Homily 27 — Acts 12, verse 18, to 13, verse 3

“Now as soon as it was day, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. And when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.” [a]

Some people, it is likely, are at a loss to explain why God should quietly look on while his champions are put to death — and now again the soldiers, on Peter’s account — when after delivering Peter he could have rescued them too. But it was not yet the time of judgment, when each would be repaid as he deserved. And besides, it was not Peter who put them into Herod’s hands. What most galled Herod was being made a fool of. It was the same with his grandfather when the wise men deceived him: what cut him to the heart was being eluded and made ridiculous (Matthew 2, verse 16). “And having examined them,” it says, “he ordered them to be led away to execution.” And yet he had heard from them — for he had examined them — that the chains had been left behind, that Peter had taken his sandals, and that until that night Peter had been with them.

“Having examined them.” But what had they hidden? Why, then, did they not run away themselves as well? “He ordered them to be led away to execution.” And yet he ought to have marveled at this, ought to have been astonished. The result is that by the death of these men the matter is made plain to all: his wickedness is exposed to view, and it is made clear that the wonder was God’s.

“And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there. Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him in a body, and having made Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was fed by the king’s country. And on an appointed day Herod, dressed in royal robes, sat on his throne and made a speech to them. And the people shouted, ‘It is the voice of a god, and not of a man!’ And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms, and died” (verses 20 to 23).

But see how the writer does not hide these things here. Why does he tell this story? Tell me, what does it have to do with the good news that Herod is angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon? Even this is no small matter: how swiftly justice seized him — not because of Peter, though, but because of his arrogant speech. And yet someone may say: “If those people shouted, what was that to him?”

Because he accepted the acclaim; because he counted himself worthy of worship. Through him those who flattered him so thoughtlessly receive the lesson most of all. Notice again: both sides deserve punishment, yet it is this man who is punished. For this is not the time of judgment; instead God punishes the one who had most to answer for, and leaves the others to profit by this man’s fate. “And the word of God,” it says, “grew” — that is, as a result of this — “and multiplied” (verse 24). Do you see God’s providential arrangement? “And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their ministry, and took with them John, whose other name was Mark” (verse 25). [b]

“Now there were in the church at Antioch certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul” (Acts 13, verse 1). He still names Barnabas first, for Paul was not yet famous; he had not yet worked any sign. “As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away” (verses 2 and 3). What does “ministering” mean?

Preaching. “Set apart for me,” it says, “Barnabas and Saul.” What does “Set apart for me” mean? For the work, for the apostleship. See again by what persons he is ordained: by Lucius of Cyrene and Manaen — or rather, by the Spirit. The humbler the persons, the plainer the grace. From now on he is ordained to the apostleship, so that he may preach with authority. How then does he himself say, “Not from men, nor through a man” (Galatians 1, verse 1)? Because it was not a man who called him or brought him over. That is why he says, “Not from men.” And “nor through a man” — that is, he was not sent by this man, but by the Spirit. That is also why the writer goes on this way: “So they, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, departed to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus” (verse 4). But let us go back over what has been said. [c]

“And as soon as it was day,” and so on (verse 18). For if the angel had brought the soldiers out too, along with Peter, it would have been taken for a case of escape. Then why, you may ask, was it not managed some other way?

Why, where is the harm? If we see that those who have suffered unjustly take no harm, we will not raise these questions. Why do you not say the same about James? Why did God not rescue him? “There was no small commotion among the soldiers.” So, clearly, they had noticed nothing of what had happened. Look, I take up their defense. The chains were there, the guards were inside, the prison was shut, nowhere was a wall broken through; everything told the same story: the man had been carried off. Why do you condemn them? If they had wanted to let him go, they would have done it earlier, or they would have gone out with him. [e]

“But he gave them money?” And how could he, who had nothing to give even to a poor man (Acts 3, verse 6), have had the means to give to these men? And then, the chains had neither been broken nor undone. Herod ought to have seen that the thing was God’s doing and no human work.

“And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there. And Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon,” and so on (verse 19). He is now going to relate a piece of history; that is why he adds the names, to show how he keeps to the truth in everything. “And,” it says, “having made Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was fed by the king’s country” (verses 20 and 21). Probably there was a famine. “And on an appointed day,” and so on (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, book 19).

Josephus also says this: that he fell into a lingering disease. Most people were not aware of this, but the apostle sets it down. Yet at the same time their ignorance was an advantage, since they put down what happened to Agrippa to his having put James and the soldiers to death. [f]

Notice: when he killed the apostle, he did nothing of this sort; only when he killed these men did he do it. In fact he did not know what to say about it. So, being at a loss and feeling ashamed, “he went down from Judea to Caesarea.” I suppose he also withdrew from Jerusalem to bring the men of Tyre and Sidon to make their apologies, for he was angry with them, while he was paying such court to these. See how full of empty glory the man is: meaning to grant them the favor, he makes a public speech. And Josephus says that he was also dressed in a splendid robe made of silver.

Notice both what flatterers those people were, and what a high spirit the apostles showed: the man whom the whole nation courted so, they held in contempt (verse 24). But notice again the great relief granted to them, and the countless benefits that came from the punishment inflicted on him. But if this man suffered such things because it was said to him, “It is the voice of a god and not of a man” (verse 22) — though he said nothing himself — how much more would Christ have suffered, had he not himself been God, for saying constantly as he did, “These words of mine are not mine” (John 14, verse 10; John 18, verse 36), and “Angels minister to me,” and things like that!

But that man ended his life by a shameful and miserable death, and from then on nothing more is seen of him. And notice him also: easily talked round even by Blastus, like a poor creature, quickly angered and quickly calmed again, on every occasion a slave of the crowd, with nothing free or independent about him.

But notice also the authority of the Holy Spirit: “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul’” (Acts 13, verse 2). What being would have dared to say this, unless he had the same authority? “Set apart,” and so on. But this is done so that they would not keep together among themselves. The Spirit saw that they had greater power and were able to be enough for many. And how did he speak to them? Probably through prophets. That is why the writer states first that there were prophets there as well. And they were fasting and ministering, so that you may learn that there was need of great sobriety.

He is ordained in Antioch, where he preaches. Why did the Spirit not say, “Set apart for the Lord,” but “for me”? It shows that he is of one authority and power. “And when they had fasted,” and so on. Do you see what a great thing fasting is? “So they, being sent out by the Holy Spirit” — this shows that the Spirit did everything.

Fasting is a great good — yes, a great good: it is hemmed in by no limits. When there was need to ordain, then they fasted, and it was to them while they were fasting that the Spirit spoke. This much only do I urge — I do not say fast — but give up luxury. Let us look for food that nourishes us, not things that ruin us; food to live on, not occasions of disease, diseases of both soul and body. Let us look for food that brings comfort, not luxury, which is full of discomfort. The one is true luxury, the other harm; the one is pleasure, the other pain; the one agrees with nature, the other goes against nature.

For tell me, if someone gave you hemlock juice to drink, would that not be against nature? If someone gave you logs and stones, would you not refuse them? Of course, for they are against nature. Well, so is luxury. For just as in a city invaded by enemies, when there has been a siege and tumult, the uproar is great, so it is in the soul when wine and luxury invade it.

“Who has woe? Who has tumults? Who has discomforts and babbling? Is it not those who linger long over wine? Whose are the bloodshot eyes?” (Proverbs 23, verses 29 and 30). But still, say what we will, we will not win back those who give themselves up to luxury unless we set a different feeling against it. So first let us speak to the women.

Nothing is uglier than a woman given to luxury, nothing uglier than a woman given to drink. The bloom of her complexion fades; the calm, gentle look of her eyes is clouded, as when a cloud blocks the rays of the sun. It is a coarse habit, fit for slaves, thoroughly low. How disgusting a woman is when you catch sour whiffs of stale wine on her breath: a woman belching, giving off the fumes of rotting food, weighed down, unable to stand upright, her face flushed an unnatural red, yawning constantly, with everything swimming in a mist before her eyes!

But the woman who stays away from luxurious living is not like that. No, this abstinence makes her a more beautiful and better-bred woman. For even to the body the composure of the soul gives a beauty of its own. Do not imagine that the impression of beauty comes only from the features of the body. Give me a pretty girl who is unruly, talkative, abusive, given to drink and extravagant, and tell me whether she is not uglier than any plain woman. But if she were modest, if she held her tongue, if she learned to blush, to speak with restraint, to make time for fasting, her beauty would be twice as great, her freshness heightened, her look more winning, full of modesty and good breeding. Now then, shall we speak of the men?

What can be uglier than a man in drink? He is a laughingstock to his servants, a laughingstock to his enemies, an object of pity to his friends, deserving condemnation without end: a wild beast rather than a human being. For to devour a great deal of food is the way of the panther, the lion and the bear. No wonder they do so, for those creatures do not have a reasoning soul. And yet even they, if they are gorged with more food than they need, beyond the measure nature has set for them, get their whole body ruined by it. How much more we! That is why God has made our stomach small; that is why he has marked out a small measure of food, to teach us to attend to the soul.

Let us consider our very makeup, and we will see that there is only one small part in us that does this work — for our mouth and tongue are meant for singing hymns, our throat for the voice. So the very necessity of nature has tied us down, so that we may not, even against our will, get into much trouble this way. If luxurious living brought no pains, no sicknesses and infirmities, it might be put up with. But as things are, God has restricted you by the limits of nature, so that even if you want to go beyond them, you cannot. Is it pleasure you are after, beloved? You will find it in moderation. Is it health?

You will gain that too the same way. Is it peace of mind? That too. Is it freedom? Is it vigor and a sound body, soberness and alertness of mind? You will find all these. So completely are all good things found there, while the other brings their opposites: discomfort, ill health, disease, embarrassment, the wasting of one’s means. [h]

Then how is it, you will ask, that we all run eagerly after luxury? It comes from disease. For tell me, what makes the sick man crave the thing that harms him? Is not this very craving part of his disease? Why is it that the lame man does not walk upright? Does this very thing come from his being lazy and not choosing to go to the doctor? For there are some things whose pleasure is brief but whose punishment lasts, and others just the reverse, where the endurance is for a time and the pleasure lasts forever. So the man who has so little solidity and strength of purpose that he will not pass up present sweets for future ones is quickly overcome. Tell me, how was Esau overcome? How did he come to prefer the present pleasure to the future honor? Through lack of solidity and firmness of character (Genesis 25, verse 33).

“And this fault itself,” you say, “where does it come from?” From ourselves; and that is plain from this: when we set our minds to it, we do rouse ourselves and become able to endure. Certainly, whenever necessity comes upon us — indeed, often only from a spirit of rivalry — we come to see clearly what is good for us. So when you are about to indulge in luxury, consider how brief the pleasure is; consider the loss — for it really is a loss to spend so much money to one’s own hurt — the diseases, the infirmities; and despise luxury. How many shall I list who have suffered harm from indulgence? Noah got drunk and lay exposed in his nakedness, and see what evils came of it (Genesis 9, verse 20). Esau through greed gave up his birthright and was bent on killing his brother. The people of Israel “sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32, verse 6).

That is why Scripture says, “When you have eaten and drunk, remember the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6, verse 12). For they fell over a cliff when they fell into luxury. “The widow,” it says, “who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives” (First Timothy 5, verse 6); and again, “The beloved grew sleek, grew thick, and kicked” (Deuteronomy 32, verse 15); and again the apostle: “Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its cravings” (Romans 13, verse 14). I am not making it a law that there must be fasting, for indeed no one would listen. But I am doing away with fussiness over food; I am cutting off luxury for your own good. For like a winter torrent, luxury sweeps everything away; nothing stops its course. It throws people out of a kingdom. What do we gain by it? [i]

Would you enjoy real luxury? Give to the poor; invite Christ, so that even after the table has been cleared you may still have this luxury to enjoy. Now, indeed, you do not have it, and no wonder; but then you will have it. Would you taste real luxury? Nourish your soul; give her the food she is used to; do not kill her by starvation. It is the time for war, the time for contest — and are you sitting and enjoying yourself? Do you not see how even those who hold scepters live frugally while they are away on campaign? “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6, verse 12).

And are you fattening yourself when you are about to wrestle? The adversary stands grinding his teeth, and are you giving yourself over to merriment and devoting yourself to the table? I know that I say these things in vain — yet not in vain for everyone. “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8, verse 8). Christ is wasting away with hunger, and are you frittering yourself away with gluttony? What a pair of excesses! [j]

For what evil does luxury not cause? It works against itself, so that I do not know how it got its name. But just as what is really disgrace is called glory, and what is truly poverty is called riches, so the name of luxury is given to what is in reality nausea. Are we meant for the butcher’s block, that we fatten ourselves like this? Why cater for the worm, so that it may have a well-stocked pantry? Why add to their fluids? Why store up in yourself sources of sweat and rank smells? Why make yourself useless for everything?

Do you want your eye to be strong, your body well strung? For with the strings of an instrument, the one that is coarse and unrefined is not fit to produce musical tones, but the one that has been well scraped stretches well and sounds in full harmony. Why bury the soul alive? Why make the wall around it thicker? Why increase the reek and the cloud, with fumes steaming up from every side like a mist? If no one else, let the wrestlers teach you that the leaner the body, the stronger it is; and then the soul too is more vigorous.

In fact, it is like a charioteer and his horse. There you see that, just as with men who give themselves to luxury and make themselves plump, plump horses are unwieldy and give the driver a great deal of trouble. A man may count himself lucky to carry off the prize even with a horse that obeys the rein and is well built. But when the driver is forced to drag the horse along, and when the horse falls and, however much he goads it, he cannot make it get up, then however skillful he himself may be, he will lose the victory.

So let us not stand by and see our soul wronged because of the body. Let us make the soul herself more clear-sighted, make her wing light and her bonds looser. Let us feed her with instruction and with frugality, and feed the body only as much as it needs to be healthy, to be vigorous, to be glad and not in pain; so that, having ordered our affairs in this way, we may be able to lay hold of the highest virtue and attain the eternal good things, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, to the Father and the Holy Spirit together, be glory, dominion, and honor, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.