straightforward response; he was unaware that these were among the commandments included in the Ten Commandments he had learned. Consequently, he inquired, 'What are they?' The Lord then guided him towards the path of salvation as outlined in the revealed law, clearly stating the commandments from the second tablet—the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth—and he also emphasized the overarching commandment to love one’s neighbor: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not defraud, you shall honor your father and mother—in essence: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"At last, a man approached the Lord, a diligent keeper of God's commandments, who, despite his esteemed position as a chief ruler and his substantial wealth in his youth, sought to achieve the utmost spiritual excellence in pursuit of eternal life. What more could one hope for in someone who came seeking the Lord? It appeared that he could access His kingdom in a manner different from how others were typically invited—without the necessity of repentance. The disciples themselves were invested in the situation, as reflected in their final inquiries. However, the Lord made it clear to them through two insightful remarks that this young man's heart had not yet aligned with God's path. First, He indicated that by failing to acknowledge Jesus as the divine being, the man, in his strict legalism, should not have attributed such titles to earthly teachers, titles which rightfully belong only to God. Secondly, He demonstrated that the man lacked complete love for his neighbor when He instructed him to sell his possessions and give to the poor—this demand unsettled the young man deeply, leading him to depart from the Lord in sorrow. Importantly, the Lord did not require anything from him that was uniquely different from what He called upon others to embrace. The commandment of self-denial and forsaking all for the sake of the Gospel is a directive intended for all."}]}
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