Беседа на слова: „И пришедше в храмину, видеша Отроча с Мариею Материею Его, и падше поклонишася Ему: и отверзше сокровища своя, принесоша Ему дары, злато, и ливан и смирну» (Матф. 2:11). Св. Иоанна Златоустого, архиепископа Константинопольского

As St. says Luke, the Child was laid in a manger, because the mother who gave birth immediately laid Him there. Because of the multitude gathered for the census, the houses could not be found (Luke 2:7); but after that She (Virgin Mary) took Him and held Him on her knees. She soon, upon arrival in Bethlehem, was delivered from her pregnancy. So, from here you can see the whole economy, and that all this did not happen simply and not by chance, but by Divine providence, and was fulfilled as a result of prophecy. But what made the Magi bow when neither the Virgin was famous, nor the house was magnificent, and there was nothing in the whole appearance that could amaze and attract them? Meanwhile, they not only worship, but also, having opened their treasures, bring gifts, and gifts not as a person, but as God - because frankincense and myrrh were a symbol of such worship. What prompted and forced them to leave the house and decide on such a long journey? A star and divine illumination of their thoughts, little by little raising them to the most perfect knowledge. Otherwise, they would not have shown Him such honor, under circumstances so unimportant in all respects. There was nothing great for the senses there, there was only a manger, a hut and a poor Mother, so that you could openly see from here the wisdom of the Magi, and know that they did not approach a simple person, but as God and a benefactor. That is why they were not tempted by anything visible or external, but bowed and brought gifts, not similar to the coarse (offerings) of the Jews; They did not sacrifice sheep and calves, but, as if they were true Christians, they offered Him knowledge, obedience and love. Having received the news in a dream, he did not return to Herod, but went back to his country another way. Look from here, what is their faith - how they were not tempted, but were obedient and prudent! They are not embarrassed, they do not reflect within themselves, saying: if this baby is really great and has any power, then why should we run away and leave secretly, and why does the angel send us out of the city as slaves and fugitives, while we came openly and boldly appeared before such a multitude of people and before the frantic king? They neither said nor thought anything like that, and this is the most special work of faith - not to seek reasons for what is not ordered to be done, but only to obey the commands. And when they had gone away, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying: Arise, take the Child and His Mother, and flee to Egypt. Some confusion may arise here regarding the Magi and the baby. Even if they themselves were not embarrassed, but accepted everything with faith; however, we must investigate why both the Magi and the Child do not remain in the same place, but the Magi retire to Persia, and the Child flees with the Mother to Egypt? So what? Was it really possible that the Child should have fallen into the hands of Herod and, having fallen, not suffered death? But then they might doubt that He took flesh, and not believe the greatness of the economy. If, after these and many other human actions, some dared to call the perception of the flesh a fiction, then to what depths of wickedness would they not have sunk if He had acted everywhere in a manner befitting God and His power? As for the Magi, God soon sends them out, partly because He sends them as teachers to the Persian country, and partly because He prevents the tyrant’s fury, in order to teach him that he is undertaking the impossible, and to quench his rage and divert him from this futile work. It is characteristic of the power of God not only to openly overcome His enemies, but also to allow them to fall into error without difficulty. So, precisely, He allowed, for example, the Jews to deceive the Egyptians, and, having the right to openly give their wealth into the hands of the Jews, He commands to do this secretly and with flattery - which, no less than other signs, made Him terrible for the enemies. So, the inhabitants of Ascalon and other cities, when they took the Ark of the Covenant, and being struck, exhorted their fellow citizens not to be hostile and not to resist, then, along with other miracles, they presented the above, saying: Why do you burden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened? Didn’t you just mock them, then let His people go and go away (1 Samuel 6:6)? They said this because, in their opinion, this work of God, no less than other openly accomplished signs, proved the power and greatness of God. So here, what happened was enough to horrify the tyrant. Imagine, in fact, how much Herod had to suffer and suffer, deceived and ridiculed by the Magi? So what if he didn't become the best? It is not the