18. "Let it be unto him as the cloak which covereth him" (ver. 18). Since he hath before spoken of the cloak, why doth he repeat it? When he said, "He clothed himself with cursing as with a raiment;" doth the raiment with which he is "covered" differ from that with which he is "clothed"? For every man is clothed with his tunic, covered with his cloak; and what is this, save boasting in iniquity, even in the sight of men? "and as the girdle," he saith, "that he is alway girded withal." Men are girded chiefly that they may be better fit for toil, that they may not be hindered by the folds of their dress. He therefore girdeth himself with curses, who designeth an evil which he hath carefully contrived, not on a sudden impulse, and who learneth in such a manner to do evil, that he is always ready to commit it.
19. "This is the work of them that slander me before the Lord" (ver. 19). He said not, "their reward," but, "their work:" for it is clear that by the clothing, covering, water, oil, and girdle, he was describing the very works by which eternal curses are procured. It is not then one Judas, but many, of whom it is said, "This is the work of them that slander me before the Lord." Although indeed the plural number might have been put for the singular; even as, when Herod died, it was said by the Angel, "They are dead which sought the young Child's life." [4939] But who slander Christ more before the Lord, than they who slander the very words of the Lord, by declaring that it is not He whom the Law of the Lord and His Prophets announced beforehand? "And of those that speak evil against my soul:" by denying that He, when He had willed, could have arisen: though He saith, "I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again." [4940]
20. "But work Thou with me, O Lord God" (ver. 20). Some have thought "mercifully" should be understood, some have actually added it; but the best copies have the words thus: "But work Thou with me, O Lord God, for Thy Name's sake." Whence a higher sense should not be passed over, supposing the Son to have thus addressed the Father, "Deal Thou with Me," since the works of the Father and of the Son are the same. Where although we understand mercy,--for these words follow, "for sweet is Thy mercy,"--because he said not, "In me," or, "over me;" or anything of this sort: but, "work Thou with Me;" we rightly understand that the Father and Son together work mercifully towards the vessels of mercy. [4941] "Work with me," [4942] may also be understood to mean, help me. We use this expression in our daily language, when we are speaking of anything which is in our favour; "It works with us." For the Father aideth the Son, as far as the Deity aideth Man, on account of His having assumed the "form of a servant," to which Man, God, and to which "Form of a servant," the Lord too is Father. For in the "form of God," the Son needeth not aid, for He is equally all-powerful with the Father, on which account He also is the helper of men....And because when he had said, "Work Thou with me," he added, "for Thy Name's sake," he hath commended grace. For without previous deserving works, human nature was raised to such a height, that the whole in one, the Word and Flesh, that is, God and Man, was styled the Only-begotten Son of God. And this was done that that which had been lost might be sought by Him who had created it, through that which had not been lost; whence the following words, "For Thy mercy is sweet."
21. "O deliver me, for I am needy and poor" (ver. 21). Need and poverty is that weakness, through which He was crucified. [4943] "And my heart is disturbed within me." This alludeth to those words which He spoke when His Passion was drawing near, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." [4944]
22. "I go hence like a shadow that declineth" (ver. 22). By this he signified death itself. For as night comes of the shadow's declining, so death comes of mortal flesh. "And am driven away as the locusts." This I think would be more suitably understood of His members, that is, of His faithful disciples. That he might make it much plainer, he preferred writing "locusts" in the plural number: although many may be understood where the singular number is used, as in that passage, "He spake, and the locust came;" [4945] but it would have been more obscure. His disciples, then, were driven away, that is, were put to flight by persecutors, either the multitude of whom He wished to be signified by the word locusts, or their passing from one place to another.
23. "My knees are weak through fasting" (ver. 23). We read, that our Lord Christ underwent a fast of forty days: [4946] but had fasting so great power over Him, that His knees were weakened? Or is this more suitably understood of His members, that is, of His saints? "And my flesh is changed because of the oil;" [4947] because of spiritual grace. Whence Christ was so called from the Greek word, chrisma, which signifies unction. But the flesh was changed through the oil, not for the worse, but for the better, that is, rising from the dishonour of death to the glory of immortality....His flesh was not yet changed. But whether the Holy Spirit be represented by water through the notion of ablution or irrigation, or by oil through that of exultation and the inflaming of charity; It doth not differ from Itself, because Its types are different. For there is a great difference between the lion and the lamb, and yet Christ is represented by both....
24. "I became also a reproach unto them" (ver. 24): through the death of the Cross. "For Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." [4948] "They looked upon Me, and shaked their heads." Because they beheld His crucifixion, without beholding His resurrection: they saw when His knees were weakened, they saw not when His flesh was changed.
25. "Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to Thy mercy" (ver. 25). This may be referred to the whole, both to the Head and to the body: to the Head, owing to His having taken the form of a servant; to the body, on account of the servants themselves. For He might even in them have said unto God, "Help Me:" and, "O save Me:" as in them He said unto Paul, "Why persecutest thou Me"? [4949] The following words, "according to Thy mercy," describe grace given gratuitously, not according to the merit of works.
