The Crowds Below

Et descendente eo de monte, sequutae sunt eum turbae multae... Vide quia super montem discipuli tantum dicuntur ascendisse ad Jesum: descendente autem eo de monte, sequntae sunt eum turbae, et merito multae turbae: quia mons est virtutis fastigum, cacumen Ecclesiae, in quo appropinquare Christo non possunt turbae, vel peccatis gravatae, vel curis mundialibus oneratae. Nec possunt imitari Christum, nec sublimes audire sermones, qui dicuntur in monte: sed soli dicipuli, qui a passionibus vitiorum liberi sunt, qui curis mundialibus onerati non sunt. Propterea, quasi leves et expediti, ad Christum accedere possunt, facti imitatores ejus in omnibus, ut sublimiores sermones ipsius possint audire. Et tamen cum descenderet ad humilia de altitudine pietatis propter infirmitatem hominum sequi eum non potentium super montem, tunc sequuntur eum turbae multae. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXI Source: Migne PG 56.747

And when He came down from the mountain great crowds followed him... 1 Observe that only the disciples are said to have gone up to Jesus, but when He came down from the mountain, crowds followed Him, and rightly 'great crowds,' because the mountain is the height of virtue, the summit of the Church, where the crowds cannot approach Christ, because they are weighed down by sins, or burdened with the cares of the world. They cannot imitate Christ, nor hear the sublime words which are spoken on the mountain, but only the disciples can, who have been freed from the passions of the vices, who are not burdened with mundane concerns. Because of which, being light and unencumbered, they can come near to Christ, having been made imitators of Him in all things, so that they can listen to His sublime words. And yet when He goes down to the lowly from the heights of piety, because of the weakness of men who are unable to follow him on the mountain, then great crowds follow Him. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 21 1 Mt 8.1