When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
All Commentaries on Job 29:6 Go To Job 29
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
22. Whereas we have already frequently said that Christ and the Church are one person, He, that is to say, the Head of that Body, and She the Body of that Head; these words are to be understood after the voice of the Head in one way, after the voice of the Body in another way. Whom then do we take for ‘the feet’ of the Lord, but the holy Preachers. Of whom He saith, And I will walk in them. [Lev. 26, 12] Thus ‘the feet are washed with butter,’ because the holy Preachers are filled to the full with the fatness of good works. For, as we have already said above, scarcely is the mere preaching itself carried on without something being done wrong. For any man preaching is either drawn on into some slight indignation, if he is despised, or into some little glorying, if he is reverenced by those that hear him. Whence the Apostles too had their feet washed, that from any slight defilement contracted in the act of preaching itself they might be cleansed as from a sort of dust collected by a journey. And blessed James saith, My brethren, be not many masters. And a little after, For in many things we offend all. [Jam. 3, 1. 2.] Thus ‘the feet are washed with butter,’ because the dust gathered by glory in preaching is steeped and cleansed by the fatness of good works. Or otherwise ‘the feet are washed with butter,’ when the wages owing are paid to the holy Preachers by those that hear, and those whom the imposed labour of preaching exhausts, the richness of good practice exhibited by the disciples cheers; not that they preach for this that they may be fed, but that they are therefore fed, that they may preach; i.e. that they may hold up to preach; not so that the action of the preacher should pass into the aim of getting support, but that the ministering of support should be made subservient to the usefulness of preaching. Whence by good preachers it is not for the sake of the means of living that preaching is rendered, but for the sake of preaching that the means of living are accepted. And as often as what is wanted is bestowed on those that preach by those that hear them, they are not used to take delight in the benefit of the good things, but in the reward of those bestowing them. Whence it is said by Paul, Not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit. [Phil. 4, 17.] For the ‘gift’ is the actual thing that is bestowed; but the fruit thereof is if with a kindly disposition a thing be bestowed in the pursuit of the future recompense. So we receive the gift in the thing, the fruit thereof in the heart. And because the Apostle was fed rather by the recompense of his disciples than by the benefaction, he avouches that he ‘seeks not a gift,’ but ‘fruit.’ Hence he straightway added, saying, But I have all and abound. Therefore ‘the feet are washed with butter,’ when the holy preachers, as we said, worn out by the actual preaching itself, are regaled with the good deeds of their hearers. For the weary ‘feet’ he had ‘anointed with butter,’ who heard, Because the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by the brother. [Philem. 7.] With this ‘butter the foot was anointed,’ which was held fast in fetters, saying, The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus: for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. [2 Tim. 1, 16] So then if by the voice of the Head we form our estimate of the words, we do rightly as has been said in taking ‘the feet’ for preachers.
23. But if we are to interpret these words in the voice of the Body alone, then the feet of the Church are the ministers of inferior works, which whilst they enforce the things that are without for necessary purposes, by the lowest ministration stick to the ground like feet. But they that are at the head, who are intent on the pursuit of instruction, ought with heedful care to question the hearts of the busied, and by the voice of frequent admonition to administer to them that pouring in of richness which they themselves as disengaged receive, For because in one body the members are interested for one another reciprocally, just as our outermost parts are stayed up by their ministrations, so it is necessary that their interior parts should be filled by our pursuits. When then to persons devoted to the extremest offices the holy doctors preach the anointing oil of our Lord’s Incarnation, they ‘wash the feet with the butter’ of utterance, Moreover the feet are accustomed to be lacerated by the mere ruggedness of the way; whence it is altogether difficult at once to go a journey in the earthly actions of this life, and not sustain any wounds at all from the exertion of the journey. And so when the rulers keeping watch call back to their heart within their hearers engrossed with exterior concerns, that they may ascertain what evil things they have committed amidst the very deeds allowed to be done, and that what they find out they may bewail, ‘they wash the feet with butter;’ because to the wounds of these persons they administer the ointments of penitence. Therefore let Holy Church being unspeakably afflicted remember how in the time of her peace she purified by the word of exhortation even the furthest members in herself, and let her say, When I washed my feet with butter.
Which it is wonderfully interesting to view in the case of blessed Job, who amidst so many cares of property, so many interests for children, so many engagements of sacrifices, preached to his dependents, howsoever the very farthest, the good things of the life ensuing, that those he might inoculate touching heavenly things, who were working for him at earthly services. What do we Bishops say to all this, who to those committed to us care not to render the word of life, when a wedded husband, neither the secular garb, nor the management of large means were able to debar the office of preaching.
But saving the historical verity, let us now return to the words of Holy Church, who tells by blessed Job, i.e. by the mouth of a Member of her own, how great are the things that she shall suffer in the last time, when she remembers her past fortunes, when by that same richness of the word the life of those in action was cleansed. Who in more fully following out that same watchfulness of her preachers adds;
And the rock poured me out rivers of oil.
24. That by the title of a rock Christ is denoted, the great Preacher avouches, saying, And that rock was Christ. [1 Cor. 10, 4] Which very ‘rock’ doth now ‘pour out rivers of oil’ for the use of Holy Church, because the Lord by speaking therein gives out the preachings of the interior anointing. ‘From this Rock that river of oil issued forth,’ the book of Matthew, the book of Mark, the book of Luke, and the book of John. In the several regions of this world for all the preachings she put forth, this ‘Rock poured out’ as many ‘rivers of oil’ by the mouths of the Apostles. As many times still ‘a river of oil is poured out from this Rock,’ as often as to the minds of the hearers, to be anointed by the Holy Spirit, those things are explained which are spoken concerning Christ in the old Books. And they are called ‘rivers of oil,’ because they run out and anoint; in which same he that is dipped is anointed, and he that is anointed is fattened within. Of which fatness doubtless it is that the Psalmist saith, Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness. [Ps. 63, 5] It may be that by the designation of oil the actual anointing of the Holy Spirit is denoted, whereof it is said by the Prophet; And the yoke shall rot at the presence of the oil. [Is. 10, 27.] For ‘the yoke doth rot at the presence of the oil,’ because whilst we are anointed with the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are set free from the bondage of our captivity; and whereas the proud dominion of the evil spirit is thrown off, the yoke is broken in pieces, wherewith the necks of our liberty were borne down. Of this oil again it is written; A vineyard was made to my beloved on the horn, a child of oil. [Is. 5, 1.] For ‘a child of oil,’ the faithful people is called, which is engendered to the faith of God by the interior anointing of the Holy Spirit. And so at that time let Holy Church, being borne down by countless sorrows, recal to remembrance the gifts of the Spirit and the marvellous preachings which are her’s now, and let her bewail her own silence, saying, The rock poured me out rivers of oil.