one who arranged this that is to blame, but the excessive blindness of the one who did not heed the sufficient suggestions given to him to give up evil, but became even more embittered in order to be subjected to the most severe punishment for such madness. But why, you say, is the Child being sent to Egypt? The main reason was shown by the Evangelist himself, saying: that what was spoken might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son (Hos. 11:1); and at the same time, the beginnings of good hopes for the entire universe were already foreshadowed. Since Babylon and Egypt, more than the entire earth, were kindled by the fire of wickedness, the Lord, showing at the very beginning that He will correct and make better the inhabitants of both countries, and thereby assuring that good things should be expected for the entire universe, sends the Magi to Babylon, and He Himself and His Mother come to Egypt. In addition, we learn from here something else that contributes no little to our wisdom - namely, that from the very beginning we should expect temptations and slander. In fact, look how all this begins immediately from the very shrouds. As soon as Christ was born, the tyrant goes on a rampage, and there is a flight to foreign lands, and a completely innocent mother runs away to the country of the barbarians. After this, you, having been worthy to serve some spiritual cause, if you endure the most severe adversity and are exposed to countless disasters, should not be embarrassed and say: what does this mean? when I do the will of the Lord, then I should be crowned and glorified, bright and famous. But, having the example of Christ, endure everything courageously, knowing that this is especially how it should be with spiritual people, and that their destiny is to be exposed to temptations from everywhere. Look what happens not only to the Mother and the Youth, but also to the Magi: they secretly leave, like fugitives, and the Mother Herself, who never left Her home, receives the command to set off on a long and sad journey, because of this wonderful Youth and the spiritual pangs of birth. Here’s another amazing thing: Palestine builds forges for Him, and Egypt accepts Him and saves Him from slander! Thus, the foreshadowings came true not only on the children of the patriarch, but also on the Lord Himself: His deeds at that time foreshadowed many of the subsequent events, such as, for example, the event regarding the donkey and the foaling. The angel who appeared said to Joseph: Having risen, take the Child and His Mother: for Herod wants to look for the soul of the Child. Joseph was not tempted and did not say: "What kind of strangeness is this? You said before that He would save His people, but now He does not even save Himself, and we need to run away, retire and move to a distant country? This is contrary to what was promised." Joseph does not say anything like that, because he was a faithful man; he is not even curious about the time of return, about which the angel did not say definitely: until the river reaches you, be there. He was not upset by this either, but, being ready to endure everything, he joyfully showed humility and obedience. And God, the lover of mankind, dissolved these sorrows with joy, as He usually does with all saints, not allowing them to be in constant danger, and not leaving them in perfect peace, but arranging the life of the righteous from the union of both. So He arranged it here too. Look: Joseph saw that the Virgin was with child; this plunged him into confusion and extreme anxiety, because he suspected the Virgin of adultery. But an angel immediately appeared, destroyed suspicion, and dispelled fear: and Joseph, seeing the Baby born, was overwhelmed with the greatest joy. Again this joy is replaced by considerable sorrow. The city is indignant, the king goes berserk and searches for the newborn. But this anxiety was followed by new joy - the star and the worship of the Magi. After this joy - again fear and danger; it is said that Herod is looking for the soul of the Child, and again the angel orders him to flee and move, as is characteristic of man, because the time has not come to work miracles. If the Lord had begun to work miracles from His first age, He would not have been recognized as a human being. Therefore, the church is not only being built, but womb-bearing takes place during the usual nine-month period; then illness and birth, and feeding with milk, and long rest, and waiting for an age suitable for husbands - and all this in order to make the sacrament of housebuilding more understandable. Why, you say, were these signs at first? For the Mother, for Joseph, for Simeon, who was already close to death, for the shepherds, for the wise men, for the Jews. If they had wanted to delve more thoroughly into the events of that time, they would have gained considerable benefit from this for the future. If the prophets do not speak about the Magi, then do not be embarrassed; They did not