Б. Вторая часть Евангельской Истории. События в Галилее

1. The Lord's first sojourn in Capernaum 35. The calling of the four fishermen. Matt. 4, 18–22; Mk. 1, 16–20. Passing near the Sea of ​​Galilee, the Lord saw two brothers, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. And the Lord Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men; I will make you fishers of men. And they immediately left their nets and followed Him. From there, going further and having gone a little way, He saw the other two brothers, James Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and called them. And they immediately, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the workers, followed Him. Then they all came to Capernaum. 36. On Saturday, sermon in the synagogue and exorcism. Mk. 1, 21–28; OK. 4, 31–37. Soon after, on the Sabbath, the Lord entered the synagogue and taught. And they marveled at His teaching, for His word was with authority, and He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, having an unclean spirit of demons; and he cried out with a loud voice: What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? You have come to destroy us. I know You, who You are, the Holy One of God. But the Lord Jesus rebuked him, saying: Be silent and come out of him. And the unclean spirit, shaking him violently, cried out with a loud voice and, throwing him down in the middle of the synagogue, came out of him without harming him in the least. And horror fell on everyone, everyone was horrified and, reasoning among themselves, asked each other: what does this mean? What a new teaching is this, that He commands even the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they obey Him and come out. And soon rumors about Him spread throughout all the surrounding places, throughout the entire region of Galilee. 37. Healing of Simon's mother-in-law and many others. Matt. 8, 14–17; Mk. 1, 29–34; OK. 4, 38–41. Leaving the synagogue, the Lord Jesus and His disciples came to the house of Simon Peter and Andrew, with James and John. Simonov's mother-in-law lay in a fever, overcome by a strong fever. They immediately told the Lord about her and asked Him about her. Approaching her, the Lord saw her lying and, approaching, touched her hand. Then, rebuking the fever, He took the sick woman by the hand and raised her. The fever immediately left her, and she stood up and began to serve them. When evening came, when the sun was setting, they brought to Him many demoniacs; also, everyone who had patients with various diseases brought them to Him. And the whole city gathered at the door. Laying his hands on each of the sick, the Lord healed them; and He healed in this way many who suffered from various diseases, so that what was said by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who says: He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses (Isaiah 53:4). He also cast out spirits with a word; and cast out many demons. Demons came out of many screaming and said: You are the Christ, the Son of God. And He forbade them and did not allow the demons to say that they know about Him, that He is the Christ. 2. The Lord's first walk through Galilee 38. First exodus to Galilee to preach. Matt. 4, 23; Mk. 1, 35–39; OK. 4, 42–44; Acts 10, 38. In the morning, getting up very early, the Lord left the house and, leaving, retired to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Simon and those who were with Him followed Him and, having found Him, they said to Him: everyone is looking for You. The Lord says to them: let us go to the neighboring villages and cities so that I can preach there too, for this is why I came. And the people sought Him and, having come to Him, restrained Him so that He would not leave them. But He said to them: I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities too, for for this purpose I was sent. And the Lord walked throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues of Galilee and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among people, doing good and healing all who were possessed by the devil, and casting out demons, because God was with Him, and He was glorified by everyone. 39. Visit to Nazareth. OK. 4, 16–30. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and, as His custom was, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. He was given the book of the prophet Isaiah; and He opened the book and found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; for He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, and He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Isa. 61:1-2). And, closing the book and giving it to the servant, he sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them: Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. And they all witnessed this to Him, and marveled at the words of grace that proceeded from His mouth, and said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” He said to them: Of course, you will tell Me the saying: doctor! heal yourself; Do here, in Your fatherland, what we heard happened in Capernaum. And he said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.” Truly I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up for three years and six months, so that there was a great famine throughout the whole earth; and Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a widow in Zarephath of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel under the prophet Elisha, and not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. Hearing this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with rage and, getting up, drove Him out of the city and led Him to the top of the mountain on which their city was built in order to overthrow Him; but He, passing through the midst of them, withdrew. 40. Healing the leper. Mk. 1, 40–45; OK. 5, 12–16. When the Lord Jesus was in a certain city, a man came covered with leprosy and, seeing the Lord Jesus, bowed his knees before Him and fell on his face, beseeching Him and saying: Lord! if you want, you can cleanse me. The Lord Jesus, having mercy on him, stretched out his hand, touched him and said: I want you to be clean. After this word, the leprosy immediately left him, and he became clean. Having looked at him sternly, the Lord immediately sent him away and said to him: be careful not to say anything to anyone; But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. And he, coming out, began to proclaim and tell about what had happened; and the rumor about Christ the Lord spread more and more, so that He could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside, in desert places. And they came to Him from everywhere; a great multitude of people flocked to Him to listen and to be healed of their illnesses by Him. But He went into deserted places and prayed. 