Having made such a threat against the seducers that it would be better for them to be cast into the sea, the Lord now teaches those who are offended to beware of people who are ready to seduce and lead them astray from the path of truth. If your foot, or hand, or eye offend you, that is, if he who offends and stumbles in the work of salvation from among your household, or from among your neighbors in the flesh, cut him off, that is, reject love for him and friendship. And the worm and the fire that torment sinners are the conscience of everyone and the remembrance of the abominable deeds committed in this life. It bites like a worm and burns like fire. "Everyone," he says, "will be salted with fire," that is, he will be tempted, just as Paul says that all things will be tempted by fire (1 Corinthians 3:13). "And every salt sacrifice shall be salted," Jesus quoted these words from the book of Leviticus (2:13). Therefore, we must salt our sacrifices with the salt of God, that is, offer sacrifices that are not stunted and weak, but strong and healthy. The Lord calls the Apostles by salt, and in general those who have a protective and astringent power. For just as salt protects meat and prevents worms from germinating in it, so the word of the teacher, if it is strong and viscous, restraining people from carnal passions, does not give place in them to the ever-sleeping worm. But if the teacher himself is without salt and does not have in himself the stimulating and astringent power, then with what will he be salted, that is, will he be corrected? Therefore, have salt in yourselves, that is, the strengthening and binding grace of the Spirit, so that you may be at peace with each other, being bound to the neighborly union of love. This is what it means to have salt, and this is why the words are spoken: Have peace with your neighbors. Of such Solomon said: "There are many horses in Pharaoh's chariot," and so on.

Chapter Ten

Departing from thence, he came to the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan side. Again the people gathered to Him according to His custom, He again taught them. The Pharisees came and asked, tempting Him, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" And he answered and said unto them, What hath Moses commanded you? They said, "Moses has allowed the bill of divorce to be written, and to be divorced. Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart, he has written this commandment for you." In the beginning of creation, God created them male and female (Gen. 1:27). Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh; so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man put asunder.

The Lord often left Judea because of the hatred of the Pharisees for Him. But now He comes to Judea again, because the time of His sufferings was approaching. However, He does not go directly to Jerusalem, but at first only "to the borders of the Jews," in order to benefit the people who are not malicious; while Jerusalem, through the wickedness of the Jews, was the center of all wickedness. And see how they tempt the Lord in their wickedness, not tolerating that the people should believe in Him, but each time approaching Him with the intention of putting Him in difficulty and restraining Him with their questions. They put to Him a question that put Him between two abysses: Is it lawful, they say, for a man to let his wife go from him? For whether He said that it was lawful, or whether He said that it was not permissible, at any rate they thought to accuse Him of contradicting the Law of Moses. But Christ, the Self-existent Wisdom, answers them in such a way that He avoids their snares. He asked them, "What did Moses command them?" And when they answered that Moses commanded to let his wife go, Christ explained to them the Law itself. Moses, He says, was not so unmerciful as to be able to give such a Law, but he wrote it because of your hardness of heart. Knowing the inhumanity of the Jews, such that a husband who did not love his wife could easily kill her, Moses allowed the husband to let his wife go unloved. But from the beginning it was not so: God unites two persons in the union of matrimony, so that they are one, leaving even their parents. Note that the Lord says: God does not permit polygamy, so that one wife may be let go and another may be taken, and then leave this one again, and marry another. If it were pleasing to God, then He would create one man, and many wives; but it did not happen in this way, but "God created man and woman" so that they would be united — one husband with one wife. In a figurative sense, it can be understood as follows: the word of the Teaching, throwing good seeds into the soul of a believer, has the meaning of a husband for the soul that accepts it. But he leaves (the word of teaching) his father, that is, his lofty mind, and his mother, that is, adorned speech, and clings to his wife, that is, to the benefit of the soul, adapts himself to her, and often prefers low thoughts and simple speech. And then they both become one flesh, that is, the soul believes that "the Word (of God) has become flesh," and no human thought can separate the soul from such faith.

In the house His disciples again asked Him about the same thing. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery with her; and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.

In the same way the disciples were offended (concerning the divorce of husband and wife), so they also come to Him and ask the same thing. Their way of thinking was not yet perfectly sound. The Lord answered them: "Whoever sends away his wife and understands another, he becomes an adulterer with this second wife; In the same way, a wife who leaves her husband and marries another becomes an adulteress.

They brought children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples did not admit those who brought them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant, and said to them, "Suffer the little children to come to me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child will not enter into it. And having embraced them, he laid his hands on them and blessed them.

Great was the faith of the people, when they accepted the mere laying on of hands by Christ as a blessing for the children who were brought to Him, but the disciples did not allow those who brought Him, thinking that it was unworthy of Him. What about Christ? Teaching His disciples to be humble and reject worldly arrogance, He accepts and embraces children. By this He shows that He accepts those who are not malicious; Wherefore he says: "For of such is the kingdom of God." Note that he did not say: these children "are the Kingdom," but "such," that is, those who have acquired the same kindness as children have by nature. For the child does not envy, does not remember evil, and, being punished by his mother, does not flee from her, but even though she wears rags, he prefers it to the queen; so he who lives virtuously prefers his mother, I mean the Church, to everything and is not carried away by worldly pleasures. For this reason the Lord embraces such people, saying: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden," and blesses them, saying: "Come, ye blessed of My Father." The Kingdom of God is here called the preaching of the Gospel and the promise of future blessings. Thus, whoever accepts the Divine preaching as a child, that is, without the slightest hesitation and without allowing unbelief in himself, will enter the Kingdom of God and inherit those blessings which he has already acquired by faith.