Complete Works of Saint Jerome, Vol. VII

AHe speaks to the weak: he is silent about his own alternative reading: "his" trampling, as if he were a procrastinator.

(Ver. 7) "Jesus saith to him: It is written again: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

He shatters the devil’s false arrows from the Scriptures with the true shields of the Scriptures. It is to be noted that he brought forward the necessary testimonies only from Deuteronomy, to show the sacraments of the second Law.

B> (Ver. 8, 9) "The devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain: and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said to him:"

The glory of the world, which is to pass away with the world, is demonstrated on a mountain and on a precipice: but the Lord descends to humble and flat places, so that He might overcome the devil through humility. Furthermore, the devil hastens to lead Him to mountains so that, just as he himself had fallen through them, others might also fall, according to that saying of the Apostle: Lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the judgment of the devil (I Tim. iii, 6).

(Ver. 9) "All these will I give thee, if falling down thou wilt adore me."

Arrogant and proud, he speaks even this out of boastfulness: not because the devil has power over the whole world, or can give all kingdoms, since we know that many holy men were made kings by God. If falling down, he says, thou wilt adore me. Therefore, whoever has adored the devil has fallen beforehand.

C> (Ver. 10) "Then Jesus saith to him: Begone, Satan: for it is written."

Satan and the apostle Peter are not condemned by the same sentence, as many think. For to Peter it is said: Get thee behind me, Satan (Matt. xvi, 23), that is, follow me, because you are contrary to my will: but this one hears, Begone, Satan: and it is not said to him, behind me, so that it may be understood as: go into the eternal fire which has been prepared for you and your angels. 22

"Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

While the devil says to the Savior: "If falling down thou wilt adore me," he hears the contrary, that he himself ought rather to adore his Lord and God.

(Ver. 11) "Then the devil left him; and behold angels came, and ministered to him."

Temptation precedes, so that victory may follow. Angels minister, so that the dignity of the victor may be confirmed.

D> (Ver. 15, 16) "Land of Zabulon and land of Nephthalim, way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people that walked in darkness, saw a great light, and to them sitting in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up."

These were the first to hear the Lord preaching, so that where the first captivity of Israel had been by the Assyrians, there the proclamation of the Redeemer might be born.

(Ver. 17-19) "From that time Jesus began to preach

and to say: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he saith to them." John having been delivered up, He rightly begins to preach; the Law ending, the Gospel consequently arises. But if the Savior preaches the same things that John the Baptist had predicted, He shows Himself to be the Son of the same God whose prophet he is.

B> (Ver. 19, 20) "Come ye after me, and I will make you to be fishers of men. And they immediately leaving their nets, followed him."

They were the first to be called to follow the Lord; fishermen and unlearned men are sent to preach, so that the faith of the believers might not be thought to come from the eloquence and doctrine of men, but from the power of God.

(Ver. 24, 25) "And lunatics, and those that had devils, and paralytics, and he cured them. And much people followed him from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond the Jordan."

Not truly lunatics, but those who were thought to be lunatics due to the deception of the demons, who, observing the times of the moon, wished to defame the creature so that blasphemies might redound upon the Creator.

C> (Ch. V — Ver. 1, 2) "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him, and opening 23 his mouth, he taught them, saying."

The Lord ascends to the mountains so that He may draw the multitudes with Him to higher things. But the multitudes are unable to ascend. And the disciples follow, to whom—not standing, but sitting and collected—He speaks. For they could not understand Him shining in His majesty. According to the letter, some of the simpler brothers think that He taught the beatitudes, and the rest which follow, on the Mount of Olives; but this is by no means the case. For from the preceding and following context in Galilee, the place is shown, which we think to be either Tabor or any other high mountain. Finally, after He finished His sermons, it immediately follows: And when he had entered into Capharnaum (Matt. viii, 5).

D> (Ver. 3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

This is what we read elsewhere: And he will save the humble of spirit (Ps. xxxiii, 19). But lest anyone think that poverty, which is sometimes borne out of necessity, is preached by the Lord, He added: in spirit: so that you might understand humility, not destitution. Blessed are the poor in spirit, who are poor by their own will for the sake of the Holy Spirit. Hence concerning such poor ones, the Savior also speaks through Isaiah: The Lord hath anointed me; he hath sent me to preach to the poor (Isa. lxi, 1).