3. The Lord’s second stay in Capernaum 41. Preaching from the sea and wonderful fishing. Mk. 2, 1; OK. 5, 1–11. A few days later Christ the Lord came again to Capernaum. One day, when the people were crowding towards Him to hear the word of God, and He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, He saw two boats standing on the lake; and the fishermen, leaving them, washed their nets. Having entered one boat, which was Simon's, He asked him to sail a little from the shore and, sitting down, taught the people from the boat. When he had stopped teaching, he said to Simon, “Sail out into the deep and let down your nets to catch.” Simon answered Him: Master! we worked all night and caught nothing; but according to Your word I will let down the net. Having done this, they caught a great many fish, and even their net was broken. And they gave a sign to the comrades in the other boat to come help them; and they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. Seeing this, Simon Peter fell at the knees of the Lord Jesus and said: Depart from me, Lord! because I am a sinful person. For horror seized him and all those who were with him, from this fishing of fish they caught; also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's companions. And the Lord Jesus said to Simon, Fear not; From now on you will catch people. And, having pulled both boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him. 42. Healing the paralytic. Matt. 9, 2–8; Mk. 2, 1–12; OK. 5, 17–26. One day it was heard that the Lord was in the house. Many immediately gathered, so that there was no longer room at the door; and He spoke the word to them. While He was teaching in this way, and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come from all parts of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was manifested in healing the sick, some brought to Him a man lying on a bed, who was in a state of weakness, whom four carried, and tried to carry him into the house and lay him before the Lord Jesus. Not finding where to carry him beyond the multitude of people, and not being able to get closer to the Lord, they climbed up, opened the roof of the house where He was, and, having dug through it, lowered through it the bed on which the paralytic lay, into the middle, before the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus, seeing their faith, said to that paralytic man: Be of good cheer, child! your sins are forgiven you. The scribes and Pharisees who were sitting there began to reason and think in their hearts: Why is He blaspheming so much? Who can forgive sins except God alone? And they said to themselves: He blasphemes. The Lord Jesus, immediately realizing in His spirit that they were thinking this way within themselves, said to them: Why are you thinking this way? Why do you think evil in your hearts? What's easier? Shall I say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven?” or should I say: get up, take up your bed and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, I tell you,” He said to the paralytic, “get up, take up your bed and go to your house.” He immediately stood up, and, taking the bed, or what he was lying on, went out in front of everyone, and went to his house, praising God, so that everyone was amazed. Horror gripped everyone; everyone glorified God, who had given such power to men, and, being filled with fear, said: we have seen wonderful things today; We have never seen anything like this. 43. The calling of Levi-Matthew and his conversation. Matt. 9, 9–17; Mk. 2, 13–22; OK. 5, 27–39. After this, the Lord left the house and went again to the sea; all the people came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed, He saw a man sitting at the collection of duties, a tax collector named Levi Alpheus, or Matthew, and said to him: follow Me; and he, leaving everything, stood up and followed Him. Levi-Matthew prepared a great meal for Him in his house. And as the Lord Jesus reclined in his house, his disciples also reclined with him; and many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and with His disciples; for there were many of them, and they followed Him; There were many others there who reclined with Him. From among them the scribes and Pharisees, seeing that He was eating with publicans and sinners, said to His disciples: How and why does your Teacher eat and drink with publicans and sinners? When the Lord Jesus heard this, he answered and said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.” Go and learn what it means: I want mercy, not sacrifice? For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Hos. 6:6). The disciples of John and the Pharisees usually fasted. The scribes and Pharisees who spoke before come to the Lord and say: why do John’s disciples fast often and say prayers, and also the Pharisees’ prayers, but your disciples eat and drink? Then John’s disciples come to Him and say: Why do we and the Pharisees fast a lot, but Your disciples do not fast? The Lord Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bridal chamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them?” And can you force the sons of the bridal chamber to fast while the bridegroom is with them? During the entire time that the groom is with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. At this He told them a parable: No one puts patches of unbleached cloth on old clothes, for what is sewn again will be torn away from the old, and the hole will be even worse. (In St. Luke, this parable says this: no one puts patches on old clothes, having torn them from new clothes; a. Otherwise, the new one will be torn, and the patch from the new one will not fit the old one. - In this composition, it could have been offered by the Lord someday again.) Likewise, no one puts new wine into old wineskins; Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and then the wine itself will leak out, and the skins will be lost. But new wine must be put into new wineskins; then both will be saved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately wants new; for he says: the old is better. 4. The second descent of the Lord from Capernaum 44. Second Easter; healing of a 38-year-old paralytic. In. 5, 1–16. After this there was a feast of the Jews, and the Lord Jesus came to Jerusalem. There is also a pool in Jerusalem at the sheep gate, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which had five covered passages. In them lay a great multitude of the sick, the blind, the lame, the withered, waiting for the movement of the water. For the Angel of the Lord from time to time went into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever first entered it after the water was disturbed was healed, no matter what disease he was suffering from. Here was a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years. The Lord Jesus, seeing him lying down and knowing that he had been lying there for a long time, said to him: Do you want to be healthy? The sick man answered Him: Yes, Lord, but I do not have a person who would lower me into the pool when the waters are troubled; when I arrive, another has already descended before me. The Lord Jesus says to him: Arise, take up your bed and walk. And he immediately became well, and took up his bed and went. It was on the Sabbath day. Therefore the Jews said to the healed man: Today is the Sabbath; You shouldn’t take a bed. He answered them: He who healed me said to me: take your bed and walk. They asked him: Who is the man who said to you, “Take up your bed and walk?” The healed man did not know who he was, for the Lord Jesus hid himself among the people who were in that place. Then the Lord Jesus met him in the church and said to him, “Behold, you are healed; Don’t sin, lest something worse happen to you. This man went and announced to the Jews that the one who healed him was Jesus. And the Jews began to persecute the Lord Jesus and sought to kill Him because He did such things on the Sabbath. 45. Second Easter; the teaching of the Lord Jesus about His equality with God the Father. In. 5, 1–16. The Lord Jesus said to them: My Father is working until now, and I am working. And the Jews sought even more to kill Him because He not only violated the Sabbath, but also called God His Father, making Himself equal to God. To this the Lord Jesus said to them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless He see the Father doing it; for whatever He does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whomever He will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son; that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, the time is coming, and has already come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and having heard, they will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son to have life in Himself. And He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not be surprised at this: for the time is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who have done good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation. I cannot create anything on my own. As I hear, so I judge; and My judgment is righteous: for I do not seek