Слово в неделю Ваий. Св. Иоанна Златоустого, архиепископа Константинопольского

Blessed is the King of Israel (John 12:13). Blessed is the one who comes, who is always with us and is never outside the faithful. Blessed be the King of Israel. Truly, this people knew about the coming of the Lord. Just as in the present time, when an earthly king wages war against his enemies and returns with victory, all citizens go out to meet him outside the city, wear flowers, weave praise, but what motivates them to do this is not the love of glory, but the desire to glorify the victory; so also about the Lord Christ, as a victorious King, all the people showed in word and deed that the Coming One is a conqueror, or better, that He is truly God: for these words, spoken then and revealing to the rational the Divine mysteries, befitting only God: Hosanna in the highest. What does it mean: Hosanna in the highest? – save (Hosanna in Hebrew means – save). Hosanna is in the highest, that is, as above is salvation, so below is love for mankind. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord (John 12:13). Oh, God-knowing people participating in angelic service! Walking on earth, they rejoice in heaven; being clothed with a body, they touch the incorporeal; Jews in name, they are Christians in practice; laymen by life, they are apostles by profession. They received revelation from above and below. The highest among the apostles, Peter, not from his own mind, but from the Divine revelation from above from the Father, spoke to the Lord: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), - and the Lord, showing that he received revelation not from his mind, but from above - from the Father, calling Peter blessed, said to him: Blessed are you Simon var Jonah, for you have not shown flesh and blood, but My Father is heaven (Matthew 16:17). Likewise, this people, having received a revelation from above, cried out to the Lord, saying: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord. Now it is appropriate to say what and where we have an indication that this Jewish people received a revelation from above. So where do I show you this from? From their very exclamations, and extraordinary exclamations at that; if they chanted any simple songs, they could do it at home. If they called Him Savior, and King, and Lord, then it is clear to everyone that they received a revelation from above. How did they know that the Lord is the King? He did not wear a worldly crown, He did not put on scarlet robe, He was not accompanied by troops, and horses and chariots and gold-plated saddles did not go before Him. He did not sit on a chariot covered with royal scarlet; but He sat on a simple colt, someone else’s, small, leading only twelve disciples behind Him. Why could the people know that He was the King if they had not received notification from above? Therefore, they did not look for a worldly crown on the Lord, for they knew that He reigned from the beginning; they did not look for scarlet, for they knew the One who said: The Lord reigns, having clothed himself with beauty (Psalm 92:1); They did not look for a multitude of troops, believing the one who said: Thousands of thousands served Him, and these stood before Him (Dan. 7:10); They did not look for horses and chariots from the Lord, for they knew that He was the One who lifted up Elijah in a chariot, and that horses were following Him - the evangelists, believing the Prophet, who said that horses were following Him: red, and white, and white, and speckled (Zechariah 1:8; 6:2-3)... They did not seek from the Lord a bed lined with pearls, covered with scarlet robes and adorned with royal weapons, because they knew that the Cherubim and Seraphim, the six-winged lamps, carried the bed, believing the one who said: he who sat on the Cherubim appeared (Psalm 79:2). So, the faithful people of Jerusalem, having received the revelation, were not tempted by this insignificant foal, but were strengthened by the coming of the Master. Therefore, as soon as these faithful people saw that the Lord had sat down on the lot, then immediately, supported by prophetic predictions, they took date branches and said one to another: “Why are we delaying and not going to meet the spiritual Date? Why are we delaying? Let us take the branches of the date: its fruit is full of immortality, its leaves are the healing of the universe, and its trunk is the tree of the cross. We heard how our Church in the Song With a song he exclaims: I will ascend the date, I will hold its height (-7:8). When the people did this and glorified the Lord, the elder priests and Pharisees, being very angry, reproached the people, saying: “What are you doing? Why are you talking idle talk, you fools? As if to God, you come to the carpenter’s son, bringing him date branches now? You call him Lord, who has no head, where can you bow your head? To him who sits on a donkey’s colt, do you sing royal songs? Isn’t it your father? and His mother and brothers? Shut up! If not, then you will be punished: for this is why we were sent to notice the most reckless of you, who will be punished for their insolence.” The crowds of people, hearing these words from the priestly elders, did not enter into a quarrel, since peace had come, but answered them, with the assistance of grace: “You reproach us, Pharisees, and threaten us with punishment because we committed blasphemy. But who is more worthy of punishment: you, who read the Scripture and do not understand it, or we, who listen and observe? Are we mistaken, bringing date branches to the Lord? Isn’t He Himself the true Phoenix? Wasn’t it about Him that the Prophet cried: the righteous shall flourish like the phoenix (Psalm 91:13)? Didn't He give sight to the blind? Didn't He give the lame the ability to walk as before? Didn’t He command the paralytic to carry the bed? Didn't He resurrect the four-day-old Lazarus? Is that why you want to kill Lazarus again? Didn't you yourself roll away the stone and become harder than the stone through your unbelief? Didn’t He entrust you with the task of untying the burial shrouds, so that you would not again lie, as about a man blind from birth, that someone else had moved there