Isaiah 66:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

We should rejoice in it, as it is filled with hopes that surpass comprehension: as it is written, "the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him." There is no shortage of joy for those who belong to and love her. There are also those who support her, reinforcing her through pure teachings and mourning for her, as the Savior Himself said: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Their mourning signifies remarkable efforts, as they labor fervently, not for earthly gain, but to be filled with the gifts of God, so they may experience joy. He promises this, saying, "that you may sow and be filled from the teat of His comfort." By personifying the new Zion as a woman, He continues to use this imagery, likening the comfort provided by the Holy Spirit to suckling and milk. It is also stated in the Song of Songs: "For your suckling is more pleasant than wine." Indeed, those who come to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are first offered nourishment appropriate for infants, which is a pure and simple word of offering. Likewise, Paul addressed some of them saying, "I will give you milk to drink, and not solid food, for you are not yet able to partake." It is unnecessary for those who are filled with the word of the covenant to remain as infants; instead, they are called to grow into the maturity of Christ, understanding the complete and profound doctrine concerning Him. Thus, he teaches, "that you may enjoy the entrance of His glory." The term "weaned" indicates a transition from infancy to maturity, requiring solid food, as you are to enjoy the entrance of His glory. This glory refers to Christ, for the Psalmist states, "To bring glory into our land." The entrance signifies the mystery of the Incarnation, whereby, although He is God by nature, He became man and entered our world through this reality. Those who have grasped the true faith concerning Him and understand how the glory—Christ—manifested in the universe will surely rejoice. The divine revelation clearly portrays His appearance in the flesh, as He states, "Behold, I bring upon you a river of peace, and as a flooding stream, the glory of tongues." This river of peace and abundant stream is Christ. David, too, calls Him by saying, "Thou hast multiplied thy mercy, O God: the sons of men shall hope in the blood of thy mercy; they shall drink from the fountain of thy house, and from the stream of thy sweetness shall I drink," and again, "the river doth cheer the city of God." However, He also diversifies and encompasses with large waves the glory of the tongues, referring to those chosen among the Gentiles, as not all have believed or been glorified. As Paul articulates regarding God the Father, He knew and predestined them to be conformed to the image of His Son... those He called, also justified, and glorified. This truth is expressed through the word "evade." According to the Father’s will, the pathway to Israel's descendants lay open before Him, as He stated, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel"; yet, when they rejected the faith, He turned away from them, as it is written, and granted comfort to the multitude of Gentiles from the sacred springs—the saving proclamation of the Gospel, through which they obtained peace with Him and were brought into spiritual communion with God the Father.

Concerning this, the Lord declared, “Amen, amen, I say to you, there shall not remain a stone upon a stone.... until all these things be” (Matthew 24:2, 34). He invites all who mourn for Him to rejoice. Peter and Paul, along with all who awaited Israel's redemption, were those who partook in His comforting presence. It is inconceivable that she who bore the Son and nurtured life should lack the milk necessary to nourish her people, enabling them to rise not diminished as before in Egypt but renewed in purity and virtue, nourishing them with the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments. Concerning them, the beloved speaks to his bride: “The sweetness of your milk is better than wine” (Song of Songs 1:1). They are those for whom it is declared, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). It is important to remember that those still in infancy require the milk of comfort and remain entrapped in the realm of death. Yet those who progress beyond this nourishment to solid food partake abundantly in the truth and understanding of diverse glories, known in Hebrew as ziz. In the LXX, this is rendered as “entrance,” while Simmachus translates it as “multitude.” We mention this to clarify the ambiguity within the seventy-ninth Psalm, which describes the devastation wrought by all nations upon Israel, not solely by the Romans. However, the Church's glorious entrance is what the Apostle John mentions: “twelve gates, twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl, and the streets of the city were pure gold” (Rev. 21:21). The Lord instructs against casting pearls before swine (Matthew 7) — these pearls, sought after by a diligent merchant who, upon discovering them in the prophets and apostles, continues toward the most precious pearl, acquiring it without discarding the earlier finds (Matthew 13:45-46).