26. "And let them know how that this is Thy Hand, and that Thou, Lord, hast made it" (ver. 26). He said, "Let them know," of those for whom He even prayed while they were raging; for even those who afterwards believed in Him were among the crowd who shook their heads in mockery of Him. But let those who ascribe unto God the shape of the human body, learn in what sense God hath a hand. Let us therefore understand, that the Hand of God meaneth Christ: whence it is elsewhere said, "Unto whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" [4950] ...
27. "Though they curse, yet bless Thou" (ver. 27). Vain therefore and false is the cursing of the sons of men, that have pleasure in vanity, and seek a lie; [4951] but when God blesseth, He doth what He saith. "Let them be confounded that rise up against me." For their imagining that they have some power against Me, is the reason that they rise up against Me; but when I shall have been exalted above the heavens, and My glory shall have commenced spreading over the whole earth, they shall be confounded. "But Thy servant shall rejoice:" either on the right hand of the Father, or in His members when they rejoice, both in hope among temptations, and after temptations for evermore.
28. "Let my slanderers be clothed with shame" (ver. 28): that is, let it shame them to have slandered me. But this may also be understood as a blessing, in that they are amended. "And let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a double cloak;" for diplois is a double cloak; that is, let them be confounded both within and without: both before God and before men.
29. "As for me, I will confess greatly [4952] unto the Lord with my mouth" (ver. 29)....Is He said to "praise among the multitude" because He is with His Church here even unto the end of the world; [4953] so that we may understand by "among the multitude," that He is honoured by this very multitude? For he is said to be in the midst, unto whom the chief honour is paid. But if the heart is, as it were, that which is mid-most of a man, no better construction can be put on this passage than this, I will praise Him in the hearts of many. For Christ dwelleth through faith in our hearts; [4954] and therefore he saith, "with my mouth," that is, with the mouth of my body, which is the Church.
30. "For He stood at the right hand of the poor" (ver. 30). It was said of Judas, "Let Satan stand at his right hand;" since he chose to increase his riches by selling Christ; but here the Lord stood at the right hand of the poor, that the Lord Himself might be the poor man's riches. "He stood at the right hand of the poor," not to multiply the years of a life that one day must end, nor to increase his stores, nor to render him strong in the strength of the body, or secure for a time; "but," he saith, "to save my soul from the persecutors." Now the soul is rendered safe from the persecutors, if we do not consent to them unto evil; but there is no such consent to them when the Lord standeth at the right hand of the poor, that he may not give way through his very poverty, that is, weakness. This aid was given to the Body of Christ in the case of all the holy Martyrs.
[4915] Lat. CVIII.
[4916] [That he was facile princeps in the original college, nobody denies; that he had any supremacy over his brethren, all antiquity, as well as Holy Scripture, disproves. The keys were equally given to the others. See A.N.F. vol. viii. p. 601 et seq.--C.]
[4917] Matt. xvi. 19.
[4918] Rom. iii. 4.
[4919] Ps. cii. 8.
[4920] John xix. 6.
[4921] Sallust. Bell. Cat. i.
[4922] Rom. iv. 5.
[4923] Luke xxiii. 34.
[4924] Matt. xxiii. 37.
[4925] Acts i. 20.
[4926] Ps. cxliv. 11.
[4927] Ezek. xviii. 4, 20.
[4928] Exod. xx. 5.
[4929] Contra.
[4930] Ps. xc. 8.
[4931] [Here he inquires whether Judas, in Hades, could know the condition of his family; and he replies, "It is indeed a great question, and not one to be discussed at present, because it belongeth to a labour of greater extent, whether, or to what degree, or in what manner, the spirits of the dead are aware of what is passing around us." He compares Luke xvi. 23, 28.--C.]
[4932] 2 Cor. viii. 9.
[4933] John iv. 7.
[4934] John xix. 28.
[4935] Matt. xxxii. 25.
[4936] John ix. 27.
[4937] [It seems to me there is here a reference to the water of jealousy, Numb. v. 22, 23. Compare Acts i. 18. As to oil, generally a blessing, compare Ps. lv. 21; Prov. v. 3, 4. "For envy they delivered Him." Prov. xiv. 30.--C.]
[4938] Matt. x. 28.
[4939] Matt. ii. 20.
[4940] John x. 18.
[4941] Rom. ix. 23.
[4942] Fac Mecum.
[4943] 2 Cor. xiii. 4.
[4944] Matt. xxvi. 38.
[4945] Ps. cv. 34.
[4946] Matt. iv. 2.
[4947] [Strange that our author's power of association fails to connect this with John xii. 7, and so with another incident in the history of Judas, quite to his purpose. See this series, vol. vi. p. 174.--C.]
[4948] Gal. iii. 13.
[4949] Acts ix. 4.
[4950] Isa. liii. 1.
[4951] Ps. iv. 2.
[4952] [He says: "The word nimis is used in Latin to express excess, the contrary to parum, which meaneth deficiency. The Greek word for nimis is ?gan: but this verse hath sphodra, not ?gan; which our translators have sometimes rendered by nimis, sometimes by valdè (very much'). Now if nimis be taken as equivalent to valdè, it may be understood of praise: for this confession signifieth praise. For the next words are, and I will praise Him among the multitude.'"--C.]
[4953] Matt. xxviii. 20.
[4954] Eph. iii. 17.