I respond: It must be said that because a miracle is obtained not only by the good but also by the wicked, it is obtained by that virtue which is common to both good and wicked. Now faith and hope can be such: therefore a miracle belongs to faith as its originating principle, but to hope as its consummating principle. And because confidence embraces both, properly speaking, the obtaining of a miracle belongs to confidence.
Note that the working of a miracle is owed to faith, because faith is common: because first it elevates the intellect ; because it has the capacity to consider omnipotence.
46. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping. Above, three preliminaries to the wondrous raising were set forth; here the fourth is presented, which is the compassion of hearing: for the Lord was moved by compassion to hear and to raise Lazarus; and this is described in the following order. First, the compassion of the one who hears is indicated; second, the sign of hearing; third, the power or authority of hearing.
(Verse 33.). The compassion therefore of the one who hears is noted in this, that Christ wept and grieved at the weeping of Mary and the Jews: therefore he says: When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, namely Mary, and the Jews who had come with her, weeping. He saw, namely with the eye of compassion: 4 Kings 20: "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears." He groaned in spirit and troubled himself, having compassion on them: and from this compassion he draws near: whence:
47. (Verse 34.). He said: Where have you laid him? They say to him: Lord, come and see: and there follows the manifestation of compassion: whence:
48. (Verse 35.). And Jesus wept: whence from seeing arises disturbance, from disturbance drawing near, from drawing near the expression of grief and compassion. Job 30: "I wept for him who was afflicted, and my soul had compassion on the poor"; Luke 19: "When Jesus saw the city, he wept over it." He wept when he saw Mary weeping; Romans 12: "Weep with those who weep"; and this compassion was a sign of grief, and grief a sign of love; therefore:
49. (Verse 36.). The Jews therefore said: Behold, how he loved him, because he wept over his death: and they spoke truly, according to what is said in Wisdom 11: "Lord, you love all things that are, and you hate nothing of what you have made," and afterward: "They are yours, O Lord, who love souls." But from this they fell into doubt: for since one who loves another does not wish him to die, it seemed to them that he had died against his will, and they marveled: on account of which he says:
50. (Vers. 37.). But some of them said: Could not he who opened the eyes of the man born blind, above in the ninth chapter, have caused that this man should not die? They speak doubtingly, because they seem to have reason on both sides. And indeed he well could have, because, Ecclesiastes 8, "whatever he wills, he shall do"; and Luke 1: "No word shall be impossible with God." But if he had not died, the glory of God would not be manifested in him: therefore this man died, just as that man was born blind: above in the ninth chapter: "Neither did this man sin nor his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him"; therefore he was born blind, so Lazarus died.
51. (Vers. 38.). Jesus therefore again groaning. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the sign of being heard, which is manifested in this, that he came to the tomb and caused the stone to be removed: and compassion moved him to do these things. Therefore he says: Jesus therefore again groaning in himself, through compassion, came to the tomb. And because he had come to raise him, therefore he commanded the tomb to be opened, because it was closed: therefore he says: Now it was a cave, and a stone was laid upon it, namely to keep away the stench.
52. (Vers. 39.). Jesus said: Take away the stone. And because Martha was concerned about the Lord with respect to sensible and corporeal things: therefore: Martha, the sister of him who had died, said to him: Lord, he already stinks: therefore it should not be opened: for he has been dead four days. And because Martha believed that the Lord wished to see him out of compassion, not to raise him by his power; therefore:
53. (Vers. 40.). Jesus said to her: Did I not say to you that if you believe, you shall see the glory of God? that is, the greatness of the divine power: Acts 7: "When Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazing into heaven, saw the glory of God." And in this they knew that he had not caused it to be opened in order to see the dead man, but in order to raise him: therefore obedience follows:
54. (Vers. 41.). They therefore took away the stone, in which act a manifestation was already made that the Lord wished to raise him: therefore then they believed and merited to obtain: whence it is said to Mary in Luke 1: "Blessed are you who believed, because the things that were spoken to you by the Lord shall be fulfilled in you."
But Jesus, lifting up his eyes etc. Here the third point is touched upon, namely the power of being heard in Christ, which is intimated from his words, in which he shows that he was heard and is always heard and does not ask the Father out of powerlessness: on account of which he says: But Jesus, lifting up his eyes to heaven, said: Father, I give you thanks, because you have heard me: he gives thanks for the hearing, not because the Father heard him then and not at other times: therefore he says:
55. (Vers. 42.). But I knew that you always hear me : Hebrews 5: "Offering prayers and supplications to God with tears and a loud cry, he was heard because of his reverence." Therefore I did not ask or give thanks as one in need; but on account of the people standing around, I said it, that they may believe that you sent me: and I in my works am not contrary to you, but in all things concordant: above in chapter eight: "As the Father has taught me, so I speak; and he who sent me is with me and has not left me alone, because I always do the things that are pleasing to him." And thus he gave thanks and prayed, not on account of powerlessness, but to intimate his concord with God, concerning which above in chapter five: "The Son can do nothing of himself, except what he has seen the Father doing; for whatever things he does, these the Son likewise does."
QUESTIONS.
56. Question I. But here it is first asked concerning what he says, that Jesus troubled himself.
The contrary seems to be the case: 1. From what is said in Isaiah 42: He shall not be sad nor turbulent.
If you say that he troubled himself voluntarily, not involuntarily, as we do, then it is objected:
2. Because perturbation darkens the eye of the mind: therefore if in Christ the eye of the mind could not be darkened, then he could not be perturbed.
3. Likewise, when perturbation is voluntary, then it belongs not only to sensuality but also to reason, and the perturbation is complete: therefore if Christ was voluntarily perturbed, it is evident from this that he was fully perturbed.
I respond: It must be said that disturbance is in one way a passion, as Jerome says, and in another way a propassion: a passion, insofar as it ascends into reason; a propassion, insofar as it remains in sensuality: and this can be in two ways: because it is either in the one sensing by necessity, who cannot do otherwise; or by will. Thus therefore perturbation is threefold, namely of reason, and this is evil and in the wicked; of sensuality, and this by necessity in the good, and by will in Christ.
1. What is therefore said: He shall not be sad nor turbulent, is to be understood of that which belongs to reason, or of involuntary sensuality.
2. As to the objection that that which belongs to sensuality darkens the mind, at least for a time: it must be said that this is true where there is necessity: but in Christ it arose only insofar as he willed according to the dictate of reason.
3. As to the objection that voluntary perturbation is complete: this is understood of when reason disturbs itself.
57. Question II. Likewise it is asked concerning the fact that Christ wept.