The Spiritual Worship of the Poor
Concerning those who labor not in a praiseworthy way, the saying 'The poor shall eat and be filled' is spoken. But you say 'the poor' according to the saying, meaning those from the nations who previously had no hope and were atheists in the world, who are coming to faith and shall eat and be filled (Psalm 22:26). Remembering God at the ends of the earth and turning from the nations, those who have passed from the earth shall have their citizenship in heaven. And all the families of the nations shall worship before Him.
The Jews also seemed to worship before God coming to Jerusalem and the temple which Solomon built. This typical worship in a place, however, is not what the nations dwelling even unto the ends of the earth are to perform; rather, they were taught to worship in spirit and truth, remaining where they are, performing worship before God, as God wills them to live as citizens. With this, the prophecy also agrees, saying: 'And all the islands of the nations shall worship before Him, every place from its own place,' as Zephaniah says (Zephaniah 2:11).
Those nourished in the earth can be 'poor of the earth' (Psalm 22:29), those who, having been called to repentance in spirit, are killing the deeds of the body so as to no longer think of earthly things, having eaten the spiritual food offered by Jesus, worshipped God in spirit and truth. And it is possible to call 'poor of the earth' those on earth who are departing from worldly wisdom, those becoming rich and ruling sensually; for these, having eaten the food from Jesus, being not a remedy for those foreseeing evils, shall worship God, finding Him above all wisdom, wealth, and rule.
But descending into the earth, if anyone is like those angels descending from heaven to earth and worshipping the Lord and Savior, according to 'Let all the angels of God worship Him' (Ps 97:7); but He stood ready if those receiving common death can descend into the earth, some of whom shall worship the Lord on behalf of them, having become in the lower parts of the earth (Psalm 22:29). But he said well that his own soul lives for him, and not that it serves him; but that the seed shall serve him. For the nature that was taken was united to the divinity that took hold of it, and partook of the same glory and honor.
Ps 21:31b-32: 'A generation goes and a generation comes' (Eccl 1:4)—some take it of the two peoples: they have called those of the circumcision the departing generation, because they have turned away from the Lord, having become 'a crooked and perverse generation' (Deut 32:5).
And the coming generation is the calling from the nations, hastening to the very Savior who calls.
This one, then, will be announced to the Lord by the ambassadors on her behalf, saying: 'To you nations shall come from the end of the earth' (Jer 16:19), and 'All the nations, as many as you have made, shall come and worship before you' (Psalm 86:9; LXX 85:9).
For the Savior who says, 'The one coming to me I will not cast out' (John 6:37), does not cast out this coming generation.
And it is well said 'the one coming' and not 'the one who has come'; for he does not cast out the one who is always effecting his coming to him by practicing the things of virtue.
And the generation of which the discourse speaks has not come but is coming to him, cherishing the things of faith.
And these same ones who announce to the Lord the coming generation also announce God's righteousness through faith in Jesus, effected in all who believe, to the people to be born, a divine offspring, whom the Lord made, having acquired it through his own blood, calling the not-people his people (Hosea 2:23; Rom 9:25).
Ps 22:1b-3a: The one who, through attaining the meek and well-ordered, has been named a sheep of Christ will say concerning the good shepherd: 'The Lord shepherds me, and I shall lack nothing' (Ps 22:1).
For he leads me to the saving pasture, where there are divine grasses, concerning which the shepherd himself says of his own sheep: 'He shall go in and go out and find pasture' (John 10:9).
And the place of green grass can be the divine instruction, where spiritual grass is found, being ethical teaching.
In this place, then, 'he made me dwell'—not 'he settled me'; for he wants me, as far as I progress, to use such pasture perfectly.
For having become from a sheep a man, I shall be tried no longer by a shepherd but by a trainer and teacher.
'He nourished me by water of rest' (Psalm 23:2; LXX 22:2). For the ethical lesson is not only a cure for thirst, but also provides release from sins.