My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me. If I testify about myself, then my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me; and I know that the testimony with which he testifies about Me is true. You sent to John, and he testified to the truth. However, I do not accept testimony from man, but I say this so that you may be saved. He was a lamp, burning and shining; and you wanted to rejoice in its light for a little while. But I have a testimony greater than John’s: for the works that the Father gave Me to do, these very works that I have done, testify of Me that the Father has sent Me. And the Father who sent Me testified about Me. But you have never heard His voice, nor seen His face. And you do not have His word abiding in you, because you do not believe Him whom He sent. Search the Scriptures, for through them you think you have eternal life; and they testify of Me. But you do not want to come to Me to have life. I do not accept glory from men, but I know you: you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in the name of My Father, and you do not receive Me; what if... Someone else will come in his own name; you will receive him. How can you believe when you receive glory from each other, but do not seek the glory that is from the One God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: you have an accuser, Moses, in whom you trust. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me, because he wrote about Me. If you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words? 46. ​​Plucking ears of corn on Saturday and justifying this action. Matt. 12, 1–8; Mk. 2, 23–28; OK. 6, 1–5. On Saturday, the first after the second day of Easter, the Lord Jesus happened to pass through sown fields. His disciples became hungry and on the way began to pluck the ears of corn and eat, rubbing them with their hands. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, Behold, Your disciples are doing what ought not to be done on the Sabbath. Look, why do they do on the Sabbath, what should they not do? Some of the Pharisees said to the disciples themselves: why are you doing what you should not do on the Sabbath? The Lord Jesus answered and said to them: Have you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry, he and those who were with him? How did he enter the house of God, in the presence of Abiathar the high priest, and took and ate and gave the showbread, which neither he nor those who were with him, but only the priests alone, should eat, and gave to those who were with him? Or have you not also read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the church break the Sabbath, but are innocent? But I tell you that here is He who is greater than the church. If you knew what it means: I want mercy, not sacrifice, you would not condemn the innocent (Hos. 6:6). And he said to them: The Sabbath is for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. And he left from there. 47. Healing the withered man on Saturday and denouncing the Pharisees. Matt. 12, 9–13; Mk. 3, 1–5; OK. 6, 6–10. On another Saturday the Lord happened to enter the synagogue and teach. There was a man whose right hand was dry. The scribes and Pharisees watched to see if Christ the Lord would heal him on Saturday, in order to find an accusation against Him. And they asked Him: is it possible to heal on the Sabbath? But He, knowing their thoughts, said to the man who had a withered hand: stand up and step into the middle. He stood up and spoke. Then the Lord Jesus said to them: I ask you: what should you do on the Sabbath? good or evil? save your soul or destroy it? But they were silent. He said to them: Which of you, having one sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take it and pull it out? How much better is a man than a sheep? So, you can do good on Saturday. Then, looking at them with anger, grieving over the hardness of their hearts, he said to that man with withered hands: stretch out your hand: he did so, stretched out, and his hand became healthy, like the other. 48. The Pharisees are irritated. The Lord moves away to the sea. Matt. 12, 14; Mk. 3, 6, 7; OK. 6, 11. The Pharisees became furious and said among themselves, what should they do to the Lord Jesus? Then, having gone out, they immediately formed a conference with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him. But the Lord Jesus, having learned about the evil plans against Him, withdrew from there with His disciples to the sea. 5. The Lord’s third sojourn in Capernaum 49. Large crowd of people. Matt. 12, 15; Mk. 3, 7–9. And a great multitude followed Him from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and beyond the Jordan. And those who dwelt in the region of Tire and Sidon, when they heard what He did, came to Him in great multitudes. And He told His disciples that a boat should be ready for Him because of the crowd, so that He would not be crowded. 50. Abundant healings. Matt. 12, 15–21; Mk. 3, 10–12. At the same time He healed many, so that those who had wounds rushed to Him to touch Him. And He healed them all. And the unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell before Him and shouted: You are the Son of God. But He strictly forbade them not to make Him known, and forbade them (the healed) to announce Him: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who says: Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen, My Beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My spirit on Him, and He will proclaim judgment to the nations; He will not contradict or cry, and no one will hear His voice in the streets; He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not quench the smoking flax, until he brings victory to the court. And the nations will trust in His name (Isaiah 42:1-4). 6. The Lord’s third walk through Galilee 51. Procession through Galilee and all-night prayer. Matt. 4, 23–25; Mk. 3, 13; OK. 6, 12. Then the Lord Jesus again walked throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. And many people followed Him. In those days He went up the mountain to pray and spent the whole night in prayer to God. 52. Election of the twelve Apostles. Mk. 3, 13–19; OK. 6, 17–19. When the day came, the Lord called from His disciples whom He Himself wanted; and came to Him. He chose twelve from them, whom he named Apostles, so that they would be with Him, and to send them to preach, and so that they would have the power to heal from diseases and cast out demons: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James of Zebedee and John, the brother of James, calling them the name Boanerges, that is, “sons of Thunder,” Philip and Bartholomew (or Nathanael), Matthew and Thomas, James Alphaeus and Simon the Canaanite, nicknamed the Zealot, Judas Jacob (otherwise Thaddeus, or Levway, nicknamed Thaddeus) and Judas Iscariot, who later became a traitor and betrayed Him. 53. Healing after the descent from the mountain. OK. 6, 17–19; Matt. 4, 24. Having descended from the mountain with them, the Lord stood on level ground, and many of His disciples, and many people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seaside places of Tire and Sidon, who came to listen to Him and to be healed of their illnesses, also those suffering from unclean spirits; and were healed. And all the people sought to touch Him, because power came from Him and healed everyone. For rumors about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all the weak, those possessed by various diseases and seizures, and the demon-possessed, and the lunatics, and the paralytic, and He healed them. 54. Sermon on the Mount, according to the Evangelist Matthew. Matt. 5, 1–48; 6, 1–34; 7, 1–29. Seeing the people, the Lord went up the mountain; and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. So they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its strength, then what will you use to make it salty? It is no longer good for anything except throwing it out there for people to trample underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city standing on top of a mountain cannot hide. And having lit a candle, they do not put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law until it is all fulfilled. So, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so, he will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; and whoever does and teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For, I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard what was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill; whoever kills is subject to judgment (Ex. 20:13). But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment; whoever says to his brother: “raqa” is subject to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, “You fool,” is subject to fiery hell. So, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make peace with your opponent quickly while you are still on the way with him, lest your opponent hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the servant, and they throw you into prison. Truly I tell you: you will not leave there until you have paid the last coin. You have heard what was said to the ancients: You shall not commit adultery (Ex. 20:14). But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, rather than your whole body being cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. It is also said that if anyone divorces his wife, let him give her divorce (Deut. 24:1). But I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for the guilt of fornication, gives her a reason to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. You have also heard what was said to the ancients: do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows before the Lord (Lev. 19:12; Deut. 23:21). But I say to you: do not swear at all: neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is His footstool; nor Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word be: yes, yes; no no; and anything beyond this is from the evil one. You have heard that it was said: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Ex. 21, 24). But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him. And whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer clothing too. And whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks from you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said: love your neighbor and hate your enemy (Lev. 19, 17, 18). But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what will be your reward? Don't publicans do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing are you doing? Don't the pagans do the same? Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Be careful not to do your alms in front of people so that they see you, otherwise you will have no reward from your Heavenly Father. So, when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that people may glorify them. Truly I tell you, they are already receiving their reward. When you do alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stop and pray in the synagogues and on street corners in order to appear before people. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not say too much, like the pagans, for they think that for their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive people their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. And if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins. Also, when you fast, do not be sad like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward. And you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to men as you fast, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lamp for the body is the eye. So, if your eye is clean, your whole body will be bright. If your eye is bad, then your whole body will be dark. So, if the light that is in you is darkness, then what is the darkness? No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one and neglectful of the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will wear. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your Father in heaven feeds them. Aren't you much better than them? And which of you, by caring, can add even one cubit to his height? And why do you care about clothes? Look at the lilies of the field, how do they grow? They neither toil nor spin. But I tell you that Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them. If God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more so than you, O you of little faith! So do not worry and say, “What shall we eat?” or what to drink? or what to wear? because the pagans seek all this, and because your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you. So, don't worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow will take care of its own things: its own care is enough for each day. Judge not, lest ye be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the plank in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother: “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” but there is a plank in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see how to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give holy things to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Is there a man among you who, when his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone? And when he asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? So if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him. So, in everything, whatever you want people to do to you, do so to them, for this is the law and the prophets. Enter in at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many go in through it; for narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! God!" He who does the will of My Father in Heaven will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to Me on that day: Lord! God! Have we not prophesied in Your name? and was it not in Your name that they cast out demons? and did they not perform many miracles in Your name? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you; Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them will be likened to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, because it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and he fell, and his fall was great. And when the Lord Jesus finished these words, the people marveled at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes and Pharisees. 55. Sermon on the Mount according to the Evangelist Luke. OK. 6, 20–49. The Lord, lifting His eyes upon His disciples, said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are those who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they excommunicate you and revile you, and call your name dishonorable, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. This is what their fathers did to the prophets. On the contrary, woe to you, rich people! for you have already received your consolation. Woe to you who are now satiated! for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now! for you will mourn and lament. Woe to you when all people speak well of you. For this is what their fathers did to the false prophets. But to you who are listening, I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. Offer the other one to the one who gives you a cheek, and do not prevent the one who takes away your outer clothing from taking your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not demand back from the one who took what is yours. And as you want people to do to you, do so to them. And if you love those who love you, what gratitude do you have for that? for sinners also love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what gratitude is that to you? for sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get it back, what gratitude are you for that? for even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But you love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing; and you will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, shaken together, pressed, and running over, will be poured into your bosom; For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. He also told them a parable: Can a blind man lead a blind man? won't they both fall into the pit? A student is never higher than his teacher; but, having been perfected, everyone will be like his teacher. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the plank in your own eye? Or, as you can say to your brother: brother! Let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself cannot see the beam in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. There is no good tree that bears bad fruit; and there is no bad tree that bears good fruit. For every tree is known by its fruit; for they do not gather figs from the thorn bushes, nor do they gather grapes from the bush. A good man brings forth good things from the good treasure of his heart, and an evil man brings forth evil things from the evil treasure of his heart, for out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks. Why do you call Me: Lord! God! - and don’t you do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will tell you who he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug, went deep and laid the foundation on the rock; why, when the flood happened, and the water came against this house, it could not shake it, because it was founded on stone. But he who hears and does not do is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, which, when water came upon it, immediately collapsed; and the destruction of this house was great. 56. Healing a leper. OK. 7, 1; Matt. 8, 1–4. When the Lord Jesus finished all His words to the people who heard Him, He came down from the mountain. Many people followed Him. And then the leper came up and, bowing to Him, said: Lord! if you want, you can cleanse me. The Lord Jesus, stretching out his hand, touched him and said: I want you to be clean. And he was immediately cleansed from leprosy. And the Lord said to him: Be careful not to tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. 7. The Lord's fourth stay in Capernaum 57. Healing of the centurion's slave. Matt. 8, 5–13; OK. 7, 2–10. After this the Lord Jesus entered Capernaum. Here, a centurion's servant, whom he treasured, was sick and dying. Hearing about the Lord Jesus, he sent Jewish elders to Him to ask Him to come and heal his servant, saying to Him on his behalf: Lord! my servant lies at home in relaxation and suffers severely, heal him. So, when the Lord Jesus entered Capernaum, the messengers, approaching Him, asked Him convincingly in the words of the centurion, saying, moreover, on their own behalf: he is worthy that You should do this for him, for he loves our people and has built us a synagogue. The Lord Jesus said to them: I will come and heal him. And he went with them. When He was not far from home, the centurion sent friends to Him to tell Him: Don’t work, Lord! for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof. That is why I did not consider myself worthy to come to You; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a subordinate man, but having soldiers under my command, I say to one: go, and he goes; and to another: come, and he comes; and to his servant: Do this, and he does. Hearing this, the Lord Jesus was amazed at him and, turning, said to the people following Him: Truly I say to you, that even in Israel I have not found such faith. I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; and the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And the Lord Jesus said by those who were sent to the centurion, Let it be done to you as you have believed. And his servant was healed at that hour. The messengers returned to the house and found the sick servant recovered. 8. The Lord’s fourth walk through Galilee 58. Resurrection of a young man in Nain. OK. 7, 11–17. After this the Lord Jesus went to a city called Nain; and with Him went many of His disciples and a great multitude of people. When He approached the city gates, they carried out the dead man, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and many people went with her out of the city. Seeing her, the Lord took pity on her and told her: don’t cry. And he came up and touched the bed; those carrying them stopped, and He said: young man! I'm telling you, get up. The dead man got up, sat down and began to speak; and the Lord Jesus gave him to his mother And everyone was seized with fear, and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited His people. This opinion about Him spread throughout Judea and throughout the surrounding area. 59. Embassy of the Forerunner to the Lord. Matt. 11, 2–6; OK. 7, 18–23. And his disciples told John about all this. John, having heard in prison about the works of Christ, called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord Jesus to ask: Are you the one who should come, or should we expect someone else? They came to the Lord Jesus and said: John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask: Are you the one who should come, or should we expect someone else? And at this time the Lord Jesus healed many from diseases and illnesses and from evil spirits, and gave sight to many blind people. And he answered them: Go, tell John what you see and hear: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me. 60. Praise of the Lord to the holy Forerunner. Matt. 11, 7–15; OK. 7, 24–28. After those sent by John had departed, the Lord Jesus began to speak to the people about John: What did you go into the wilderness to see? Is it a cane shaken by the wind? What did you go to see? a person dressed in soft clothes? But those who wear soft clothes, dress luxuriously and live luxuriously are in the royal courts, in the royal palaces. What did you go to see? prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. For he is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I send an Angel before Thy face, who will prepare Thy way before Thee (Mal. 3:1). Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen a greater man than John the Baptist; there is no prophet greater than John the Baptist; but the least in the Kingdom of God of Heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it. For all the prophets and the law prophesied before John. And if you want to accept, he is Elijah, who must come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 61. Denunciation of the unbelief of the Pharisees and scribes. Matt. 11, 16–19; OK. 7, 29–35. The Lord continued the word: And all the people who heard John, and the tax collectors, gave glory to God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected God’s will for themselves by not being baptized by him. But to whom shall I compare this generation? With whom can I compare people of this kind? And who are they like? They are like children who sit on the street and, turning to their comrades, call each other and say: we played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; We sang sad, lamentable songs to you, and you did not cry or weep. For John the Baptist came, neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and say: he has a devil. The Son of Man came: eating and drinking; and say: Here is a man who loves to eat and drink wine, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by all her children. 62. Reproof of some cities for unbelief. Matt. 11, 20–24. Then the Lord began to reproach the cities in which His powers were most manifested, because they did not repent: woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the powers that were demonstrated in you had been demonstrated in Tire and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tire and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who ascended to heaven, will be cast down to hell, for if the powers that were manifested in you had been manifested in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you. 63. Calling to Self. Matt. 11, 27–30. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and to whom the Son wants to reveal it. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. 64. In the house of Simon, pardon for a sinner. OK. 7, 30–56. One of the Pharisees asked the Lord to eat food with him; and He entered the Pharisee's house and lay down. And so, a woman of that city, who was a sinner, having learned that He was reclining in the house of a Pharisee, brought an alabaster (marble) vessel of ointment and, standing behind His feet and weeping, began to wet His feet with tears and wipe them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet and anointed them with ointment. Seeing this, the Pharisee, who invited the Lord, said to himself: if He were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman was touching Him, for she was a sinner. Turning to him, the Lord Jesus said: Simon! I have something to tell you. He says: tell me, Teacher. The Lord Jesus said: A certain creditor had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. But since they did not have anything to pay, he forgave them both. Tell me, which of them will love him more? Simon answered: I think the one to whom he forgave more. He said to him: you judged correctly. And turning to the woman, he said to Simon: Do you see this woman? I came to your house, and you did not give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You did not give Me a kiss, but she, since I came, has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you: her many sins are forgiven because she loved much; and he who is forgiven little loves little. He said to her: Your sins are forgiven. And those reclining with Him began to say to themselves: Who is this that even forgives sins? He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace. 65. Continues walking through Galilee, accompanied by their wives. OK. 8, 1–3. After this, the Lord passed through cities and villages, preaching and preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God, and with Him the twelve, and some women whom He had healed from evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons came out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who served Him with their property. 9. The Lord's fifth sojourn in Capernaum 66. In Capernaum, a blind and dumb man is healed by a demon. Matt. 12, 22–23; Mk. 3, 20–21. Returning to Capernaum, the Lord and His disciples come to the house. And again the people gathered, so that it was impossible for them to eat bread. And when His neighbors heard, they went to take Him, for others told them that He had lost his temper. Then they brought to Him a demoniac, blind and dumb. And He healed him, so that the blind and dumb man began to speak and see. And all the people marveled and said, Is this not the Christ, the son of David? 67. Because of this, the Pharisees blasphemed the Lord and denounced them. Matt. 12, 24–30; OK. 3, 22–27. The Pharisees, hearing this, said: He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. And the scribes who came from Jerusalem said that He had Beelzebub in Him and that He cast out demons by the power of the prince of demons. The Lord Jesus, knowing their thoughts, called them and spoke to them in parables: How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Every kingdom divided against itself is desolate; and every city or house divided against itself cannot stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided against himself. If Satan rebelled against himself and became divided, how will his kingdom stand? It cannot stand, but its end has come. If I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then, of course, the Kingdom of God has reached you? Or how can anyone enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? No one can enter the house of a strong man and steal his belongings unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. 68. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. Matt. 12, 30–32; OK. 3, 28–30. Therefore, truly I say to you: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men; all sins and blasphemies, no matter how they are blasphemed, will be forgiven to the sons of men; and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven to people. But whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but he will be subject to eternal condemnation. If anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the future. He said this because they said: There is an unclean spirit in Him. 69. Where do evil speeches come from? - And for idle words - an answer. Matt. 12, 33–37. Or recognize the tree as good and its fruit as good; or recognize the tree as bad and its fruit as bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. Spawn of vipers! how can you say good things when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man brings good things out of a good treasure, and an evil man brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you that for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. 70. Answer to those who asked for a sign. Matt. 12, 38–42. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said: Teacher! We would like to see a sign from You. But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and no sign will be given to him except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. The Nenewites will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented from the preaching of Jonah; and behold, there is more Jonah here. The queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, there is more Solomon here. (Even if I did a sign for you, you would believe for a while, and then, due to your depravity, you would become even worse.) 71. About the departure of the unclean spirit from a person and the return to him. Matt. 12, 43–45. When the unclean spirit leaves a person, it walks through dry places, looking for rest, and does not find it. Then he says: I will return to my house from where I came; and, having arrived, finds it unoccupied, swept and tidied up. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and live there; and for that person the last thing is worse than the first. So it will be with this evil generation. 72. Who are blessed. Spiritual relationship with the Lord. OK. 11, 27–28; Matt. 12, 46–50; Mk. 3, 31–35; OK. 8, 19–21. While He was saying this, one woman, raising her voice from among the people, said to Him: Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nourished You! And He said: Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. When the Lord spoke this to the people, His Mother and His brothers came to Him and stood outside the house, wanting to speak with Him, but they could not approach Him because of the people. Why, standing outside, they sent to Him to call Him. The people were sitting near Him: they let Him know and said to Him, - one of the people said to Him: Behold Your Mother and Your brothers and Your sisters are standing outside and asking You, wanting to see You and speak with You. He answered and said to the one who spoke this: Who is My Mother? and who are my brothers? Then, pointing his hand at His disciples and looking around at those sitting around Him, He said: Here are My mother and My brothers. My Mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it. For whoever does the will of God, the will of My Heavenly Father, is My brother, and sister, and mother. 