predict everything, just as they did not keep silent about everything. If people were witnesses to incidents that had never been heard of before, this would plunge them into great confusion and bewilderment; Likewise, if they had known everything first, then nothing would have excited them to investigate, and there would have been nothing left for the evangelists to do. If the Jews are perplexed regarding the prophecy: out of Egypt I called My Son, as if this were said about them, then we answer them that prophecies, by the way, also have such a property that much that is said about some is fulfilled on others. So, for example, it is said about Simeon and Levi: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen. 49:7); meanwhile, this did not come true on them, but on their descendants, just as what Noah said about Canaan came true on the Gibeonites, the grandchildren of Canaan. The same thing happened to Jacob, as we see; The blessing given to him: be lord to your brother, and let your father's sons worship you (Gen. 27:29) was fulfilled not over him, but over his descendants. The same must be said in the present case (about Christ). Who can more accurately be called the Son of God? Is it the One who worships the calf, or served Beelphegor and sacrificed children to demons, or the One who by nature is the Son and honors the One who gave birth? So, if Christ had not come, the prophecy would not have received its proper fulfillment. Look how the Evangelist also hints at this by saying: let it come to pass, and showing that this would not have been fulfilled if the Son of God had not come. This sheds considerable light and glory on Virgo. What all the (Jewish) people boasted about, She could already assimilate to Herself. That which the Jews exorbitantly boasted and boasted of when speaking about their return from Egypt (to which the Prophet also hints, saying: “Are not I the foreigners from Cappadocia, and the Assyrians from the pit” (Amos. 9:7), is also an advantage for Virgo. It’s better to say that both the people and the patriarch, by their arrival in Egypt and their return from there, represented an image of the return of Christ. And they went to Egypt, escaping death by starvation, and Christ - avoiding death prepared by deceit; but when they arrived there, they were delivered from hunger, but Christ, having come there, sanctified the entire country with His coming. So, see how the power of God is revealed in the midst of humiliation! The angel, having said: flee to Egypt, did not promise to accompany them either there or from there, in order to make them understand that they have a great companion - the one born of the Child, who, by His appearance, changes all things, and forces the enemies themselves to serve in many ways for the economy of salvation. In fact, the magicians and barbarians, leaving the wickedness of their fathers, come to worship Him. The August decision about the census turns out to be a case for the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Egypt receives and watches Him in flight from slander, and thus receives the opportunity to make Him close to itself, so that when it hears the apostolic sermon about Him, it can boast that it was the first to accept Him. This honor belonged to Palestine alone; but Egypt turned out to be more zealous than the latter. And now this desert is better than any paradise: there in human form are countless faces of angels, hosts of martyrs. The sky, speckled with a host of stars, is not as bright as the Egyptian desert, where monastic tents appear everywhere. If anyone has never entered those tabernacles, let him remember that Egypt produced the most glorious man after the apostles, the blessed and great Anthony, and let him consider that he was in the same country where Pharaoh was. And yet this country did not harm him at all, and he was also honored with divine contemplation, and led the kind of life that Christ’s laws require. Anyone who carefully reads the book containing the narrative of his life, in which he will find many prophecies, will be convinced of this. But, in order not to tell you about this, read for yourself what is written in his book: find out everything in detail, and learn from it much wisdom. I only ask you not to limit yourself to reading, but to try to actually imitate what is written, without apologizing either for place, or for upbringing, or for the wickedness of your ancestors. If we decide to pay due attention to ourselves, then nothing like this will serve as an obstacle to us. Let's give up inappropriate excuses and pretexts, and decide on virtuous deeds. Then we will attract divine love to ourselves, and we will beg the Lord to promote our deeds, and we will be worthy of eternal blessings, which we all will receive through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen 53. See VIII demon. on evang. Matt. in Full collection of works of St. John Chrysostom. St. Petersburg, 1901, vol. VII, pp. 82–89. You might be interested in: