Hebrews 2:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But they did not perform such signs. Therefore Paul says, “various powers.” Those signs are not power, but powerlessness, invention, and empty works.

Therefore he also says of these: “And by distributions of the Holy Spirit according to His will.”

Here, it seems to me, the Apostle hints at something else as well. It is likely that there were few people there who possessed spiritual gifts. These had diminished because the believers had become less zealous.

Therefore, to comfort them in this and guard them from falling, he attributes everything to the will of God. God Himself, he says, knows what is useful for each, and thus distributes grace.

He says the same in the Epistle to the Corinthians: “God arranged the members, each one of them in the body, as He willed.” And again: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good,” according to His will (1 Cor 12:8, 7, 11).

He proves that the gifts depend on the will of the Father. Many often did not receive gifts because of an impure and careless life.

Sometimes people who lived a good and pure life also did not receive them. Why? So that they would not stumble, become proud, grow careless, or be too highly exalted.

If even without gifts the mere consciousness of a pure life can stir pride, how much more can this happen when gifts of grace are added?

Therefore the gifts were given more to humble and simple people, especially to the simple who remained, as Scripture says, “in gladness and simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46).

In this way the Apostle’s exhortation could act more strongly upon them and rouse them if they were careless.

The humble man, who does not think much of himself, becomes more zealous when he receives a gift. He knows he has received it not according to merit and counts himself unworthy.

But the man who thinks he has rendered service counts the gift as his due and is lifted up. Therefore God arranges this matter usefully in this way.

This may be seen in the Church. One has the gift of teaching, while another cannot even open his mouth. But let no one grieve over this.

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” If a human householder knows what to entrust to each person, much more does God, who sees the mind of man and knows all things before they occur.

Only one thing is worthy of grief: sin. Everything else is not worthy of grief at all.

Do not say: why do I not have wealth? Or: if I had it, I would distribute it to the poor. You do not know whether, if you had it, you might become even more covetous.

Now you say this, but perhaps, if you actually received it, you would become different.

Thus, when we are full, we think we can fast. But when a little time passes, other thoughts arise in us.

Likewise, when we are not drunk, we think we can overcome this passion. But when we yield to it, we no longer think so.

Do not say: why do I not have the gift of teaching? Or: if I had it, I would edify many. You do not know whether, if you had it, it might serve for your condemnation.

Perhaps envy or laziness would make you hide the talent. Now you are free from all this. If you do not give a measure of flour, you are not liable to condemnation.

But then you would be guilty in many things. Yet even now you are not entirely deprived of a gift.

Show in the small thing what you would be if you had the greater. “He who is unfaithful in a little,” says the Lord, “is unfaithful also in much. Who will entrust to you?” (Lk 16:10-11).

Show yourself like the widow. She had two mites and offered all that she had.

Do you seek wealth? Show that you despise small property, so that I may entrust you with great property. If you do not despise the former, much less will you despise the latter.

Likewise, concerning the gift of speech, show that you will use it properly for exhortation and persuasion. Do you lack outward eloquence? Do you lack abundance of thoughts?

But you know the common truths. You have a son, a neighbor, a friend, a brother, and relatives.

If you cannot deliver a long speech before the people in church, you can exhort them privately. Here there is no need for rhetoric or lengthy discourses.

Show in them that, if you had the gift of speech, you would not be careless. If you do not show zeal in the small thing, how shall I trust you in the great?

That each person truly can do this, listen to how Paul commanded even laypeople: “Exhort one another and edify one another” (1 Thess 5:11). And again: “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess 4:18).

God knows how much to allot to each. Are you better than Moses? Yet listen to how he complained: “Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that Thou shouldest say to me, ‘Carry them in thy bosom, as a nurse carries a child’?” (Num 11:12).

What did God do? He took from his spirit and gave it to others (Num 11:17). He showed that even when Moses previously guided the Hebrews, this was not from his own gift, but from the Spirit.

If you had a gift, you would often be lifted up and would often fall. You do not know yourself as God knows you.

Let us not say, then: why is this so, and for what purpose is this? God orders all things. Let us not demand an accounting from Him.

This is extremely impious and foolish. We are servants, and servants far removed from the Master. We do not even know what lies under our feet.

Let us not examine the counsels of God, but let us preserve what He has given us, even if it is small, even if it is exceedingly small. Then we shall certainly deserve praise.

Or rather, let us not consider any of God’s gifts small.

You complain that you do not have the gift of teaching. But tell me, which gift seems greater to you, the gift of teaching or the gift of healings? Certainly the latter.

Does giving sight to the blind not seem greater to you than healing illnesses? Does raising the dead not seem still greater?

Tell me, does it not seem greater to do this through a shadow and handkerchiefs than to do it by word?

Tell me, then, which do you desire: to raise the dead through a shadow and handkerchiefs, or to have the gift of teaching? Certainly you will say: to raise the dead through a shadow and handkerchiefs.

But if I prove to you that another gift is far greater than this gift, and that you can acquire it, what will you say? If you do not acquire it, you are justly deprived of the others.

Moreover, such a gift can be acquired not by one or two people only, but by all in general.

I know that you marvel and are amazed when you hear that you can have a gift much greater than raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, and performing what occurred among the apostles.

Perhaps you even consider this incredible. What, then, is this gift? Love.

Believe me, these are not my words, but the words of Christ, who spoke through Paul. What exactly does he say? “Earnestly desire the greater gifts, and I will show you a still more excellent way” (1 Cor 12:31).

What does “still more excellent” mean? His words mean the following. The Corinthians were then lifted up by gifts and, having the gift of tongues, which is the least of the gifts, they boasted over the others.

Therefore he says: do you desire to have gifts? I will show you a way to gifts that is not only better, but most excellent.

And then he says: “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

“And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor 13:1-2).

Do you see what a gift this is? Strive, then, to acquire it. It is greater than raising the dead. It is far higher than all other gifts.

That this is truly so, listen to what Christ says in His discourse with the disciples: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love among yourselves” (Jn 13:35).

Explaining how they would be known, He did not say, by miracles. What did He say? “If you have love among yourselves.”

Likewise, in prayer to the Father He says: “That they may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (Jn 17:21).

And to the disciples He said: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another” (Jn 13:34).

Thus the loving man is more excellent and more glorious than those who raise the dead. This is just, because the latter comes entirely from the grace of God, while the former comes also from your zeal.

The former is proper to a true Christian. It proves that he is a disciple of Christ, crucified to the world and having nothing in common with the earth.

Without this, even martyrdom itself can bring no benefit. To be convinced of this, attend to the following.

Blessed Paul reached the height of virtues in two respects, or rather in three: in signs, in wisdom, and in life. Yet without love, he says, all this is nothing.

I will explain how it is nothing. “And if I distribute all my possessions, and give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor 13:2-3).

For one may distribute possessions and scatter money, yet not have love. I have spoken sufficiently about this in the place where I spoke about love. I refer there those who desire it.

As I said, let us strive to acquire this gift. Let us love one another, and we shall need nothing else for progress in the virtues.

Everything will be easy for us to accomplish without strain. Everything among us will be done with great success.

But you will say: even now we love one another. One person has two friends, another three, and another four. But this does not mean loving for God’s sake.

It means loving so that one may himself be loved. He who loves for God’s sake has no such motive for love, but is disposed toward all as toward his brothers.

He loves those of the same faith as his own natural brothers. He pities heretics, pagans, and Jews as his brothers by nature, though they are not good and are unprofitable. He is contrite and weeps over them.

We can become like God if we love all, even enemies, not if we perform signs. True, we marvel at God also when He works wonders.

But we marvel much more when He shows love for mankind and mercy. If this is especially worthy of wonder in God, then much more is it so in men.

It is therefore evident that this gives us special honor. Let us care for this, and then we shall have no less than Paul, Peter, and the others who raised many dead, even if we cannot heal a fever.

Without love, even if we performed signs greater than the apostles themselves, and even if we exposed ourselves to countless dangers for the faith, we would gain no benefit.

I do not say this, but the very foster-child of love knows it. We must believe him.

Thus we shall be able to receive the promised good things. May we all be deemed worthy of them by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

“And by distributions of the Holy Spirit according to His will.” He added this for the same reason. For the signs of sorcerers are not from the Holy Spirit, but are deceptions of unclean demons.

At the same time, he indicates something else. There were probably not many people among them who had spiritual gifts, and these had diminished because the believers were less zealous.

Therefore, to console them in this, he says that the distributions of the Spirit occur according to His will. He knows what is useful for each, and thus distributes grace.

Often someone does not receive gifts because of an unclean life. Often even a person of pure life does not receive gifts, so that he may not become proud. Therefore they were imparted more to humble and simple people.

Under the form of exhortation, he taught the difference between the two. He spoke very wisely when he said that God bears witness to the preaching by miracles. Miracles are an evident proof, and the truthfulness of the witness is beyond doubt.

But after mentioning this in passing, the Apostle resumes his discourse concerning the comparison with the angels.

Since sorcerers also appear to be performers of signs, wonders, and powers, he therefore added, to distinguish these from them: “and by distributions of the Holy Spirit.”

For the signs and wonders of sorcerers are not such at all, and are not the manifestation of any power. On the contrary, they are works of weakness, idle imagining, and emptiness.

The divine signs, however, are gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the aforementioned epistle he called them distributions of gifts.

“According to His own will.” This means according to the will of God, or according to the will of the Holy Spirit. In the same epistle he said that the Holy Spirit distributes with authority to each one as He wills (1 Cor 12:11).

Concerning this, first note that to the Galatians he says “I,” but to the Hebrews “to us.” Under this he includes himself and the believing Hebrews, who learned the Christian faith and were assured of it by the other apostles, who heard the evangelical word from the mouth of Jesus Christ Himself.

In this way he strengthens its reliability all the more.

Second, note that although Paul learned the dogmas and rules of the Christian faith by revelation of Jesus Christ and had no need to hear them from men, there is nevertheless no doubt about the following.

The apostles, who were eyewitnesses of the Word, Ananias, who baptized Paul (Acts 9:18), Barnabas, who brought him before the apostles (Acts 9:27), Peter, whom he went to visit in Jerusalem and with whom he remained fifteen days (Gal 1:18), and James, whom he saw, surely spoke with him.

So also did Cephas and John, who were regarded as pillars, who recognized the grace in him and agreed that he and Barnabas should preach to the Gentiles while they preached to the Hebrews (Gal 2:9).

Without doubt, I say, these apostles told him all that they had heard from Jesus Christ and had seen in Him. Consequently, in this respect too he truly said that it was confirmed by those who had heard.

According to Chrysostom, the angels were present when God gave the commandments. These were the angels to whom the Hebrew people had been entrusted, and they produced the trumpet sounds, fire, darkness, and so forth.

They also took part in everything said and done in the Old Testament.

The second feature is this: the salvation proclaimed by Jesus Christ was confirmed by the testimonies of many persons who heard it from the very mouth of the Lord Himself. The ancient Law does not have such authoritative witnesses or such numerous preachers.

The third feature is this: the words of the preachers of the Gospel, the apostles, were attested by God Himself through such signs and wonders, and through such abundant outpouring of extraordinary gifts from the Holy Spirit, that the superiority of the New Testament over the Old becomes evident.

The Apostle directs all these comparisons and considerations toward impressing upon the Hebrews that betrayal of the Law they had heard, a Law higher and better than the Old Testament Law, and negligence toward the salvation proclaimed in the New Testament, will inevitably bring the heaviest punishments upon the negligent.