Romans 15:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He shows that the prophet foretold this from ancient times, and therefore adds: "As it is written: The reproaches of those who reproached Thee fell on Me." What does "He did not please Himself" mean? Christ could have avoided being reviled and could have avoided suffering what He endured, if He had wished to consider only Himself. Yet He did not wish this. Caring for us, He disregarded Himself. Why did the Apostle not say, "He emptied Himself"? Because he wished to express not only that the Son of God became man, but also that He underwent mockeries and acquired a bad reputation among many. He was considered powerless. They said to Him: "If Thou art the Son of God, come down from the Cross" (Mt 27:40), and: "He saved others; can He not save Himself?" (Mt 27:42). Therefore the Apostle mentioned the circumstance needed for his present subject. Yet even here he says far more than he promised. From his words it is clear that not only Christ was reviled, but also the Father. For it is said: "The reproach of those who reproached Thee fell on Me." Among other things, this means that nothing new or extraordinary happened. Those very ones who in the Old Testament learned to reproach God raged also against His Son. This was written so that we might imitate the Son of God. Here the Apostle also encourages believers to patience in temptations, saying: Rom 15:4. "For whatever was written beforehand was written for our instruction, that through patience and the consolation of the Scriptures we might have hope."

"Nevertheless," He said, "not as I will, but as Thou wilt." And "for the joy set before Him, He endured the Cross, despising the shame" (Mt 26:39; Heb 12:2). It is known that the Jews reproached Him. At times they said of Him: "Why does He eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" (Mk 2:16). At other times: "If He were a prophet, He would know who and what kind of woman this is who touches Him, for she is a sinner" (Lk 7:39). At other times: "He casts out demons by the prince of demons" (Mt 9:34). And at other times: "Do we not rightly say that Thou art a Samaritan and hast a demon?" (Jn 8:48). Likewise, when He suffered and hung upon the wood of the Cross, "those who passed by blasphemed Him" (Mk 15:29, 31). The chief priests with the scribes mocked Him, and "the robbers crucified with Him reproached Him" (Mt 27:44). Concerning these reproaches David sang prophetically, as from the person of Christ speaking to His Father: "Father, the reproaches of those who reproached Thee fell on Me" (Ps 68:10). In truth, those who reproached Christ reproached God. For Christ is the Son of God and God, one with His Father according to the consubstantiality of the Godhead, as He Himself revealed when He said: "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30). And whoever receives Jesus Christ receives Him Who sent Him, according to these words: "Whoever receives Me receives Him Who sent Me, God the Father" (Lk 9:48). Now hear also the reason why the Apostle cited here the prophecy concerning the reproaches of Jesus Christ.

" the Apostle adds, "that Jesus Christ became a minister to the circumcised, for the truth of God, to fulfill the promises made to the fathers, and to the Gentiles, out of mercy, that they might glorify God," as the prophets foretold. The Apostle Paul himself gave a living example of how one should bear the infirmities of the weak. As Chrysostom observes, "he himself circumcised, cut his hair, offered a Jewish sacrifice, and so on." Or, as the Apostle says of himself: "I became all things to all men," certainly in indifferent matters, "that by all means I might save some" (1 Cor 9:22).

God is well pleased by the inner disposition: faith, fear of God, devotion to God, heartfelt cleaving to Him, and hope. Nearly all our outward activity comes into contact with the brethren, and here lies the chief matter: not to please oneself, not to seek one's own, whatever the subject may be. It may seem that by this you will be ruined or crushed. In reality, only by this is the good of each and all firmly built. Whence comes the strength for this? From love, which counts everything belonging to the brethren as its own, for it loves them as itself. Opposed to it is self-pleasing, the source of every evil and of all disorders among us, great and small. As soon as someone is drawn toward pleasing himself, harm at once comes to another. From this comes displeasure, and then discord. The Apostle mentioned the suppression of self-pleasing because he is speaking about abstaining from foods so as not to scandalize a brother. Turning away from yourself, direct your gaze toward your neighbor, as he says elsewhere: 'Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others' (Phil 2:4), or: 'Let no one seek his own good, but each one the good of his neighbor' (1 Cor 10:24). The Apostle himself always acted in this way, and therefore offered himself as an example: 'Just as I please all men in all things, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many. That they may be saved' (1 Cor 10:33)." "Therefore," Chrysostom concludes, "whether you are rich or clothed with authority, do not please yourself, but the poor man and the one in need. Through this you will gain true glory and bring much benefit. Worldly glory quickly passes away, but spiritual glory remains forever, if you do this for edification. Christ Himself acted in this way: He did not please Himself." Then, explaining the words of verse 4, Chrysostom says: "Many struggles lie before us, inward and outward. Their inevitability has been appointed so that, drawing strength and consolation from the Scriptures, we may show patience. By living in patience, we may abide in hope. One disposes toward the other: patience toward hope, and hope toward patience. Patience and hope are drawn from Scripture."

Christ the Savior did nothing for Himself, but everything for the ordering of our salvation. Only once did He express before His Father what He desired for Himself: that this cup might pass. Yet at once He renounced this: "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." Blessed Theodoret writes: "The Master Himself did not seek His own, but delivered Himself to death for our salvation. For we hear that before His suffering He prays and says: 'Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt' (Mt 26:39)." We read the same application in Ambrosiaster. The Lord drank this cup and drowned our sins in it. He bore our sins and suffered for us, and by this saved us. Since in this especially it was shown that He did not please Himself, the prophetic words quoted must be understood in relation to this. "The reproaches of those who reproached Thee," God the Father, "fell on Me," came upon Me and pressed upon Me, the Son of God incarnate to take up the sins of the whole world and save it. The reproaches of those who reproach God are the sins of the world. Every sin is committed before the face of the omnipresent God, offends the face of God, and is committed as a reproach against Him. Having become incarnate, the Son of God confesses before the Father that all these reproaches have pressed upon Him. He willingly takes them up in order to remove the guilt of reproach from those who committed it, and so to save them. By this He especially showed that He did not please Himself, but removed guilt from all others and bore it for them. In the Prophet the whole passage reads: "Zeal for Thy house has consumed Me, and the reproaches of those who reproached Thee fell on Me" (cf. Ps 68:10). In the first words, "Zeal for Thy house has consumed Me," the Lord, through the mouth of the Prophet, confesses what moved Him to take up the reproaches of those who reproach, or the sins of sinners. It was zeal for the house of God the Father, that is, for the glory of this house. The house of God is all creation, especially rational creation. Through sin this house was darkened. The Son of God was zealous to restore the light of its glory. For this He came to earth, became incarnate, and, having taken up sin, removed that by which the glory of God's house was darkened. After sin was removed, the Holy Spirit descended. By renewing believers, He broadens the light of the glory of God's house until all who must enter it have entered.