Church Fathers Commentary Mark 2

The Venerable Bede: Because the compassion of God does not desert even worldly people, He grants them the grace of His presence, so that they too may be made spiritual. After the desert, the Lord returns to the city.¹

Therefore, it is said, And again He entered into Capernaum...

St. Augustine of Hippo: Matthew writes about this miracle as if it were done in the Lord's own city, while Mark places it in Capernaum. This would be more difficult to resolve if Matthew had also named Nazareth.²

But since Galilee itself might be called the city of the Lord, who can doubt that the Lord did these things in His own city, since He did them in Capernaum, a city of Galilee? This is especially true since Capernaum was so important in Galilee that it was called its capital.

Alternatively, Matthew may have passed over the things that were done after Jesus came into His own city until He arrived in Capernaum. He then adds the story of the healed paralytic, stating, And, behold, they presented to Him a man sick of the palsy, after he had already said that Jesus came into His own city.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Or else, Matthew called Capernaum His city because He went there frequently and performed many miracles there.³

It continues: And it was noised that He was in the house...

For the desire to hear Him was stronger than the effort of approaching Him. After this, they introduce the paralytic, of whom Matthew and Luke speak; therefore it follows: And they came unto Him bearing one sick of the palsy, who was carried by four.

Finding the door blocked by the crowd, they could not enter that way. Those who carried him, however, hoping that he could receive the grace of being healed, lifted the bed with its burden, uncovered the roof, and laid him with his bed before the face of the Savior.

And this is what is added: And when they could not lay him before Him...

It follows: But when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

He did not mean the faith of the sick man, but of his bearers, for it sometimes happens that a person is healed by the faith of another.

The Venerable Bede: It may indeed be seen how much each person's own faith matters to God, when another's faith had such influence that the whole man at once rose up, healed in body and soul, and by one person's merit, another could have his sins forgiven.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He saw the faith of the sick man himself, since he would not have allowed himself to be carried unless he had faith to be healed.

The Venerable Bede: Moreover, the Lord, being about to cure the man of the palsy, first loosed the chains of his sins to show that the man was condemned to the loosening of his joints because of the bonds of his sins, and could not be healed in his limbs unless these were first loosed.

But Christ's wonderful humility calls this man—despised, weak, with all the joints of his limbs weakened—a son, when the priests did not deign to touch him. Or, at least, He calls him a son because his sins are forgiven him.

It continues: But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man speak blasphemies?

St. Cyril of Alexandriaⁱ: Now they accuse Him of blasphemy, anticipating the sentence for His death, for there was a command in the Law that whoever blasphemed should be put to death. They brought this charge against Him because He claimed for Himself the divine power of remitting sins.

Therefore it is added, Who can forgive sin, save God only? For the Judge of all alone has power to forgive sin.

He also remits sin through those to whom He has assigned the power of remitting. Therefore, Christ is proved to be truly God, for He is able to remit sins as God.

The Jews, then, are in error, who, although they believe the Christ to be God and able to remit sins, do not, however, believe that Jesus is the Christ.

But the Arians err much more wildly. Although they are overwhelmed by the words of the Evangelist, so that they cannot deny that Jesus is the Christ and can remit sin, they nevertheless do not fear to deny that He is God.

But He Himself, desiring to shame His accusers both by His knowledge of hidden things and by the power of His works, reveals Himself to be God.

For it follows: And immediately when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned, He said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

In this He shows Himself to be God, since He can know the hidden things of the heart. And, though silent, He speaks in this way: "With the same power and majesty by which I see your thoughts, I can forgive the sins of men."

Theophylact of Ohrid: But though their thoughts were laid bare, they still remained insensible, refusing to believe that He who knew their hearts could forgive sins. Therefore, the Lord proves the healing of the soul to them by the healing of the body, showing the invisible by the visible, the more difficult by the easier, although they did not see it that way.

