once among them, I was such as they. “They have,” he says, “a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge.” What is this, O Apostle, “not according to knowledge”? Explain to us what
the knowledge is thou dost set forth, which thou dost grieve is not in them, and wouldest
should be in us? He went on and subjoined and developed what he had set forth closed.
What is, “They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge? For they being ignorant
of God’s righteousness, and wishing to establish their own, have not submitted themselves
into the righteousness of God.”3860 To be ignorant then of God’s righteousness, and to wish
to establish one’s own, this is to “look for glory one from another, and not to seek the glory
which is of God only.” This is the leaven of the Pharisees. Of this the Lord bids beware. If
it is servants that He bids, and the Lord that bids, let us beware; lest we hear, “Why say ye
to Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”3861
3. Let us then leave a while the Jews to whom the Lord was then speaking. They are
without, they will not listen to us, they hate the Gospel itself, they procured false witness
against the Lord, that they might condemn Him when alive; other witness they bought with
money against Him when dead. When we say to them, “Believe on Jesus,” they answer us,
“Are we to believe on a dead man?” But when we add, “But He rose again;” they answer,
“Not 3862 at all;” His disciples stole Him away from the sepulchre. The Jewish buyers love
falsehood and despise the truth of the Lord, the Redeemer. What thou art saying, O Jew,
thy parents bought for money; and this which they bought hath continued in thee. Give
heed rather to Him That bought thee, not to him who bought a lie for thee.
4. But as I have said, let us leave these, and attend rather to these our brethren, with
whom we have to do. For Christ is the Head of the Body. The Head is in Heaven, the Body
is on earth; the Head is the Lord, the Body His Church. But ye remember it is said, “They
shall be two in one flesh.” “This is a great mystery,”3863 says the Apostle, “but I speak in
Christ and in the Church.”3864 If then they are two in one flesh, they are two in one voice.
Our Head the Lord Christ spake to the Jews these things which we heard, when the Gospel
was being read, The Head to His enemies; let the Body too, that is, the Church, speak to its
enemies. Ye know to whom it should speak. What has it to say? It is not of myself that I
have said, that the voice is one; because the flesh is one, the voice is one. Let us then say this
to them; I am speaking with the voice of the Church. “O Brethren, dispersed children,
3860 Rom. x. 3.
3861 Matt. vii. 21; Luke vi. 46.
3862 Absit.
3863 Sacramentum.
3864 Eph. v. 31, 32.
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On the words of the Gospel, John v. 39, ‘Ye search the Scriptures, because…