from another tomb? You Pharisees are always jealous of good and oppose the believing people. Therefore, you again wanted to kill Lazarus in order to destroy the faith of the people. Even if you kill Lazarus, cannot He raise him again? Let's see who gets tired faster - you by killing, or He by resurrecting? You kill with effort, but He resurrects with a word: who gets tired faster? Are we mistaken, Pharisees, that we come to the Lord as to the King? Seeing the lot, we are more affirmed. Therefore we recognize the mighty King, and now we have the Scripture, so that you may be thoroughly convinced that it is not we who are being tempted, but you who are being mistaken. You have the prophet Zechariah: read him, fear his sickle of vengeance. Isn’t this the Prophet, who preached the gospel to Judea for a long time, exclaimed: Rejoice greatly, daughters of Zion: behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving, he is meek, and always on the yoke and the young stallion (Zechariah 9:9). Are we tempted by reading the Scriptures and recognizing the king, doing good to ourselves and teaching those who doubt? Do you have a prophet, but do not want to understand his prophecies? So, go away, Pharisees: for the more you insist, the more jealousy you arouse in us. Therefore we are not mistaken when we exclaim: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We know the name, Pharisees! This name freed us from Egypt, gave us the opportunity to cross the Red Sea and live in the desert, and settled us on a land flowing with honey and milk, and taught the Prophet to cry: let them know that Your name is Lord, You alone are high in all the earth "(Psalm 82:19). And that the people were obedient, and the elder priests were disobedient, listen to what the Evangelist now says about this: having consulted with the bishop, and even with Lazarus they will kill: for his sake he was multiplied because he came from the Jews, and believed in Jesus (John 12:10–11). Do you see the fury of the priestly elders? In order to destroy the faith of the people, they want to kill Lazarus, these elder priests saying to themselves: "If we kill Jesus alone and leave Lazarus alive, we will not have any success, since, seeing this, they will believe in Him. So, so that even after death this Lazarus will not be a stumbling block for us in that some will again believe in Jesus, let us kill Lazarus in order to completely destroy His memory." The elder priests said this and other things, like people thinking in vain, not realizing that the Lord, wanting to accept voluntary death for the immortality of the world, did not want to leave only Lazarus as a memorial for Himself, but who? - left an invincible cross, which can neither be destroyed, nor hidden, nor killed, nor defeated, as it shows the power of its action throughout the entire universe. And in fact, what house does not have a cross as its foundation? What city does not have a cross for its protection? What king is not decorated with a cross? What virginity does not have the cross as its lamp? What church is not protected by a cross? what widow does not have a cross with her staff? What orphan does not have a cross to help him? The cross shines at night, shines during the day, nourishes orphans, strengthens marriages, multiplies friendship, promotes every good. So what did the Evangelist say? for it is profitable to review the Gospel. Listen to what the Evangelist now says: Before the six days of Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus had died, and raised him from the dead (John 12:1). Listen carefully: before the six days of Passover Jesus came to Bethany. - Before the six days: what kind of day is it - the day before the six days? which one is it? This preceding day signifies John the Baptist: for just as John came before the Lord, so this day preceded the resurrection. And just as John, pointing his finger at the Lord, said: Behold, the Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world (John 1:29): so this day, as if pointing with a finger to the coming week day, cries out, saying: “Behold, the mother of those who wish to be reborn." Before the six days of Passover, Jesus came to Bethany. Know the day and understand it! This is the day of the day, the light of the light, the sun of the sun, the bridegroom groom. Before the six days of Passover Jesus came to Bethany. Know this day: for it is not simply said about it - before the six days of Passover Jesus came to Bethany, but with an indication of the number, so that we would first be cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. This day is a preliminary cleansing before the six days of Easter, so that you are cleansed from all filth, resolve enmity, quench anger, extinguish slander, acquire love, aggravate poverty - so that you are not alone in celebrating, but so that the poor also celebrate with you. For if you do not give to the beggar, and you celebrate, but he remains sad, be careful that the same thing does not happen to you as happened to the rich man and Lazarus. Therefore, give grains to the poor, so that you will constantly celebrate, and he will be fed, and so that the dogs will not be more merciful than you. What are dogs - listen carefully! If you do not do good to a beggar who is like-minded and in need of help, and he, not receiving help from you in need, goes to a heretic, and this one consoles him, then the dog will be more merciful than you: since every heretic barks at the Shepherd. So what did the Evangelist say? Before the six days of Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus had died and raised him from the dead. O wisdom of the Lord! He raises Lazarus to irritate the devil... And the cross was made so that the Jews would be put to shame and the world would be enlightened by Christ God, the Savior of the world. To him be glory now and always and unto eternity. Amen 165. “The Pochaevskaya Bee”. A collection of edifying teachings compiled and copied by Rev. Job, abbot of the Pochaev Lavra. Ed. edited by prof. I. Petrova. Pochaev. 1884, part one, countries. 79–85. The beginning and end of the word are omitted in “Bee.” Criticism classifies this word as Spuria. You might be interested in: