The Leper And The Crowd

Cum descendisset Jesus de monte, etc. Coelum mons est, terra vallis. Deus mons est, homo vallis; Forma Dei mons est, et forma servi vallis. Cum ergo descendisset de coelo in terram Deus in forma Dei, exinanitus est in formam servi, et habitu inventus ut homo. Sequi eum jam non poterant turbae, quae eum exspectabant: quae sine ipso quo vadit ipse, ire non poterant. Quo tamen eos ducit? Primum quidem ad sanandum leprosum, quod fortassis ipsi erant, et nesciebant. Prima aegroti incommoditas est sanitatem non habere; secunda, infirmitatem nescire; tertia medicanate non querere; quarta, oblatam negligere. Ideo sapiens medicus, et benignus Deus eo ducit, ubi docet, ubi occurrat vir videns infirmitatem suam, ac ob hoc quierens sanitatem, confitens potestatem, deprecans voluntatem, quatenus ex eo quod foris turba conspicit, erudiatur, et videntem infirmum infirmior caecus sequatur. Dicit Aposto!us: Abrahae factas promissiones, et semini ejus; ideo et Christum ministrum fuisse circamcisionis propler veritatem Dei, ad confirmandas promissiones Patrum; gentes autem super misericordiam honorare Deum. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, In Dominica III Post Epiphaniam I Source: Migne PL 194.1726d-1727a

'When Jesus had come down from the mountain...' 1 Heaven is the mountain, the earth is the valley. God is the mountain, man is the valley. The form of God is the mountain, the form of a slave is the valley. When therefore God in the form of God came down to earth, He emptied Himself and took on the form of a slave, and was found in the likeness of a man. 2 The crowds which expected Him were not able to follow Him, for without Him they were not able to go where He goes. But where does He lead them? First to the healing of the leper, because perhaps they were also sick and did not know it. Firstly it is wretched to be sick and lack health, secondly to not know one's own disorder, thirdly not to seek healing, fourthly to neglect something offered. Therefore God the wise and benevolent physician leads the crowd to a place where it might learn, to a place where it comes on a man who knows his infirmity, and because of this is seeking healing, confessing power, and entreating good will. As far as the crowd looked on these exterior things, it was to learn, even that after the sick man who sees comes the more wretched blind one. The Apostle says, 'Promises were made to Abraham and his seed, therefore Christ was to serve the circumcised because of God's truth, for the confirmation of the promises to the patriarchs, and that the Gentles honour God for His mercy.' 3 Isaac of Stella, from a Sermon on the Third Sunday after the Epiphany 1 Mt 8.1 2 Phil 2.6-7 3 Galat 3.16, Rom 15.8-9