Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 4:23-25

"And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people. And the report of him went forth into all Syria: and they brought unto him all that were sick, holden with divers diseases and torments, possessed with demons, and epileptic, and palsied; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea and [from] beyond the Jordan." — Matthew 4:23-25 (ASV)

Pseudo-Chrysostom: When kings are preparing to go to war against their enemies, they first gather an army and then go out to battle. In the same way, the Lord, when preparing to wage war against the Devil, first gathered His Apostles and then began to preach the Gospel.

Remigius of Auxerre: This provides an example for teachers. So that they would not be inactive, they are instructed by the words, And Jesus went about.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Because the people were weak and could not come to their physician, He, as a zealous physician, went about visiting those who had any serious illness. The Lord went around the various regions, and following His example, the pastors of each region should go around to study the various dispositions of their people, so that a remedy for each ailment may be found in the Church.

Remigius of Auxerre: To teach them not to show partiality, the preachers are instructed by what follows: the whole of Galilee. That they should not go about empty-handed is shown by the word teaching. That they should seek to benefit not just a few but many is shown in what follows: in their synagogues.

St. John Chrysostom:ⁱ By this, He also showed the Jews that He did not come as an enemy of God or a deceiver of souls, but as one in agreement with His Father.

Remigius of Auxerre: That they should not preach error or fables, but sound doctrine, is emphasized by the words, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. Teaching and preaching differ: teaching refers to things present, while preaching refers to things to come. He taught present commandments and preached future promises.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, He taught natural righteousness—those things which natural reason teaches, such as chastity, humility, and the like, which all people inherently see as good. Such things need to be taught not so much to make them known as to stir the heart.

For when carnal desires prevail, the knowledge of natural righteousness lies dormant and forgotten. Therefore, when a teacher begins to denounce carnal sins, his teaching does not introduce new knowledge but recalls to memory a knowledge that had been forgotten. But He preached the Gospel by telling of good things the ancients clearly had not heard of, such as the happiness of heaven, the resurrection of the dead, and the like.

Or, He taught by interpreting the prophecies concerning Himself, and He preached by declaring the benefits that were to come from Him.

Remigius of Auxerre: That the teacher should strive to support his teaching with his own virtuous conduct is conveyed by the words, healing every sort of disease and malady among the people—maladies of the body and diseases of the soul.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, by "disease" we may understand any passion of the mind, such as avarice or lust, and by "malady" we may understand unbelief—that is, weakness of faith.

Or, the "diseases" are the more serious pains of the body, while the "maladies" are the milder ones. Just as He cured bodily pains by the power of His divinity, so He cured spiritual pains by the word of His mercy.

He teaches first and then performs cures for two reasons. First, so that what is most needed may come first, for it is the word of holy instruction, not miracles, that edifies the soul. Second, because teaching is supported by miracles, not the other way around.

St. John Chrysostom: We must consider that when some great change is taking place, such as the introduction of a new order, God is accustomed to working miracles, giving proofs of His power to those who are to receive His laws.

Thus, when He was about to make man, He first created a world and then finally gave man a law in paradise. When He was about to give a law to the holy Noah, He showed truly great wonders. Again, when He was about to establish the Law for the Jews, He first showed great wonders and then finally gave them the commandments. So now, when introducing a lofty way of life, He first validated His instructions with mighty signs. Because the eternal kingdom He preached was not seen, He used visible things to make certain that which was not yet visible.

Glossa Ordinaria: Because preachers should have a good testimony from outsiders, so that their preaching is not despised if their life is open to criticism, the evangelist adds, And the fame of him went abroad through all Syria. ¹

Rabanus Maurus: Syria here is the entire region from the Euphrates to the Great Sea, and from Cappadocia to Egypt, which contains the country of Palestine, inhabited by the Jews.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe the restraint of the Evangelist; he does not give an account of any single case of healing, but summarizes an abundance of miracles in one brief phrase: they brought to him all their sick.

Remigius of Auxerre: By this, he wants us to understand various but milder diseases. But when he says, seized with various sicknesses and torments, he is referring to those who are mentioned next: and who had demons.

Glossa Ordinaria: Sickness means a lasting ailment; torment is an acute pain, like pleurisy and the like. Those who had demons are those who were tormented by demons.

Remigius of Auxerre: "Lunatics" are so called from the moon, for they are tormented as it waxes in its monthly cycles.

St. Jerome: They are not really afflicted by the moon but were believed to be so due to the subtlety of demons. By observing the moon's cycles, the demons sought to bring the created thing into disrepute, so that it might result in blasphemy against the Creator.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Demons are enticed to dwell in many creatures (which are created not by them but by God) by delights adapted to their various natures. They are not animals drawn by food, but spirits attracted by signs that appeal to each one's taste. ²

Rabanus Maurus: Paralytics are those whose nerves are slackened or weakened, a term derived from a Greek word with this meaning.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: In some places it says, He cured many, but here it says, He cured them, meaning all of them. This is like a new physician who, upon first entering a town, cures all who come to him in order to create a good reputation for himself.

St. John Chrysostom: He required no direct profession of faith from them, both because He had not yet given them any proofs of His miraculous power, and because in bringing their sick from far, they had already shown no small faith.

Rabanus Maurus: The crowds that followed Him consisted of four kinds of people. Some followed for the heavenly teaching, as disciples; some for the curing of their diseases; some out of curiosity from the reports about Him, to find out if they were true; and others from envy, wishing to catch Him in some matter so they might accuse Him.

Mystically, Syria is interpreted as "lofty," and Galilee as "turning" or "a wheel," representing the Devil and the world. The Devil is both proud and always turning toward the bottom. The world is where Christ's fame went abroad through preaching. The demoniacs are the idolaters, the lunatics are the unstable, and the paralytics are the slow and careless.

Glossa Ordinaria: The crowds that follow the Lord represent those of the Church, which is spiritually designated by Galilee, passing into virtue. Decapolis represents one who keeps the Ten Commandments. Jerusalem and Judea represent one who is enlightened by the vision of peace and confession. And from beyond the Jordan represents one who, having passed through the waters of Baptism, enters the land of promise. ³

Remigius of Auxerre: Alternatively, they follow the Lord from Galilee, that is, from the unstable world; from Decapolis (the country of ten towns), signifying those who break the Ten Commandments; and from Jerusalem, because it was previously preserved unharmed in peace; and from Jordan, that is, from confessing the Devil; and from beyond the Jordan, representing those who were first established in paganism but came to Christ by passing through the water of Baptism.

1. ap. Anselm
2. City of God, book 21, ch. 6
3. ap. Anselm