Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew — Historical footnotes

But let us see what saith this wretched man, when convicted by his Master. What then saith he? “Is it I, Rabbi?” And why did he not ask this from the beginning? He thought to escape knowledge by its being said, “one of you;” but when He had made him manifest, he ventured again to ask, confiding in the clemency of his Master, that He would not convict him.

By the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, he means the day before that feast; for they are accustomed always to reckon the day from the evening, and he makes mention of this in which in the evening the passover must be killed;for on the fifth day of the week they came unto Him. And this onecalls the day before the feast of unleavened bread,speaking of the time when they came to Him, and another saith on this wise, “Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed;”by the word “came,” meaning this, it was nigh, it was at the doors, making mention plainly of that evening. For they began with the evening, wherefore also each adds, when the passover was killed.

For when the disciples had done, as Jesus had appointed them, “when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, He said,” we are told, “Verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.” And before the supper, He had even washed his feet. And see how He spares the traitor. For He said not, such a one shall betray me; but, “one of you,” so as again to give him power of repentance by concealment. And He chooseth to alarm all, for the sake of saving this man. Of you, the twelve, saith He, that are everywhere present with me, whose feet I washed, to whom I promised so many things.

For when being sorrowful they began to say, “Is it I, Lord? He answered and said, He that dippethwith me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of Man goeth, as it is written of Him, but woe to the man bywhom the Son of Man is betrayed. It had been good for that man if he had not been born.”

For when being sorrowful they began to say, “Is it I, Lord? He answered and said, He that dippethwith me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of Man goeth, as it is written of Him, but woe to the man bywhom the Son of Man is betrayed. It had been good for that man if he had not been born.”

“But woe unto thatman by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.” See again in His rebukes His unspeakable meekness. For not even here with invective, but more in the way of compassion, doth He apply what He saith, but in a disguised way again; and yet not his former senselessness only, but his subsequent shamelessness was deserving of the utmost indignation. For after this conviction he saith, “Is it I, Lord?” Oh insensibility! He inquires, when conscious to himself of such things. For the evangelist too, marvelling at his boldness, saith this. What then saith the most mild and gentle Jesus? “Thou sayest.” And yet He might have said, O thou unholy, thou all unholy one; accursed, and profane; so long a time in travail with mischief, who hast gone thy way, and made satanical compacts, and hast agreed to receive money, and hast been convicted by me too, dost thou yet dare to ask? But none of these things did He say; but how? “Thou sayest?” fixing for us bounds and rules of long suffering.