"When He was raised from the dead. His disciples remembered
that He spake this, and they believed the Scripture and the word which
Jesus had said." This tells us that after Jesus' resurrection from the
dead His disciples saw that what He had said about the temple had a higher
application to His passion and His resurrection; they remembered that the
words, "In three days I will raise it up," pointed to the resurrection;
"And they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said." We
are not told that they believed the Scripture or the word which Jesus said,
before. For faith in its full sense is the act of him who accepts with
his whole soul what is professed at baptism. As for the higher sense, as
we have already spoken of the resurrection from the dead of the whole body
of the Lord, we have now to note that the disciples were put in mind by
the fulfilment of the Scripture which when they were in life they had not
fully understood; its meaning was now brought under their eyes and made
quite clear to them, and they knew of what heavenly things it was the pattern
and shadow. Then they believed the Scripture who formerly did not believe
it, and believed the word of Jesus which, as the speaker means to convey,
they had not believed before the resurrection. For how can any one be said
in the full sense to believe the Scripture when he does not see in it the
mind of the Holy Spirit, which God would have us to believe rather than
the literal meaning? From this point of view we must say that none of those
who walk according to the flesh believe the spiritual things of the law,
of the very beginnings of which they have no conception. But, they say,
those are more blessed who have not seen and yet believe, than those who
have seen and have believed, and for this they quote the saying to Thomas
at the end of the Gospel of John, "Blessed are they that have not
seen and yet have believed." But it is not said here that those who have
not seen and yet have believed are more blessed than those who have seen
and believed. According to their view those after the Apostles are more
blessed than the Apostles; than which nothing can be more foolish. He who
is to be blessed must see in his mind the things which he believes, and
must be able with the Apostles to hear the words spoken to him, "Blessed
are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear," and "Many
prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which ye see,
and have not seen them, and to hear the things which ye hear, and have
not heard them." Yet he may be content who only receives the inferior beatitude,
which says: "Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed."
But how much more blessed are those eyes which Jesus calls blessed for
the things which they have seen, than those which have not attained to
such a vision; Simeon is content to take into his arms the salvation of
God, and after seeing it, he says, "Now, O Lord, lettest Thou Thy
servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen
Thy salvation." We must strive, therefore, as Solomon says, to open our
eyes that we may be satisfied with bread; "Open thine eyes," he says, "and
be satisfied with bread." What I have said on the text, "They believe the
Scripture and the word which Jesus had said unto them," may lead us to
understand, after discussing the subject of faith, that the perfection
of our faith will be given us at the great resurrection from the dead of
the whole body of Jesus which is His Holy Church. For what is said about
knowledge, "Now I know in part," that, I think, may be said in the
same way of every other good; and one of these others is faith. "Now I
believe in part," we may say, "but when that which is perfect is come,
then the faith which is in part will be done away." As with knowledge,
so with faith, that which is through sight is far better, if I may say
so, than that which is through a glass and in an enigma.