For the Pharisees thought it more difficult to heal the body, as it is more visible, but easier to heal the soul, because the healing is invisible. So they reasoned in this way: "Look, He does not heal the body now, but heals the unseen soul; if He had more power, He would have healed the body at once and not taken refuge in the unseen world."

The Savior, therefore, showing that He can do both, says, Which is easier? as if to say, "I will indeed prove to you the health of the soul—which is really more difficult—by healing the body, which is in reality easier but appears more difficult to you."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: And because it is easier to say than to do, there was still clearly something to say in opposition, for the work was not yet manifested.⁴

Therefore, He adds, But that ye may know, etc. as if He said, "Since you doubt My word, I will perform a work that will confirm what was unseen."

But He says pointedly, On earth to forgive sins, to show that He has joined the power of the divinity to human nature by an inseparable union. For although He was made man, He remained the Word of God. And although by a divine plan He lived on earth with men, He was nevertheless not prevented from working miracles and from giving remission of sins.

For His human nature did not in any way take away from those things that essentially belonged to His Divinity, nor did the Divinity prevent the Word of God from becoming the Son of Man on earth—according to the flesh, without change and in truth.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Again, He says, Take up thy bed, to prove the miracle with greater certainty, showing that it is not a mere illusion. At the same time, it shows that He not only healed but also gave strength. Thus, He not only turns souls away from sin but also gives them the power to carry out the commandments.

The Venerable Bede: A physical sign is therefore given so that the spiritual sign may be proved, although it belongs to the same power to do away with the afflictions of both soul and body.

From this it follows: And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.

St. John Chrysostom: Further, He first healed that which He had come to seek—that is, a soul—by the remission of sins. Then, when they faithlessly doubted, He could present a work before them. In this way, His word could be confirmed by the work, and a hidden sign could be proved by a visible one: the health of the soul by the healing of the body.

The Venerable Bede: We are also informed that many sicknesses of the body arise from sins. Therefore, perhaps sins are remitted first, so that with the causes of sickness removed, health may be restored. For people are afflicted by physical troubles for five reasons: to increase their merits, like Job and the Martyrs; to preserve their humility, like Paul with the messenger of Satan; so that they may perceive and correct their sins, like Miriam, the sister of Moses, and this paralytic; for the glory of God, like the man born blind and Lazarus; or as the beginnings of the pains of damnation, like Herod and Antiochus.

But the power of the Divine is wonderful, where, without the slightest delay, by the Savior's command, swift healing accompanies His words.

Therefore, it follows: Insomuch that they were all amazed. Leaving the greater thing (the remission of sins), they only wonder at what is apparent (the health of the body).

Theophylact of Ohrid: This is not, however, the paralytic whose healing is related by John (John 5), for he had no one with him, while this one had four. He is healed at the pool of the sheep market, but this one in a house. It is the same man, however, whose healing is related by Matthew (Matthew 9) and Mark.

But mystically, Christ is still in Capernaum, in the house of consolation.

The Venerable Bede: Moreover, while the Lord is preaching in the house, there is no room for them, not even at the door. This is because while Christ is preaching in Judea, the Gentiles are not yet able to enter to hear Him. To them, however, though they were outside, He directed the words of His doctrine through His preachers.

Pseudo-Jerome: Again, the palsy is a type of the lethargy in which a person lies slothful in the softness of the flesh, though desiring health.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Therefore, if I, with the powers of my mind weakened, remain without strength whenever I attempt anything good, like a paralyzed man, and if I am raised on high by the four Evangelists, brought to Christ, and there hear myself called a son, then my sins are also forgiven. For a person is called a son of God because he carries out the commandments.

The Venerable Bede: Or else, there are four virtues by which a person is exalted through a confident heart so that he merits salvation; some call these virtues prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice. Again, they desire to bring the paralyzed man to Christ, but they are blocked on every side by the crowd. This is because the soul often desires to be renewed by the medicine of divine grace but, through the sluggishness of the groveling body, is held back by the hindrance of old habit.

Often, in the midst of the very sweetness of secret prayer and, so to speak, the pleasant conversation with God, a crowd of thoughts cuts off the mind's clear vision and shuts Christ out from its sight.

Let us not, then, remain on the lowest ground where the crowds are bustling, but let us aim for the roof of the house—that is, the sublimity of Holy Scripture—and meditate on the law of the Lord.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But how can I be brought to Christ if the roof is not opened? For the roof is the intellect, which is set above all things within us. Here it has much earth around it in the clay tiles—I mean, earthly things. But if these are taken away, the power of the intellect within us is freed from its load. After this, let it be let down—that is, humbled. For this does not teach us to be puffed up because our intellect has its load cleared away, but to be humbled even more.

The Venerable Bede: Or else, the sick man is let down after the roof is opened because when the Scriptures are opened to us, we arrive at the knowledge of Christ; that is, we descend to His humility by the obedience of faith. But the sick man being let down with his bed means that Christ should be known by a person while still in the flesh.

Rising from the bed means the soul's rousing itself from sinful desires, in which it was lying sick. To take up the bed is to restrain the flesh itself with the bonds of continence and to separate it from earthly pleasures through the hope of heavenly rewards.

To take up the bed and go home is to return to paradise. Or else, the man, now healed, who had been sick carries his bed back home, when the soul, after receiving remission of sins, returns to its internal watch over itself, even while still encompassed by the body.

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is also necessary to take up one's bed—that is, the body—for the working of good. For then we will be able to arrive at contemplation, so that our thoughts should say within us, "We have never seen anything like this before." That is, we have never understood as we have since we were healed of the palsy, for he who is cleansed from sin sees more purely.

The Venerable Bede: After the Lord taught at Capernaum, He went to the sea. He did this so He might not only bring order to the lives of people in towns, but also preach the Gospel of the kingdom to those who lived near the sea. He also sought to teach them to despise the restless motions of things that pass away like the waves of the sea, and to overcome them by the firmness of faith.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This is why it says, And He went forth again to the sea, and all the multitude, etc. Alternatively, after the miracle, He goes to the sea as if wishing to be alone, but the crowd runs to Him again. This is so that you might learn that the more you flee from glory, the more it pursues you; but if you pursue it, it will flee from you. The Lord, passing on from there, then called Matthew.

St. John Chrysostom: Therefore, the text continues, And as He passed by, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting, etc. This is the same tax collector mentioned by all the Evangelists: Matthew by Matthew, simply Levi by Luke, and Levi, the son of Alphaeus, by Mark, for he was the son of Alphaeus. You can find people with two names in other parts of Scripture as well; for example, Moses' father-in-law is sometimes called Jethro and sometimes Raguel.

The Venerable Bede: So this same person is called both Levi and Matthew. However, out of reverence and honor for the Evangelist, Luke and Mark are unwilling to use his common name. Matthew, on the other hand, justly accuses himself, calling himself Matthew and a tax collector. He wishes to show his readers that no one who is converted should despair of salvation, since he himself was suddenly changed from a tax collector into an Apostle.¹

He says that he was sitting at the "teloneum," that is, the place where customs are managed and administered. For "telos" in Greek is the same as "vectigal" (customs) in Latin.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For he sat at the tax collector's booth, either demanding payment from some, settling accounts, or doing other such tasks that tax collectors are accustomed to do in their offices. Indeed, this man was lifted up from this state of life so that he might leave all things and follow Christ.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, it continues, And He said to him, Follow Me, etc. To follow is to imitate. Therefore, to imitate the poverty of Christ—in the disposition of his soul even more than in his outward condition—he who used to take his neighbor's wealth now leaves his own.

He not only quit the profits from the customs, but he also disregarded the danger that might come from the rulers of this world, because he left the customs accounts incomplete and unsettled. For the Lord Himself, who called him externally with human language, also inflamed him internally with divine inspiration to follow the moment he was called.

Pseudo-Jerome: Thus Levi, which means "Appointed," followed the Word from the custom-house of human affairs. The Word says, He who does not leave all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But he who used to scheme against others becomes so benevolent that he invites many people to eat with him.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, it continues: And it came to pass, that as Jesus sat at meat in his house. The people here called publicans are those who collect the public taxes, or men who lease the right to collect taxes for the treasury or for republics. Moreover, those who pursue worldly gain through business are also called by this name. When these people saw that the tax collector, converted from his sins to a better way of life, had found a place for pardon, they too did not despair of salvation.²

They come to Jesus not to remain in their former sins (as the Scribes and Pharisees complain), but in penitence, as the Evangelist's following words show: For there were many who followed Him.

The Lord went to the feasts of sinners so that He might have an opportunity to teach them and set spiritual food before His hosts, an act which is also conveyed in mystical figures. For whoever receives Christ into his inner dwelling is fed with the highest delights of overflowing pleasures. Therefore, the Lord willingly enters and takes up His dwelling in the heart of the one who has believed in Him. This is the spiritual banquet of good works, which the rich cannot have, but on which the poor feast.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But the Pharisees, considering themselves pure, blame this. From this, the text continues: And when the Scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat, etc.

The Venerable Bede: If the election of Matthew and the calling of the tax collectors represent the faith of the Gentiles, who were formerly focused on worldly gain, then the arrogance of the Scribes and Pharisees certainly suggests the envy of the Jewish people, who are angered by the salvation of the Gentiles.

It continues: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, They that are whole need not the physician, but they that are sick. He is addressing the Scribes and Pharisees, who, thinking themselves righteous, refused to associate with sinners. He calls Himself the physician, who, by a strange method of healing, was wounded for our iniquities, and by His wound we are healed.

He calls those "whole" and "righteous" who, wishing to establish their own righteousness, do not submit to the righteousness of God. Moreover, He calls those "rich" and "sinners" who, overcome by the awareness of their own frailty and seeing that they cannot be justified by the Law, submit themselves to the grace of Christ through repentance. Therefore, it is added, For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, etc.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This does not mean that they should remain sinners, but that they should be converted to repentance.

Glossa Ordinaria: Just as the Master was previously accused before the disciples for keeping company with sinners at their feasts, so now, on the other hand, the disciples are complained about to the Master for their omission of fasts, so that a reason for dissension might arise among them.

Therefore it is said, And the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to fast.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For the disciples of John, being in an imperfect state, continued in Jewish customs.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It may be thought that He added the Pharisees because they joined with the disciples of John in saying this to the Lord, while Matthew relates that the disciples of John alone said it. However, the words that follow further show that those who said it did not speak of themselves, but of others.¹

The text continues: And they came and say unto Him, Why do the disciples... These words show that the guests who were there came to Jesus and had said this same thing to the disciples. Therefore, in using the words "they came," the author is not speaking of the same people of whom it had been said, And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting.

Rather, because the Pharisees and John's disciples were fasting, other people who remembered this came to Jesus. Matthew, then, says, And there came to Him the disciples of John, saying... because the Apostles were also there, and everyone eagerly, as each was able, raised these objections.

St. John Chrysostom: The disciples of John and of the Pharisees, therefore, being jealous of Christ, ask Him if He alone, with His disciples, could conquer in the fight against the passions without abstinence and toil.

The Venerable Bede: John did not drink wine or strong drink because one who lacks power by nature obtains more merit through abstinence. But why should the Lord, to whom it naturally belonged to forgive sins, shun those whom He could make more pure than those who fast? Christ also fasted, so that He would not break the precept. He ate with sinners so that you might see His grace and acknowledge His power.

The passage continues: And Jesus said unto them, Can the children...

St. Augustine of Hippo: Mark here calls them "children of the nuptials," whom Matthew calls "children of the bridegroom." We understand the "children of the nuptials" to be not only those of the bridegroom but also of the bride.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He then calls Himself a bridegroom, as if He is about to be betrothed to the Church. For the betrothal is the giving of a pledge—namely, the grace of the Holy Spirit, by which the world came to believe.²

Theophylact of Ohrid: He also calls Himself a bridegroom, not only because He betroths virgin minds to Himself, but also because the time of His first coming is not a time of sorrow or sadness for believers. Nor does it bring toil, but rest.

It is a time without the works of the law, giving rest through baptism, by which we easily obtain salvation without toil. The "sons of the nuptials" or "of the Bridegroom" are the Apostles, because by the grace of God, they are made worthy of every heavenly blessing and partakers of every joy.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Fellowship with Him, He says, is far removed from all sorrow, adding, As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. Sorrow is for one from whom some good has been taken away; but one who has that good present with him rejoices and is not sad. But to destroy their pride and to show that He did not intend for His own disciples to be licentious, He adds, But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken...³

It is as if He said: The time will come when they will show their steadfastness. For when the Bridegroom is taken from them, they will fast out of longing for His return and in order to unite their spirits, cleansed by bodily suffering, to Him. He also shows that there is no necessity for His disciples to fast, since they have with them the Bridegroom of human nature, who everywhere executes the words of God and gives the seed of life.

Furthermore, the sons of the Bridegroom cannot yet be entirely conformed to their Father, the Bridegroom, because they are infants. Considering their infancy, He graciously allows them not to fast. But when the Bridegroom is gone, they will fast out of desire for Him. When they have been made perfect, they will be united to the Bridegroom in marriage and will always feast at the king's banquet.

Theophylact of Ohrid: We must also understand that every person whose works are good is a son of the Bridegroom. He has the Bridegroom with him—that is, Christ—and does not fast, meaning he does no works of repentance, because he does not sin. But when the Bridegroom is taken away by that person's falling into sin, then he fasts and is penitent, so that he may cure his sin.

The Venerable Bede: In a mystical sense, it can be expressed this way: the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast because every person who boasts of the works of the law without faith, who follows the traditions of men, and who receives the preaching of Christ with the physical ear and not with the faith of the heart, remains distant from spiritual goods and wastes away with a fasting soul. But one who is incorporated into the members of Christ by a faithful love cannot fast, because he feasts upon His Body and Blood.

The passage continues: No one seweth a piece of rough, that is, new, cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filleth it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: It is as if He said: Because these are preachers of the New Testament, it is not possible for them to serve old laws. But you who follow old customs rightly observe the fasts of Moses. For these men, however, who are about to hand down new and wonderful observances to humanity, it is not necessary to follow the old traditions, but to be virtuous in mind. At some point, they will observe fasting along with other virtues. But this fasting is different from the fasting of the law, for the former was one of restraint, while the latter is one of goodwill, done on account of the fervor of the Spirit, whom they cannot yet receive.⁴

Therefore, the passage continues: And no one putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put in new bottles.

The Venerable Bede: He compares His disciples to old bottles, who would burst from spiritual precepts rather than be restrained by them. But they will become new bottles when, after the Lord's ascension, they are renewed by desiring His consolation. Then new wine will come to the new bottles; that is, the fervor of the Holy Spirit will fill the hearts of spiritual people. A teacher must also be careful not to entrust the hidden things of the new mysteries to a soul hardened in old wickedness.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, the disciples are compared to old garments on account of the weakness of their minds, upon whom it was not fitting to impose the heavy command of fasting.

The Venerable Bede: Nor was it fitting to sew on a new piece—that is, a portion of doctrine that teaches a general fast from all the joy of temporal delights. For if this is done, the teaching is torn and does not agree with the old part. The new garment represents good works, which are done externally, while the new wine expresses the fervor of faith, hope, and charity, by which we are reformed in our minds.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The disciples of Christ, freed from the symbol and united to the truth, do not keep the symbolic feast of the Sabbath.¹

Therefore, it is said, And it came to pass, that He went through the grainfields on the sabbath day; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the heads of grain.

The Venerable Bede: We also read in the following part that many were coming and going, and that they did not have enough time to eat; therefore, according to human nature, they were hungry.²

St. John Chrysostom: But being hungry, they ate simple food, not for pleasure, but because of natural necessity. The Pharisees, however, serving the symbol and the shadow, accused the disciples of doing wrong.³

Therefore, it follows, But the Pharisees said to Him, “Behold, why do they do on the Sabbath day what is not lawful?”

