58. (Vers. 27.). And since the allegation of knowledge avails little without the allegation of imitation and work, therefore he adds: And he will say to you: I do not know you, whence you are. Chrysostom: "I do not recognize my image in you. You cannot receive the wages of my soldiers, you who have carried the banners of the tyrant." Chrysostom says this not with respect to the image of creation, of which it is said in the Psalm: "Man passes through as an image"; but with respect to the image of re-creation, of which Augustine says: "The Lord does not know them, since he does not find in them the mark of faith and love." Whence the denial of knowledge does not regard the strangeness of persons, against which they allege familiarity, but only the diversity of conduct, according to that saying in Habakkuk 1: "Your eyes are pure, O Lord, and you cannot look upon iniquity."
Therefore he adds: Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: Psalm: "Depart from me, all you who work iniquity."
Now the reason for this departure is the distance between justice and iniquity; 2 Corinthians 6: "What participation has justice with iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? And what agreement has Christ with Belial?" Since therefore the reprobate will be unjust and darkened and men of Belial; but Christ the judge will be just, will be the true light, will be supremely good: therefore he will compel the wicked to descend into hell through the final judgment, saying: "Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels." Since therefore man will be judged not according to the greatness of knowledge, but the strength of work: one must continually devote oneself to good works: whence Romans 2: "Not the hearers of the Law, but the doers are just before God"; on account of which, in the Psalm: "God has spoken once: these two things have I heard, that power belongs to God, and to you, O Lord, belongs mercy, for you will render to each one according to his works."
59. (Vers. 28.). There will be weeping there. Here now thirdly, after he has urged them to continual progress by showing the difficulty in merit and the severity in judgment, he urges the same by showing the calamity in punishment. Which indeed he does in two ways, namely from the consideration of one's own abjection and from the consideration of the glorification of others.
First therefore, as regards the consideration of one's own abjection, he says: There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, as regards the punishment of sense. And the punishment of heat is touched upon, from which comes the weeping of eyes, and the punishment of cold, from which comes the gnashing of teeth. These two bodily punishments are more fully expressed, either because these two qualities are active and more afflictive: on account of which Job 24: "They shall pass from the waters of snow to excessive heat." Or because sin is committed in the body in two ways, namely through the concupiscence of the eyes and through the concupiscence of the flesh, whence they are punished in both: Wisdom 11: "By what things a man sins, by these also is he tormented." Or because weeping comes from within, and the gnashing of teeth comes from without: and in these is understood the totality of punishments, especially bodily ones. Whence the Gloss of Bede: "Note that by weeping, which belongs to the eyes, and gnashing, which belongs to the teeth, the true resurrection of the bodies of the impious is understood." This weeping, however, will not be a dissolution of moisture, but through pain and groaning: or if it will be, there will be a miraculous restoration of moisture, just as also miraculously in such great torments they will have bodies sustained by spirits.
60. And because the punishment of sense is conjoined with the punishment of loss, which will be the loss of the fellowship of the Saints in the glory of paradise; therefore he adds: When you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the kingdom of God, that is, all the Patriarchs and Prophets. The former had been an example of living in life: whence John 8: "If you are children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham"; the latter in life and doctrine: 2 Peter 1: "We have the more firm prophetic word, to which you do well to attend." Or the Patriarchs were those to whom the promise was made; the Prophets those through whom the promulgation of the promise was made, according to that passage above in chapter one: "As he spoke through the mouth of his holy Prophets who have been from of old." And both the former and the latter urged and called men to enter the kingdom of God, which those who are children of the flesh and who refused to be imitators of the Saints will not enter, but will be excluded. Therefore he adds: But you will be cast out; Revelation last chapter: "Outside are dogs and sorcerers and the unchaste and those who serve idols and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." As a figure of this, Genesis 21 says: "Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not be heir with the son of the free woman"; because John 8 says: "The servant does not remain in the house forever, but the son remains forever."
61. (Vers. 29.). Secondly, as to the consideration of the glorification of others, he adds: And they shall come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, that is, from the universality of the nations gathered from every part of the world. For when the Jews were rejected on account of their carnality, the Lord called the nations as spiritual children; whence it is said in John 10: "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, and those I must bring." These were gathered from every part of the world through the ministry of the Apostles, according to that of the Psalm: "All nations, whatsoever thou hast made, shall come and shall adore before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name"; and Isaiah 43: "From the east I will bring thy seed, and from the west I will gather thee: I will say to the north: give up; and to the south: do not withhold." Therefore they are said to be called from such distant parts on account of the diversity of customs, from which they are called to the unity of charity and felicity.
On account of which he adds: And they shall recline in the kingdom of God: Isaiah 25: "The Lord shall make for all peoples in this mountain a feast of fat things, a feast of vintage, of fat things full of marrow, of vintage refined."
62. (Vers. 30.). And because this will be to the confusion of the reprobate and the glory of the elect, therefore he adds: And behold, the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. The first are last on account of pride, and the last are first on account of humility: because it is said below in chapter 18: "Everyone who humbles himself shall be exalted, and he who exalts himself shall be humbled." Why is this? Because in the Psalm it is said: "The Lord is high and looks upon the lowly, and the lofty he knows from afar." The example of this appears most clearly in the twofold people, namely of the Jews, who are blinded, and of the Gentiles, who are chosen; Romans 11: "For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery, that blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should enter, and so all Israel should be saved." The example of this also appears in Judas, who was an Apostle and was damned, and in the thief, who was saved, below in chapter 23. And by this example all are stirred to the fear of God, according to that of 1 Corinthians 10: "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
63. From this consideration of the future judgment, therefore, we are led to persist continually in good works on account of the threefold reason set forth above: first, because it is difficult to be justified in the sight of the Lord on account of the difficulty in merit: whence the Psalm: "Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord, for no one living shall be justified in thy sight"; and 1 Peter 4: "And if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the impious and the sinner appear?"
Secondly, because it is impossible to be excused on account of the severity in judgment: Proverbs 28: "He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer shall be an abomination"; and Job 41: "I will not spare him, nor powerful words, nor those composed for entreaty."
Third, because he must needs be afflicted on account of the calamity of punishment: Apocalypse twenty: "Whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone"; Matthew twenty-two says of him who did not have a wedding garment: "Bind his hands and feet, cast him into the outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." — And therefore the counsel of the Wise Man is good, Ecclesiastes nine: "Whatever your hand is able to do, work earnestly, because there is neither work nor reason nor wisdom nor knowledge in the netherworld, whither you hasten."
64. On that very day etc. After he has stirred us to do good works unceasingly on account of the severity of strictness in judging, here secondly he stirs us to the same thing on account of the sublimity of the disposition in redeeming. Now this part has two parts, in the first of which is expressed the sublimity of the divine disposition in the redemption of the human race; in the second, however, in the reprobation of the rebellious people, at the place: Jerusalem, Jerusalem etc.
Now the sublimity of the divine disposition in redeeming is shown in three ways, namely because the passion of Christ before the time was attempted in vain by man; in the due time it was voluntarily undertaken by Christ; but from eternity it was infallibly preordained.
65. (Verse 31). First, therefore, the passion of Christ attempted in vain by man before the time is intimated, when it is said: On that very day certain of the Pharisees came, saying to him: Depart and go from here, because Herod wishes to kill you. This Herod was the son of the Herod who, wishing to kill the infant Jesus before the time, slew the children of Bethlehem, according to what is said in Matthew two: "Then Herod, seeing that he had been mocked by the Magi, sent and killed all the children who were in Bethlehem." So also this son, imitator of his father's crime, wished to kill him before the time, just as he had killed his forerunner, as is said in Matthew fourteen: "Herod sent and beheaded John in prison." So also he now wished to do to Christ already grown, and afterwards the grandson wished to do this to him already glorified; whence the first Herod was evil, the second worse, but the third worst. And all persecuted Christ, but in vain, because it is said in the Psalm: "The Lord scatters the counsels of the nations, and he reproves the thoughts of the peoples and reproves the counsels of the princes."
And note that the Pharisees reported this to Christ, either because some of them were perhaps good, or because they wished to frighten Christ and drive him away from themselves, or also because they wished to test him, whether out of fear he would desist from preaching the truth. And the latter is more credible, because they were accustomed to do this; whence Matthew twenty-two: "The Pharisees, going away, took counsel to ensnare Jesus in his speech, and they send to him their disciples with the Herodians."