'He converted my soul' (Psalm 23:3; LXX 22:3); for even if, being a sheep, I have strayed outside [...].
Greek
ἀληθινῷ. Περὶ τῶν ου ν ἐπαινετῶς πενομένων τὸ Φάγονται πένητες καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται ει ρηται. ἐρεῖς δὲ πένητας καθ' α ει ρηται η δη καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πρότερον ἐλπίδα μὴ ε χοντας καὶ ἀθέους ἐν κόσμῳ φαγομένους καὶ ἐμπλησθησομένους προσιόντας τῇ πίστει. 198 Ps 21,28 Πέρατα γῆς μνημονεύοντα θεοῦ καὶ ἐπιστρέφοντα η τοι τὰ ε θνη η οἱ περάσαντες ἀπὸ γῆς τῷ τὸ πολίτευμα ε χειν ἐν οὐρανῷ. Καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν. ̓Ιουδαῖοι ο τε τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν ῳ κουν προσκυνεῖν ἐνώπιον θεοῦ ἐδόκουν ἐρχόμενοι ἐπὶ τὰ ̔Ιεροσόλυμα καὶ τὸν ναὸν ο ν ᾠκοδόμησεν Σαλομῶν. ταύτην τὴν τυπικὴν ἐν τόπῳ προσκύνησιν οὐχ οι ά τε η ν ἐπιτελεῖν τὰ ε θνη οἰκοῦντα μέχρι τῶν γῆς ἐσχάτων· προσκυνεῖν δὲ πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ ἐδιδάχθησαν, μένοντα ο ποι ποτ' α ν ω σιν, ἐνώπιον θεοῦ τὴν προσκύνησιν ποιούμενα, ο τε ὡς βούλεται θεὸς πολιτεύονται. τούτῳ συνᾴδει καὶ ἡ προφητεία λέγουσα· Καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, ε καστος ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ, πᾶσαι αἱ νῆσοι τῶν ἐθνῶν, ω ς φησιν Σοφονίας. 199 Ps 21,30ab Πίονες γῆς ει ναι δύνανται οἱ τοῖς γηΐνοις ἐντεθραμμένοι, οι τινες, εἰς μετάνοιαν κεκλημένοι πνεύματι, τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦντες ὡς μηκέτι τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονεῖν, φαγόντες τὴν ὑπὸ ̓Ιησοῦ ὀρεγομένην πνευματικὴν τροφὴν προσεκύνησαν τῷ θεῷ πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. δυνατὸν δὲ πίονας τῆς γῆς εἰπεῖν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς τοὺς διαφέροντας η τοι κοσμικὴν σοφίαν μετερχομένους η πλουτοῦντας καὶ α ρχοντας αἰσθητῶς· καὶ ου τοι γὰρ φαγόντες τὴν παρὰ ̓Ιησοῦ τροφὴν ἀλεξητήριον ου σαν τῶν προκαταλαβόντων κακῶν προσκυνήσουσι τῷ θεῷ, εὑρόντες αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν η ν ει χον σοφίαν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ ἀρχήν. Καταβαίνοντας δὲ εἰς γῆν ει ποι α ν τις τοὺς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εἰς γῆν κατιόντας ἀγγέλους πάντας καὶ τῷ δεσπότῃ καὶ σωτῆρι προσκυνοῦντας κατὰ τὸ Προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες α γγελοι θεοῦ· ἐπίστησον δὲ εἰ καταβαίνειν εἰς γῆν δύνανται οἱ τὸν κοινὸν ἀναδεχόμενοι θάνατον, οι τινες προσκυνήσουσιν τὸν κύριον ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εἰς τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς γενόμενον. Ps 21,30c.31a Καλῶς δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ζῆν ει πεν ἀλλ' οὐ δουλεύειν αὐτῷ τῷ δὲ σπέρμα δουλεύειν. ἡ γὰρ ληφθεῖσα φύσις ἡνώθη τῇ λαβούσῃ θεότητι καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς δόξης μετείληφε καὶ τιμῆς. 200 Ps 21,31b.32 Τὸ Γενεὰ πορεύεται καὶ γενεὰ ε ρχεται ἐπὶ τῶν δύο λαῶν ἐκλαμβάνοντές τινες γενεὰν πορευομένην τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς εἰρήκασιν τῷ ἀποπεφοιτηκέναι τοῦ κυρίου διὰ τὸ γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ πονηρὰ γεγονέναι. ἐρχομένη δὲ γενεὰ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσις πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν καλοῦντα σωτῆρα ἐπειγομένη. αυ τη ου ν ἀναγγελήσεται τῷ κυρίῳ πρὸς τῶν πρεσβευόντων 52 ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς λεγόντων· Πρὸς σὲ ε θνη η ξουσιν ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, καὶ Πάντα τὰ ε θνη ο σα ἐποίησας η ξουσιν καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου. ταύτην γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐρχομένην τὴν γενεὰν οὐκ ἐκβάλλει ὁ λέγων σωτήρ· Τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρός με οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ε ξω. ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν τὸν ἐρχόμενον καὶ οὐ τὸν ἐλθόντα· τὸν γὰρ ἀεὶ ἐνεργοῦντα τὸ πρὸς αὐτὸν η κειν τῷ πράττειν τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς οὐκ ἐκβάλλει ε ξω. καὶ γενεὰ ου ν περὶ η ς ὁ λόγος οὐκ η λθεν ἀλλ' ε ρχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ τῆς πίστεως περιέπουσα. αὐτοὶ δὲ ου τοι οἱ ἀναγγέλλοντες τῷ κυρίῳ τὴν ἐρχομένην γενεὰν καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην τὴν διὰ πίστεως ̓Ιησοῦ εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἐνεργουμένην ἀναγγελοῦσιν τῷ τεχθησομένῳ θεῖον τόκον λαῷ, ῳ ὁ κύριος ἐποίησεν, περιποιησάμενος αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αι ματος, καλέσας τὸν οὐ λαὸν λαὸν ἑαυτοῦ. 201 Ps 22,1b–3a ̔Ο διὰ τὸ κατορθῶσαι τὸ πρᾶον καὶ εὐσταθὲς Χριστοῦ πρόβατον χρηματίσας περὶ τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος ἐρεῖ Κύριος ποιμαίνει με, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει. ἀπάγει γάρ με ἐπὶ τὴν σωτήριον νομήν, ε νθα θεῖαι βοτάναι, περὶ η ς αὐτὸς ὁ ποιμὴν περὶ τοῦ ἰδίου προβάτου φησὶν Εἰσελεύσεται καὶ ἐξελεύσεται καὶ νομὴν εὑρήσει. Τάχα δὲ τόπος χλόης ἡ θεία παίδευσις ει ναι δύναται, ε νθα πνευματικὴ πόα εὑρίσκεται ἠθικὴ ου σα διδασκαλία. ἐν τούτῳ ου ν τῷ τόπῳ Κατεσκήνωσέν με, οὐ κατῴκισεν· βούλεται γάρ με, ἐς ο σον προκόπτω, χρᾶσθαί με τῇ τοιαύτῃ νομῇ τελείως. ει ς γὰρ οὐ ποιμένος ἀλλὰ παιδευτοῦ καὶ διδασκάλου, ἐκ προβάτου α νθρωπος γεγονώς, πειραθήσομαι. ̓Επὶ υ δατος ἀναπαύσεως ἐξέθρεψέν με. τὸ γὰρ ἠθικὸν μάθημα οὐ μόνον α κος ἐστὶ δίψης, ἀλλὰ καὶ λύσιν ἁμαρτημάτων παρέχει. Τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐπέστρεψέν με· εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρόβατον ο ν πεπλάνημαι ἐκτὸς