Church Fathers Commentary Mark 8

Theophylact of Ohrid: After the Lord had performed the previous miracle of multiplying the loaves, a fitting occasion presented itself again, and He took the opportunity to work a similar miracle.

For this reason, it is said, In those days, the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me three days, and have nothing to eat.

For He did not always perform miracles to feed the multitude, so that they would not follow Him just for food. Therefore, He would not have performed this miracle now if He had not seen that the crowd was in danger.

For this reason, it continues, And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

The Venerable Bede: Matthew explains more fully why those who came from afar remained for three days: And He went up into a mountain, and sat down there, and great multitudes came unto Him, having with them many sick persons, and cast them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them (Matthew 15:29-30).¹

Theophylact of Ohrid: The disciples did not yet understand, nor did they believe in His power, despite the previous miracles. For this reason, the text continues, And His disciples said unto Him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

But the Lord Himself does not blame them, teaching us that we should not be severely angry with ignorant people or those who do not understand, but should bear with their ignorance.

After this, the text continues, And He asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they answered, "Seven."

Remigius of Auxerre: He did not ask them out of ignorance, but so that their answer of "seven" would cause the miracle to be proclaimed and become more widely known in proportion to the small number of loaves.

The text continues, And He commanded the people to sit down on the ground.

In the previous feeding, they sat on the grass; in this one, on the ground.

It continues, And He took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake.

In giving thanks, He left us an example to return thanks to Him for all gifts bestowed on us from heaven. It should also be noted that our Lord did not give the bread to the people directly, but to His disciples, and the disciples gave it to the people.

For the text continues, and gave to His disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.

He blessed not only the bread but also the fish, and ordered them to be set before the people as well.

For it says afterward, And they had a few small fishes: and He blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.

The Venerable Bede: In this passage, then, we should notice in our one Redeemer a distinct operation of both His Divinity and His Manhood. Thus, the error of Eutychesⁱ, who presumes to establish the doctrine of only a single operation in Christ, must be cast far from the Christian fold. For who does not see here that our Lord's pity for the multitude is a feeling and sympathy of His humanity, while at the same time, His satisfying four thousand men with seven loaves and a few fish is a work of divine power?

The text continues, And they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The crowds who ate and were filled did not take the leftover bread with them; instead, the disciples gathered it. In this, the narrative teaches us that we should be content with what is sufficient and not seek anything beyond it. The number of those who ate is recorded when it says, And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and He sent them away. From this, we may see that Christ sends no one away fasting, for He desires all to be nourished by His grace.

The Venerable Bede: The symbolic difference between this feeding and the other one with five loaves and two fish is this: the first signifies the letter of the Old Testament, full of spiritual grace, while this one points to the truth and grace of the New Testament, which is to be ministered to all the faithful.

The multitude remains for three days waiting for the Lord to heal their sick, as Matthew relates, just as the elect, in the faith of the Holy Trinity, supplicate for their sins with persevering earnestness. Or, it is because they turn to the Lord in deed, word, and thought.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, by "those who wait for three days," He means the baptized, for baptism is called illumination and is performed by true immersion.

St. Gregory the Great: He does not, however, wish to dismiss them fasting, lest they faint along the way. For it is necessary that people find the word of consolation in what is preached, so that they do not, hungering for the food of truth, sink under the toil of this life.²

St. Ambrose of Milan: Indeed, while the good Lord requires diligence, He also gives strength. He will not dismiss them fasting, lest they faint by the way. This means they might faint either in the course of this life or before they have reached the fountainhead of life, which is the Father. He feeds them so they may learn that Christ is from the Father, lest perhaps, after accepting that He was born of a virgin, they begin to consider His power to be that of a man and not of God.³

Therefore, the Lord Jesus divides the food. His will is to give to all and to deny none; He is the Dispenser of all things. But if you refuse to stretch out your hand to receive the food, you will faint along the way, and you cannot find fault with Him who pities and provides.

The Venerable Bede: But those who return to repentance after sins of the flesh—after theft, violence, and murder—come to the Lord from afar. For the farther a person has wandered in doing evil, the farther they have wandered from Almighty God. The Gentile believers came to Christ from afar, but the Jews came from near, for they had been taught about Him by the letter of the law and the prophets. In the previous feeding with five loaves, the multitude sat on the green grass. Here, however, they sit on the ground. This is because the law commands us to keep the desires of the flesh under control, but the New Testament commands us to leave even the earth itself and our temporal goods.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Furthermore, the seven loaves represent spiritual discourses, for seven is the number that points to the Holy Spirit, who perfects all things. Our life itself is perfected in the cycle of seven days.ⁱ

Pseudo-Jerome: Alternatively, the seven loaves are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the fragments of the loaves are the mystical understanding of the first week of creation.

The Venerable Bede: Our Lord's breaking of the bread signifies the opening of mysteries. His giving of thanks shows the great joy He feels in the salvation of the human race. His giving the loaves to His disciples to set before the people signifies that He entrusts the spiritual gifts of knowledge to the Apostles, and that it was His will for the food of life to be distributed to the Church through their ministry.

Pseudo-Jerome: The blessed small fish represent the books of the New Testament, for our Lord, when risen, asks for a piece of broiled fish.

Alternatively, in these little fish, we receive the saints. For the Scriptures of the New Testament contain the faith, life, and sufferings of those who, snatched from the troubled waves of this world, have given us spiritual refreshment by their example.

The Venerable Bede: Again, the leftovers that remained after the multitude was refreshed are gathered by the Apostles. This is because the higher precepts of perfection, which the multitude cannot attain, belong to those whose lives transcend that of the ordinary people of God. Nevertheless, the multitude is said to have been satisfied because, although they cannot leave all that they possess or live up to the standard spoken of for virgins, they can still attain everlasting life by obeying the commands of God's law.

Pseudo-Jerome: Again, the seven baskets represent the seven Churches. The four thousand signify the era of the new dispensation, with its four seasons. It is also fitting that there were four thousand, so that the number itself might teach us that they were filled with the food of the Gospel.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, the four thousand represent people made perfect in the four virtues. For this reason, being more advanced, they ate more and left fewer fragments. In this miracle, seven baskets full remain, but in the miracle of the five loaves, twelve baskets remained. This is because there were five thousand men, signifying people enslaved to the five senses. For this reason, they could not eat as much and were satisfied with little, leaving many more fragments.

Theophylact of Ohrid: After our Lord had worked the miracle of the loaves, He immediately withdrew to another place so that the crowds would not try to make Him king on account of the miracle.

Therefore, it is said, And immediately He entered a boat with His disciples and came into the region of Dalmanutha.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Now, in Matthew we read that He entered the region of Magdalaⁱ. But we cannot doubt that it is the same place under another name, for several manuscripts of Mark's Gospel also have only Magdala.¹

The text continues, And the Pharisees came out and began to question Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.

The Venerable Bede: The Pharisees, then, were seeking a sign from heaven. They wanted Him, who had just fed many thousands for the second time with a few loaves, to follow the example of Moses and now feed the whole nation in the last days with manna sent down from heaven for all.²

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, they were seeking a sign from heaven, meaning they wanted Him to make the sun and moon stand still, bring down hail, or change the weather, for they thought He could not perform miracles from heaven, but could only perform signs on earth by the power of Beelzebub.

The Venerable Bede: Just as He gave thanks when He was about to feed the believing multitude, as related above, so now He groans because of the foolish request of the Pharisees. This is because, possessing human feelings, He rejoices over the salvation of people just as He grieves over their errors.

Therefore, the text continues, And He sighed deeply in His spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." The phrase "if a sign will be given" is a Hebraism meaning that no sign will be given, as it is written in the Psalms: I have sworn once by my holiness, if I lie to David (Psalm 89:35), which means, "I will not lie to David."

St. Augustine of Hippo: However, no one should be perplexed that the answer Mark reports is not the same as the one Matthew relates concerning Jonah. Mark says the Lord's answer was that no sign would be given to that generation, by which we must understand a sign of the kind they asked for—that is, one from heaven. He has simply omitted what Matthew related.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now, the reason the Lord did not listen to them was that the time for signs from heaven had not yet arrived. That time is the second coming, when the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and the moon will not give its light. But during the first coming, all things are full of mercy, and so such events do not happen.

The Venerable Bede: For a sign from heaven was not to be given to a generation of people who tested the Lord. But to a generation of people seeking the Lord, He shows a sign from heaven when He ascends into heaven in the sight of the Apostles.

The text continues, And He left them, and entering into the boat again, He departed to the other side.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Lord indeed leaves the Pharisees, seeing them as uncorrectable. For it is right to remain where there is hope of correction, but where the evil is incorrigible, we should depart.

The text continues: Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.

The Venerable Bede: Some may ask how they could have had no bread, since they had just filled seven baskets before getting into the boat. Scripture relates, however, that they had forgotten to take them. This proves how little they cared for physical matters, for in their eagerness to follow the Lord, even the need to refresh their bodies had escaped their minds.

Theophylact of Ohrid: By a special providence, the disciples also forgot to take bread so that they might be rebuked by Christ. Through this, they would become better and come to a knowledge of Christ's power.

For the text continues, And He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Matthew says, of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees; Luke, however, says only of the Pharisees. All three, therefore, name the Pharisees, as they were the most prominent. But Matthew and Mark each mention one of the secondary sects. Mark has fittingly added "of Herod" as a supplement to Matthew's narrative, where it was omitted.³

But in saying this, He gradually brings the disciples to understanding and faith.

Theophylact of Ohrid: By "leaven," He means their hurtful and corrupt doctrine, which is full of the old malice. For the Herodians were teachers who claimed that Herod was the Christ.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, the leaven of the Pharisees is placing human traditions above the decrees of divine law, preaching the law in word but attacking it in deed, testing the Lord, and disbelieving His doctrine and works. The leaven of Herod, however, is adultery, murder, rash swearing, a pretense of religion, and hatred toward Christ and His forerunner.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But the disciples thought that the Lord was speaking of the leaven of bread.

Therefore, the text continues, And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." They said this because they did not understand the power of Christ, who could make bread out of nothing. Therefore, the Lord rebukes them.

For the text continues: And when Jesus knew it, He said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?"

The Venerable Bede: Taking the opportunity, then, from the command He had given—"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod"—our Savior teaches them the meaning of the five and the seven loaves. Concerning this, He adds, "Do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"

For if the leaven mentioned above signifies perverse traditions, then it follows that the food with which the people of God were nourished signifies true doctrine.

Glossa Ordinaria: After the feeding of the multitude, the Evangelist proceeds to the healing of the blind man, saying, And they came to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.

The Venerable Bede: They knew that the Lord's touch could give sight to a blind man just as it could cleanse a leper.¹

It goes on, And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For Bethsaida appears to have been infected with great unbelief, which is why the Lord rebukes it: Woe to thee, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Matthew 11:21). He then takes the blind man, who had been brought to Him, out of the town, because the faith of those who brought him was not genuine.

It goes on, And when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw anything.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Indeed, He spat and put His hand upon the blind man because He wished to show that the effects of the divine word, when added to action, are wonderful. For the hand is the symbol of action, while the spittle is the symbol of the word proceeding from the mouth. He then asked him whether he could see anything—something He had not done with any others He had healed—thus showing that because of the weak faith of those who brought him, and of the blind man himself, his eyes could not be opened completely.²

Therefore, it follows: And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees walking. Because he was still influenced by a lack of faith, he said that he saw men dimly.

The Venerable Bede: He saw the shapes of bodies among the shadows but was unable to distinguish the outlines of their limbs because of the remaining darkness of his vision. In the same way, trees standing close together tend to appear to people who see them from a distance or in the dim light of night, making it difficult to know whether they are trees or men.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But the reason he did not see perfectly at once, but only partially, was that he did not have perfect faith, for healing is given in proportion to faith.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: However, from the very beginning of his returning senses, the Lord leads him to grasp things by faith, and in this way makes him see perfectly. Therefore, the text continues, After that, He put His hands again upon his eyes, and he began to see. Afterwards, it adds, And he was restored, and saw all things clearly—that is, he was perfectly healed in his senses and his intellect.³

It goes on, And He sent him away to his house, saying, Go into thy home, and if thou enter into the town, tell it not to any one.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He gave him these commands because the people of the town were unfaithful, as has been said, so that he would not suffer harm to his soul from them, and so they, through their unbelief, would not fall into a more grievous sin.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, He leaves an example for His disciples not to seek popular favor through the miracles they perform.

Pseudo-Jerome: Mystically, however, Bethsaida is interpreted as "the house of the valley"—that is, the world, which is the valley of tears. They bring a blind man to the Lord—that is, one who sees neither what he has been, what he is, nor what he will be. They ask Him to touch him, for what is being touched but feeling remorse?

The Venerable Bede: For the Lord touches us when He enlightens our minds with the breath of His Spirit. He stirs us up so that we may recognize our own weakness and be diligent in good works. He takes the hand of the blind man to strengthen him for the practice of good works.

Pseudo-Jerome: And He brings him out of the town—that is, out of the company of the wicked. He puts spittle on his eyes so that he may see the will of God by the breath of the Holy Spirit. And putting His hands upon him, He asked him if he could see, because the Lord's majesty is seen by His works.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, by putting spittle on the blind man's eyes, He lays His hands upon him so that he may see, because He has wiped away the blindness of the human race both by invisible gifts and by the sacrament of His assumed humanity. For the spittle, proceeding from the Head, signifies the grace of the Holy Spirit.

And though He could have cured the man completely and all at once with a single word, He cures him by degrees. He does this to show the greatness of human blindness, which can only be restored to light with great difficulty and, as it were, step by step. He also shows us His grace, by which He advances each step toward perfection.

Again, whoever is weighed down by such a long-standing blindness that he is unable to distinguish between good and evil sees, as it were, men like trees walking, because he sees the actions of the crowd without the light of discernment.

Pseudo-Jerome: Alternatively, he sees men as trees because he considers all men to be greater than himself. But He put His hands again upon his eyes so that he might see all things clearly—that is, to understand invisible things by means of visible ones, and with the eye of a pure mind to contemplate what the eye has not seen: the glorious state of his own soul after the rust of sin. He sent him to his home—that is, to his heart—so that he might see in himself things he had not seen before. For a man despairing of salvation does not think he can do at all what, when enlightened, he can easily accomplish.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, after He has healed him, He sends him to his home, for the home of each one of us is heaven and the mansions that are there.

Pseudo-Jerome: And He says to him, If thou enter into the town, tell it not to any one, that is, continually relate to your neighbors your blindness, but never tell them of your virtue.

Theophylact of Ohrid: After taking His disciples far from the Jews, He then asks them about Himself, so that they could speak the truth without fear of the Jews.

Therefore, it is said, "And Jesus and His disciples entered the towns of Caesarea Philippi."

The Venerable Bede: Philip was that brother of Herod, whom we spoke of earlier, who in honor of Tiberius Caesar named that town Caesarea Philippi. The town is now called Paneas. ¹

It goes on, "And along the way He asked His disciples, saying to them, 'Whom do men say that I am?'"

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He asks the question with a purpose, for it was right that His disciples should speak of Him more highly than the crowd. ²

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, He first asks for the opinion of men in order to test the faith of the disciples, so that their confession would not seem to be founded on the common opinion.

It goes on, "And they answered, saying, 'Some say John the Baptist, some Elias, and others, one of the prophets.'"

Theophylact of Ohrid: For many thought that John had risen from the dead, as Herod himself believed, and that he had performed miracles after his resurrection. However, after inquiring about the opinions of others, He asks them what they themselves believed on this point.

Therefore, it continues, "And He said to them, 'But whom do you say that I am?'"

St. John Chrysostom: From the very manner of the question, however, He leads them to a higher understanding and deeper thoughts about Him, so that they would not agree with the crowd. The next words show what the head of the disciples, the mouth of the apostles, answered. When all were asked, Peter answers and says to Him, "You are the Christ." ³

Theophylact of Ohrid: He confesses that He is the Christ announced by the prophets. However, the Evangelist Mark passes over what the Lord answered to his confession and how He blessed him, lest by relating it this way, he might seem to be favoring his master, Peter. Matthew, on the other hand, plainly recounts the entire event.

Origen of Alexandria: Alternatively, because Mark and Luke recorded that Peter answered, "You are the Christ," without adding what is written in Matthew, "the Son of the living God," they also omitted the blessing that was conferred for this confession. ⁴

It goes on, "And He charged them that they should tell no one about Him."

Theophylact of Ohrid: For He wished to hide His glory in the meantime, so that many would not be offended because of Him and thus earn a worse punishment.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, He may have waited to establish pure faith in their minds until after the Crucifixion, which was an offense to them. For once His work was completed, around the time of His ascension, He said to the apostles, "Go and teach all nations."

Theophylact of Ohrid: But after the Lord accepted the disciples' confession, in which they called Him the true God, He then revealed to them the mystery of the Cross.

Therefore, the text continues, "And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again." The evangelist adds, "And He spoke that saying openly," meaning, concerning His future passion.

His disciples, however, did not understand this sequence of truth. They could not comprehend His resurrection and thought it better that He should not suffer.

St. John Chrysostom: The reason the Lord told them this, however, was to show that after His cross and resurrection, Christ must be preached by His witnesses. Again, Peter alone, from the fervor of his disposition, had the boldness to argue about these things. ⁵

Therefore, it goes on, "And Peter took Him up, and began to rebuke Him."

The Venerable Bede: This, however, he says with the feelings of a man who loves and desires, as if to say, "This cannot be, nor can my ears accept that the Son of God is to be slain."

St. John Chrysostom: But how is it that Peter, gifted with a revelation from the Father, has fallen so soon and become unstable? Surely, however, it was not surprising that one who had received no revelation concerning the Passion would be ignorant of it.

He had learned by revelation that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God, but the mystery of His cross and resurrection had not yet been revealed to him. He Himself, however, showing that He must come to His Passion, rebuked Peter.

Therefore, there follows, "And when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter..."

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Lord wished to show that His Passion was to take place for the salvation of humanity, and that Satan alone was unwilling for Christ to suffer and for the human race to be saved. He therefore called Peter "Satan" because he savored the things that were of Satan.

In his unwillingness for Christ to suffer, Peter became His adversary—for "Satan" is interpreted as "the adversary."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But He does not say to the devil, when tempting Him, "Get behind me," but to Peter He says, "Get behind me," which means, "Follow Me, and do not resist the plan of My voluntary Passion." ⁶

There follows, "For you do not savor the things that are of God, but the things that are of men."

Theophylact of Ohrid: He says that Peter savors "the things that are of men" because he, in a way, savored carnal affections, for Peter wished that Christ would spare Himself and not be crucified.

The Venerable Bede: After showing His disciples the mystery of His passion and resurrection, He exhorts them, as well as the multitude, to follow the example of His passion.

Therefore, the text continues, And when He had called the people to Him with His disciples also, He said to them, Whoever wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself.

St. John Chrysostom: It is as if He were saying to Peter, "You rebuke Me for being willing to undergo My passion, but I tell you that not only is it wrong to prevent Me from suffering, but you cannot be saved unless you yourself die."¹

Again He says, Whoever wishes to come after Me; it is as if He said, "I call you to good things that a person should desire; I do not force you into evil and burdensome things." For someone who compels his listener often stands in his way, but one who leaves him free is more likely to draw him to himself. A person denies himself when he does not care for his body, so that whether it is scourged or suffers anything of a similar nature, he bears it patiently.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For a person who denies another, whether a brother or a father, does not sympathize with him or grieve at his fate, even if he is wounded and dies. In the same way, we ought to despise our body, so that if it should be wounded or hurt in any way, we should not be concerned with its suffering.

St. John Chrysostom: But He does not say a person should not spare himself, but something more: that he should deny himself, as if he had nothing in common with himself. He should face danger and look upon such things as if another were suffering. This is how one truly spares himself, for parents act most kindly toward their children when they entrust them to teachers with the instruction not to spare them. He then shows the degree to which a person should deny himself when He says, And take up his cross, by which He means a death of the utmost shame.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For at that time the cross was seen as shameful, because criminals were fastened to it.

Pseudo-Jerome: Alternatively, like a skillful pilot who foresees a storm during a calm and wants his sailors to be prepared, so also the Lord says, If anyone will follow me...

The Venerable Bede: For we deny ourselves when we turn away from what we were in the past and strive to reach that state to which we are newly called. And we take up the cross when our body is pained by abstinence or our soul is afflicted by compassion for our neighbor.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But because we must have a new strength after the cross, He adds, and follow me.

St. John Chrysostom: He says this because it is possible for a person to suffer and yet not follow Christ—that is, when he does not suffer for Christ's sake. For he who follows Christ is one who walks after Him and conforms himself to His death, despising the principalities and powers under whose influence he committed sin before the coming of Christ.

Then follows the verse: For whoever will save his life shall lose it; but whoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it.

I give you these commands, so to speak, to spare you. For whoever spares his son brings him to destruction, but whoever does not spare him saves him. It is therefore right to be always prepared for death. If in the battles of this world, the one who is prepared for death fights better than others—even though no one can restore him to life after death—how much more is this true in spiritual battle? For in this battle, such a great hope of resurrection is set before him, since he who gives up his soul to death truly saves it.

Remigius of Auxerre: In this passage, "life" should be understood as the present life, not the substance of the soul itself.

St. John Chrysostom: And so, after He had said, For whoever will save his life shall lose it, He added, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? He did this so that no one would suppose this loss is equivalent to that salvation. It is as if He said, "Do not think that he has saved his soul who has shunned the perils of the cross. For when a person, at the cost of his soul—that is, his life—gains the whole world, what else does he have, now that his soul is perishing?"

Does he have another soul to give for his own? A person can give money in exchange for a house, but in losing his soul, he does not have another soul to give. It is with a purpose that He says, Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For God, in exchange for our salvation, has given the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, He says this because in a time of persecution, our life is to be laid aside, but in a time of peace, our earthly desires are to be broken. He implies this when He says, For what shall it profit a man...²

But we are often hindered by shame from expressing with our voice the righteousness we preserve in our hearts. Therefore, it is added, For whoever shall confess Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, him also shall the Son of man confess, when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For faith that remains only in the mind is not sufficient; the Lord also requires confession with the mouth. For when the soul is sanctified by faith, the body ought also to be sanctified by confession.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He who has learned this, then, is bound to confess Christ zealously and without shame. This generation is called "adulterous" because it has left God, the true Bridegroom of the soul, and has refused to follow the doctrine of Christ. Instead, it has submitted itself to the devil and has taken up the seeds of impiety, for which reason it is also called "sinful." Whoever among them, therefore, has denied the kingdom of Christ and the words of God revealed in the Gospel will receive a reward fitting his impiety, when he hears at the second advent, I know you not (Matthew 7:23).³

Theophylact of Ohrid: Christ Himself will also confess the one who has confessed that his God was crucified—not here, where Christ is regarded as poor and wretched, but in His glory and with a multitude of angels.

St. Gregory the Great: There are some, however, who confess Christ simply because they see that everyone else is a Christian. If the name of Christ were not held in such great glory today, the Holy Church would not have so many who profess faith. Therefore, a verbal profession is not a sufficient test of faith as long as the profession of the majority shields it from shame.⁴

In a time of peace, therefore, there is another way by which we may know ourselves. We are always fearful of being despised by our neighbors and consider it a shame to endure insulting words. If, perhaps, we have quarreled with our neighbor, we blush to be the first to offer amends, for our carnal heart, in seeking the glory of this life, disdains humility.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But because He had spoken of His glory, He adds the following to show that His promises were not empty: Truly I say to you, that there are some of them that stand here who shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

It is as if He said, "Some of them—that is, Peter, James, and John—shall not taste death until I show them in my transfiguration the glory with which I am to come in my second advent." For the transfiguration was nothing less than a preview of the second coming of Christ, in which Christ Himself and the saints will shine.

The Venerable Bede: Truly, this was done with loving foresight, so that having tasted for a brief moment the contemplation of everlasting joy, they might bear up under adversity with greater strength.⁵

St. John Chrysostom: And He did not declare the names of those who were about to go up the mountain, lest the other disciples should feel some touch of human frailty. He told them beforehand so that they might come with minds better prepared to be taught all that concerned that vision.⁶

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, the present Church is called the kingdom of God. Some of the disciples were to live in the body until they could see the Church built up and raised against the glory of the world. For it was right to make some promises concerning this life to the uninstructed disciples, so that they might be built up with greater strength for the time to come.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But in a mystical sense, Christ is life and the devil is death, and he who dwells in sin is one who tastes of death. Even now, everyone, according to whether he has good or evil doctrines, tastes the bread of either life or death. Indeed, it is a lesser evil to see death, a greater one to taste it, still worse to follow it, and worst of all to be subject to it.⁷