66. And note here according to the mystical understanding that Herod is interpreted as "glorying in skins" and designates any proud and vainglorious person who glories in the outward display of works and words. And such a one persecutes Christ being born in Bethlehem, who is born as a pauper, because the vainglorious are accustomed to persecute the poor of Christ. Whence Bernard in a certain sermon: "It is clear how much unjust power harms, how an impious head conforms all its subjects to its own impiety. Truly miserable is the city in which Herod reigns, for it will be a partaker of Herodian malice. But the malice of Herod is to wish to extinguish religion at its birth. If therefore anything pertaining to salvation, if anything of religion arises, whoever resists it persecutes the newborn Savior."
67. (Verse 32). Secondly, the passion of Christ is intimated as voluntarily undertaken by him, when it is added: And he said to them: Go and tell that fox. He calls Herod a fox on account of his malice and deceitfulness, which nevertheless does not prevail against the wisdom of Christ; Wisdom 7: "Wisdom is not overcome by malice. She reaches therefore from end to end mightily."
And because the death of Christ was not to be consummated according to the machination of human malice, but according to the disposition of his own wisdom and will, therefore he adds: Behold, I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, through the working of miracles; Acts 10: "He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil."
And the third day I am consummated, through the endurance of the passion, in which he said, John 19: "It is consummated"; and Hebrews 2: "For it was fitting that he, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, who had brought many sons into glory, should be consummated through suffering." Whence by these three days can be understood the three years in which the Lord preached and worked miracles, and thus that in the last year he suffered voluntarily and according to his own will; John 10: "I have the power to lay down my life, and I have the power to take it up again." Whence when he did not will it, no one was able to harm him, according to that word in John 7: "No one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come." Whence the fox-like malice was able to plot the death of Christ, but nevertheless was not able to accomplish it except as he himself willed; concerning which, Isaiah 53: "He was offered because he himself willed it."
And through this it is also spiritually understood that the mystical body of Christ does not suffer except according as God disposes, from impious heretics, whom Christ gives us to understand through Herod, attributing to him the name and the property of a fox.
68. (Vers. 33.). Thirdly, the passion of Christ is intimated as infallibly preordained from eternity; whence he adds: Nevertheless, I must walk today and tomorrow and the following day. This necessity was not from compulsion, but from a supernal disposition, according to that passage below in the last chapter: "O foolish and slow of heart to believe in all things which the Prophets have spoken," etc. For God had foreseen this, according to what is said in Acts 2: "Him, delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have slain, afflicting him by the hands of the wicked." The Prophets also foretold this, according to what is said in Acts 3: "But God, who announced through the mouth of the Prophets that his Christ should suffer, has thus fulfilled it." He himself intimated this necessity of the divine disposition in his passion, when he prayed, as is said in Matthew 26: "My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, let your will be done."
69. And because the divine disposition preordained not only the time, but also the place, therefore he adds: Because it does not befit a Prophet to perish outside Jerusalem: it does not befit, "that is, it is not fitting," it does not befit prophetic Scripture, or it does not befit divine providence. This Prophet par excellence is Christ, who foreknows all future things; concerning whom Deuteronomy 18 says: "The Lord will raise up for you a Prophet from among your brethren like me"; and above in chapter 7: "A great Prophet has arisen among us." It was not fitting for him to die except in Jerusalem, according to the Scriptures, both because that was the royal, magisterial, and sacerdotal city, and because Christ was the supreme king, teacher, and priest. And therefore he ought not to have died except in that place; whence below in chapter 18: "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the Prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished." For the Prophets universally foretold that the new law would come forth from Jerusalem; whence Isaiah 2: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob; for out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem"; and Zechariah 13: "In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the washing of the sinner and of the unclean woman."
And note that Christ was condemned in Jerusalem, but suffered outside the gate; whence Hebrews 13: "Jesus, that he might sanctify the people by his own blood, suffered outside the gate."
70. Mystically, however, it is to be noted here that this three-day period is expounded in three ways according to different expositors: allegorically, morally, and anagogically. Allegorically thus: the first day is the law of nature, the second is the law of Scripture, and the third is the law of grace; concerning which Mark 8 says: "I have compassion on the multitude, for behold, they have now been with me three days." Or, the first day is that of the passion, the second, of burial, but the third, of the resurrection; John 2: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."