Would we reproach God for all these blessings? Or would we disparage Him, deeming Him less than He should be, because He had wrapped a towel around His waist and washed his disciples’ feet, thus demonstrating that humility is the surest road to true glory? He had humbled Himself for the sake of the soul that had inclined to earthly things in order to lift up that soul which had fallen under the burden of sin.
Why do those proud men accuse Him of eating with tax collectors and choosing disciples from among them? What did He gain in the process? If you asked me about that gain, I would say the Salvation of Sinners. For if that contention were true, we would be blaming a physician for bending over pains and enduring foul smells until health is restored to his patients. And we would be blaming someone who, in compliance with the law, bent down over a hole to rescue a sheep that had fallen in it.
Gregorious the Theologue
