The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master.
קָטֹ֣ן וְ֭גָדוֹל שָׁ֣ם ה֑וּא וְ֝עֶ֗בֶד חָפְשִׁ֥י מֵאֲדֹנָֽיו׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
He observes, “The disparity in this life is significant, and upon leaving this world, one encounters true freedom and equality; there is no need to dread transformation as one does here. Death acts as a barrier to wrongdoing, granting liberation from toil. It marks the conclusion of suffering; in that realm, the one who once feared his superior has no reason for fear. All are present in that place: the humble and the esteemed, the exalted and the lowly.”
Those who draw strength from their love for the Almighty, as they seek to fulfill God's will, find themselves paradoxically becoming weaker. In their earnest pursuit of the eternal, they detach from worldly attachments. The Psalmist expressed this sentiment, feeling diminished by the depth of his love when he proclaimed, "My soul fasts for Thy salvation" (Psalm 118:81). In his journey towards the salvation offered by the Lord, his soul, striving for the eternal light, felt wearied in the flesh and gasped for restoration. Therefore, he also states, "My soul was weary, desiring the courts of the Lord" (Psalm 83:3). By mentioning desire, he connects it to weariness, emphasizing that true divine longing cannot flourish unless it arises from a personal diminishment.
It is essential for one whose heart is aflame for the eternal to weaken their affection for temporal matters, cooling their pursuit of earthly things while nurturing a deeper love for God.
The term "bailiff" refers to that cruel deceiver, who once ensnared humanity in the trap of deceit and continues to bind it with the debt of death. This adversary, having offered mankind the currency of sin in the paradise, now demands payment daily as iniquity proliferates. Concerning this bailiff, the Gospel reveals, "Lest the judge should give thee up to the torturer" (Luke 12:58). The voice of this torturer symbolizes the defeat of temptation in our lives. We may hear this call if it impacts us, yet we can easily disregard it if we choose to resist.
Indeed, it is declared, "Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34). This is accurate, for anyone who succumbs to carnal desires bends the once-free will to the control of wrongdoing. However, we defy such a master when we battle against the injustices that bind us, resist sinful habits, and forsake every base desire that obstructs our natural freedom. Through genuine repentance, we conquer our transgressions, cleansing ourselves with tears for the stains we bear.
I assure you that despite any earthly splendor you may possess, you remain spiritually destitute. Consider the deceased resting in their graves, and you will understand the truth. The location of princes, aristocrats, and their attendants remains uncertain. In the realm where the affluent and the impoverished, the wise and the unlearned, the distinguished and the humble, as well as the honorable and the disgraced reside, their distinctions fade into obscurity. All are reduced to dust, returning to the earth from which they came. As you witness this decay, rejoice in the blessings you have, count your titles and accolades, and take pride in your riches and knowledge. Recognize that ultimately, all are equal. Just as everyone enters this world in a state of equality, so too do they depart in the same manner, with the exception of those who are redeemed and granted eternal life, while others face eternal separation from Him.
Until now, Job appeared to be unmoved and indifferent to anything that might undermine his faith in God and his endurance. However, he ultimately can no longer hide the anguish within him, and in a moment of raw honesty, he curses the day of his birth. This act underscores that we are confronted with a real individual, not merely a literary embodiment of patience; he invokes the belief that a person's joy or suffering hinges on the day they enter the world. In his lament, Job expresses a desire for that day of his arrival to either be completely erased from the calendar or, if it must exist, to be remembered forever as a day of despair.
He reasons that if he had perished in his mother’s womb or shortly after birth, he would have been spared from all his tribulations, resting peacefully where even the dead experience equality. He questions why some are born only to endure misfortunes and why they live longer than desired; he wonders why he must endure life when he finds no happiness left on earth. It is not the hopelessness or timidity of the sufferer that emerges in Job’s lament, but rather the profound intensity of his pain. Through this expression of anguish, Job connects with us both in spirit and in body, and as we observe his patience, we are encouraged to follow his lead.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS