398. Certain of the fathers came to Joseph to ask him a question about welcoming the strangers who came to them, that is to say, whether it was fitting for a man to forsake his work, and to be with them in the ordinary way or not; and before they asked him, he said unto his disciple, “Lay to heart that which I am about to do this day, and wait.” Then the old man placed two pillows, one on his right hand, and the other on his left, and he said unto the fathers, “Sit ye down”; and he went into his cell, and put on the apparel of beggars, and went forth to them; and again, he took this off, and put on the beautiful apparel of the monks, and he went forth again, and passed among them; and he went in again and took this off, and having put on his own clothes, he sat down in their midst, and they marvelled at the doings of the old man. Then he said unto them, “Have ye understood what I did?” and they said unto him, “Yes.” He said unto them, “What is it?” And they said unto him, “Thou didst put on first of all the apparel of beggars”; he said unto them, “Peradventure I have been changed by that disgraceful apparel?” and they said unto him, “No.” The old man said unto them, “Since I have not myself been changed by all these changes of raiment, for the first change brought no loss upon me and the second did not change me, so are we in duty bound to welcome the brethren, according to the command of the Gospel, which saith, ‘Give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God’ (St. Matthew 22:21). Therefore, whensoever strange brethren arrive we must welcome them gladly, for it is when we are alone that it is necessary for us to suffer.” Now when the fathers heard [these words] they marvelled that he had spoken unto them that which was in their hearts before they asked him, and they glorified God, and departed with rejoicing; and they received his word as if it had [come] from God, and they accepted what he had said, and did it.
399. They used to speak about an old man, who was from Syria, and who used to dwell on the road of the desert of Egypt, and whose work was as follows:—At whatever time a monk came to him he would welcome him. And it came to pass that on one occasion a man came from the desert and asked him to allow him to rest, but he would not permit him to do so, and said unto him, “I am fasting.” Then the blessed man was grieved and said unto him, “Is this thy labour, that thou wilt not perform thy brother’s desire? I beseech thee to come, and let us pray, and let us follow after him with whom this tree, which is here with us, shall bow.” Then the man from the desert knelt down, and nothing happened, but when he who received strangers knelt down, that tree inclined its head at