St. Augustine of Hippo: For it was a precept in Israel, delivered by written law, that no one should detain a thief found in his fields unless he tried to take something away with him. They were commanded to allow the man who had touched nothing but what he had eaten to go away free and unpunished. Therefore, the Jews accused our Lord's disciples, who were plucking the heads of grain, of breaking the Sabbath rather than of theft.⁴

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But our Lord brings forward David—who once ate what was forbidden by the law when he touched the priest's food—so that by his example, He might refute their accusation against the disciples.⁵

For it follows, Have you never read... etc.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For David, when fleeing from Saul (1 Samuel 21), went to the high priest and ate the shewbread, and took away the sword of Goliath, which had been offered to the Lord. But a question has been raised as to why the Evangelist called Abiathar the high priest at this time, when the Book of Kings calls him Abimelech.

The Venerable Bede: There is, however, no discrepancy, for both were there when David came to ask for bread and received it: namely, Abimelech, the high priest, and Abiathar his son. But after Abimelech was slain by Saul, Abiathar fled to David and became the companion of all his subsequent exile. When David came to the throne, Abiathar himself also received the rank of high priest. The son became much more distinguished than the father and therefore was worthy to be mentioned as the high priest, even during his father's lifetime.

It goes on: And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

For greater care must be taken for a person's health and life than for the keeping of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was therefore commanded to be observed in such a way that if a necessity arose, the one who broke it would not be guilty. For this reason, it was not forbidden to circumcise on the Sabbath, because that was a necessary work. Likewise, the Maccabees, when necessity pressed them, fought on the Sabbath day.

Therefore, since His disciples were hungry, what was not allowed in the law became lawful through the necessity of their hunger, just as today, if a sick person breaks a fast, he is not held guilty in any way.

It goes on: Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. As if He said: If David the king is to be excused for eating the food of the priests, how much more is the Son of Man—the true King, Priest, and Lord of the Sabbath—free from fault for plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath day?

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He properly calls Himself Lord of the Sabbath and Son of Man, since being the Son of God, He condescended to be called Son of Man for the sake of humanity. Now, the law has no authority over the Lawgiver and Lord, for more is allowed to the king than is appointed by the law. The law is given to the weak, but not to the perfect and to those who do more than the law requires.⁶

The Venerable Bede: In a mystical sense, the disciples pass through the grainfields when the holy teachers look with pious care upon those whom they have initiated into the faith. These new believers, it is implied, are hungering for the best of all things: the salvation of souls.

To pluck the heads of grain means to snatch people away from the eager desire for earthly things. To rub them with their hands is, by the example of virtue, to remove the concupiscence of the flesh from the purity of their minds, just as one removes husks. To eat the grains is for a person, cleansed from the filth of vice by the words of preachers, to be incorporated into the body of the Church.

It is fitting that the disciples are described as doing this while walking before the Lord, for the teaching of the instructor must come first, although the grace of a visitation from on high must follow to enlighten the hearer's heart. They do this on the Sabbath day because the teachers themselves, in their preaching, labor in hope of future rest and teach their hearers to work at their own tasks for the sake of eternal repose.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or else, it is because when they have rest from their passions, they are then made teachers to lead others to virtue, plucking earthly things away from them.

The Venerable Bede: Again, those who rejoice in meditating on His sacred words are the ones who walk through the grainfields with the Lord. They hunger when they desire to find the bread of life in those words. They hunger on Sabbath days, when their minds are in a state of soothing rest and they rejoice in their freedom from troubled thoughts.

They pluck the heads of grain, and by rubbing, cleanse them until they come to what is fit to eat. This happens when, through meditation, they take up the testimony of the Scriptures—which they reach by reading—and discuss them continually until they find in them the marrow of love. This refreshment of the mind is truly unpleasing to fools, but it is approved by the Lord.