73. Word to the people in parables. Matt. 13, 1–3; Mk. 4, 1–2; OK. 8, 4. Having left home that day, the Lord Jesus sat down by the sea and again began to teach by the sea. And a great crowd gathered to him, and from all the cities the inhabitants came to him, so that he entered into a boat and sat down, and all the people stood on the land, on the shore by the sea. And He taught them many parables, and in His teaching He said to them: Listen: a) Parable of the sower and the seed. Matt. 13, 3–9; Mk. 4, 3–9; OK. 8, 4–8. Behold, a sower went out to sow his seed. And when he sowed, it happened that... Others fell along the road and were trampled, and the birds of the air flew down and devoured them. Some fell on stone, on rocky places where there was little earth, and soon sprang up, because the earth was shallow; when the sun rose, it withered and, as it had no root or moisture, dried up. Others fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them, and they did not bear fruit. A. Some fell on good soil and produced fruit, which sprang up and grew and bore. Some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred. Having said this, He exclaimed: whoever has ears to hear, let him hear! b) The parable of the tares. Matt. 13, 24–30. The Lord offered them another parable, saying: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. While the people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. When the greenery sprang up and the fruit appeared, then the tares also appeared. Having arrived, the servants of the householder said to him: Master! did you not sow good seed in your field? where does the tares come from? He said to them, “The enemy man has done this.” And the slaves said to him: Do you want us to go and choose them? But he said: no, so that when you choose the tares, you do not pull up the wheat along with them. Leave both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, and put the wheat into my barn. c) A parable about the gradual development of a seed. Mk. 4, 26–29. The Lord also said: The Kingdom of God is like if a man casts seed into the ground, and sleeps and rises night and day; and how the seed sprouts and grows, he does not know. For the earth itself produces first greenery, then an ear, then a full grain in the ear. When the fruit is ripe, he immediately sends in the sickle, because the harvest has come. d) The parable of the mustard seed. Matt. 13, 31–32; Mk. 4, 30–32. According to the Evangelist Matthew. –. The Lord offered them another parable, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which, although smaller than all the seeds, when it grows, is larger than all the grains and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air fly and take refuge in its branches. According to the Evangelist Mark. – What do we compare the Kingdom of God to? or by what parable shall we depict it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; and when it is sown, it comes up and becomes larger than all the grains, and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can take refuge under its shadow. e) The parable of the leaven. Matt. 13, 33. He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened. f) The parable of the treasure in the field. Matt. 13, 44. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which, having found, a man hid, and out of joy over it he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. g) The parable of the pearl. Matt. 13, 45–46. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for good pearls, who, having found one pearl of great price, went and sold everything he had and bought it. h) The parable of the net. Matt. 13, 47–50. The Kingdom of Heaven is also like a net thrown into the sea and capturing fish of all kinds, which, when it was full, they pulled ashore and, sitting down, collected the good in vessels, and threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and throw them into the fiery furnace: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. i) Conclusion of the word about parables. Matt. 13, 34, 35; Mk. 4, 33, 34. The Lord Jesus spoke all these things to the people in parables, and preached the word to them in as many parables as they could hear; and without a parable he did not tell them about His Kingdom; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the creation of the world (Ps 77:2). He explained everything to the disciples in private. 74. Some explanations regarding parables. a) Why are parables spoken to the people? Matt. 13, 10–17; Mk. 4, 10–12; OK. 8, 10. When the Lord Jesus, having dismissed the people, entered the house and was left alone with His own, without people, those who surrounded Him along with the twelve came to Him and asked Him about the parable and said: Why do you speak in parables to them, the people? He answered them: because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, the Heavenly, but it has not been given to them; To those outside, everything happens in parables. For whoever has, to him will be given and he will have abundance; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand, lest they convert, and their sins be forgiven. And the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled over them, which says: You will hear by hearing, but will not understand; and you will look with your eyes and will not see. For the hearts of these people have become hardened, and their ears are hard to hear, and they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and lest they be converted, so that I may heal them (Isa. 6:9-10). Blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears that hear. For verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear. b) Explanation of the parable of the sower. Matt. 13, 18–20; Mk. 4, 13–20; OK. 8, 9, 11–15. They also asked Him what the parable of the sower meant? He says to them: Do you not understand this parable? How can you understand all the parables! This is what this parable means. Listen to the meaning of the parable of the sower. The sower sows the word; the seed is the word of God. The seed that fell along the way are those who hear the word about the Kingdom and do not understand, to whom, when they hear, the evil devil, Satan, immediately comes and steals the word sown in their hearts, and takes the word out of their hearts, so that they do not believe and are saved. This is who the seed sown along the way signifies. Likewise, the seed sown on rocky places signifies those who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, but who have no root in themselves and are fickle; for a time they believe, and then during temptation, when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they are immediately tempted and fall away. And the seed sown among the thorns means those who listen to the word, but in whom the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of wealth and other desires, entering into them, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful - who, moving away from listening to the word of God, are suppressed by the worries, wealth and pleasures of this life and do not bear fruit. The seed sown on good soil means those who listen to the word, accept it and understand it, and are fruitful - who, having heard the word, keep it in a good and pure heart and bear fruit in patience, one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundredfold. c) Explanation of the parable of the tares. Matt. 13, 36–43. His disciples also asked the Lord: Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field. He answered and said to them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age: the Son of Man will send His angels, and from His kingdom they will gather all who offend and those who practice iniquity, and will throw them into the fiery furnace; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! d) The invitation to heed the word of God. Mk. 4, 21–25; OK. 8, 16–18. Then the Lord said to His disciples: Is a candle brought for this purpose, to put it under a vessel or under a bed? Is it not to put it on a candlestick? Yes: no one, having lit a candle, covers it with a vessel or puts it under the bed, but puts it on a candlestick so that those who enter can see the light. There is nothing secret that would not become obvious; and there is nothing hidden that would not come out, that would not become known and would not be discovered. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear! The Lord also said: Notice what you hear, and watch how you listen. With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you, and more will be added to you who hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever does not have, both what he has and what he thinks he has will be taken away. e) The conclusion of the word about parables is adjective. Matt. 13, 51, 52. Finally the Lord Jesus asked them: Have you understood all this? They say to Him: Yes, Lord! He said to them: Therefore, every scribe who has been taught the kingdom of heaven is like a master who brings out of his treasury new and old. 10. The fifth walk of the Lord 75. On the way to the sea; the Lord's answers about the procession after Him. Matt. 8, 8–22; Mk. 4, 35. In the evening of that day, when there was a conversation in parables and about parables, the Lord commanded His disciples to prepare to sail to the other side and headed to Lake Galilee (which, due to its size, is also called the sea). Then one scribe came up and said to Him: Teacher! I will follow You wherever You go. The Lord Jesus says to him: The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Another of His disciples said to Him: Lord! let me first go and bury my father. But the Lord Jesus said to him: Follow Me and let the dead bury their own dead. 76. Taming the storm when crossing the sea. Matt. 8, 23–27; Mk. 4, 35–41; OK. 8, 22–25. Seeing the multitude of people, the Lord entered the boat. After Him, having dismissed the people, His disciples came in, and He said to them: Now let us cross to the other side of the lake. And they set off. Other ships followed Him. While they were swimming, He fell asleep. And then a great storm arose, a stormy wind, and there was great turbulence on the sea; the waves hit the boat so that it was covered with waves and was already filled with water; they were flooded and were in danger. And the Lord slept at the stern at the head. Then His disciples, coming up to Him, woke Him up and said: Master! Mentor! we die. God! save us: we are perishing. So they wake Him up and say to Him: Teacher! Do You really not need us to perish? The Lord says to them: Why are you so fearful, you of little faith? Then, getting up, he rebuked the wind and the waves of the water and said to the sea: be silent, stop! The wind died down and there was great silence on the sea. Then He said to the disciples: Where is your faith? Why are you so afraid? How come you have no faith? The people, surprised by what had happened, said to each other in great fear: Who is this, who commands the winds and the water, and the winds and the sea obey Him? 77. Expulsion of the legion of demons in the country of the Gadarenes. Matt. 8, 28; 9, 1; Mk. 5, 1–21; OK. 8, 26–39. So they sailed to the other side of the sea and arrived in the country of the Gadarenes, or Gergesines, lying opposite Galilee. When the Lord came out of the boat onto the shore, He was immediately met by two demoniacs who came out of the tombs (from the caves where they were buried), so fierce that no one dared to pass along that path. And so they cried out: What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? You came here ahead of time to torment us. One of them was especially ferocious - a man from the city, possessed by demons for a long time, and who did not wear clothes, and did not live in a house, but had a dwelling in coffins, whom no one could hold even with chains. They shackled him many times with shackles and chains, saving him; but he broke the chains and shackles, and was driven by a demon through the desert; and no one could, was not able to tame him. Always, day and night, in the mountains and coffins, he screamed and hit the stones. And so they, both demonic, shouted, saying: What do you have to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? You came here ahead of time to torment us. Especially that fierce one, seeing the Lord Jesus from afar, ran and worshiped Him and, crying out in a loud voice, said: What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you and conjure you to God, do not torment me. For the Lord Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, saying to him, “Come out, O unclean spirit, from this man.” And the Lord Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” and he answered, My name is Legion, because we are many, because many demons have entered into it. And they asked the Lord a lot, so that he would not command them to go into the abyss and would not send them out of that country. There, far from them, on a mountain, a large herd of pigs was grazing. And all the demons asked Him, saying: If you drive us out, then send us into the herd of pigs and let us enter into them. The Lord Jesus immediately allowed them, saying: Go. And the unclean spirits came out, rushed to the swine herd and entered into the pigs. And so, the entire herd of pigs rushed down a steep slope into the sea and died, drowning in the water. There were about two thousand of them. The shepherds, seeing what had happened, ran and told in the city and in the villages about everything and what had happened to the possessed. And so the whole city came out to meet Jesus, all the inhabitants came out to see what had happened. They come to the Lord Jesus and see that the demoniac, in whom there was a legion, is sitting at His feet, and is clothed, and in his right mind. And they were horrified. Those who saw it told them about how this happened to the possessed man, and about the pigs. Then the whole city and all the people from the Gadarene region began to ask the Lord to move away from them, to move away from their borders, because they were seized with great fear. And the Lord Jesus entered the boat to return. But when He entered the boat, the man who was possessed, from whom the demons had come out, asked Him to allow him to be with Him. But the Lord Jesus did not allow him, but let him go, saying: Go home to your people and tell them what God has done to you and how He has had mercy on you. He went and began to preach throughout the whole city and throughout the entire Decapolis what the Lord Jesus had done to him. And everyone was amazed. The Lord, getting into the boat, crossed back across the sea and arrived in His city. 11. The Lord's sixth sojourn in Capernaum 78. Healing the bleeding. Matt. 9, 18–22; Mk. 5, 21–34; OK. 8, 40–48. When the Lord Jesus again crossed in a boat to his shore, many people gathered to Him; and the people received Him, because everyone was waiting for Him. He was still by the sea. And then one of the rulers of the synagogue, named Jairus, came and, seeing Him, fell at His feet, asking to come into his house, because he had one daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. And he earnestly asked the Lord, saying: My daughter is dying; come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live. The Lord Jesus went with him. Many people followed Him; and as He walked, the people crowded around Him. And behold, there was a certain woman who had suffered from hemorrhage for twelve years, who had suffered much from many doctors, having spent all her wealth on them, and could not be cured by any one - who had spent all that she had and received no benefit, but had come to an even worse state - this woman, having heard about the Lord Jesus, came up behind the people and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself: if only I touch His clothes, I will be healed. And immediately her source of blood dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her illness. At the same time the Lord Jesus, feeling within Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned among the people and said, Who touched My garment? When everyone denied, Peter and the disciples who were with Him said: Master! You see that the people are surrounding you and crowding you, and you say: who touched me? But the Lord Jesus said: Someone touched Me, for I felt power coming out of Me. And he looked around to see the one who did it. The woman, seeing that she had not hidden herself, and knowing what had happened to her, approached the Lord in fear and trembling and, falling before Him, told Him the whole truth - in front of all the people, she declared to Him for what reason she touched Him and how she was immediately healed. Then the Lord Jesus said to her: Be of good cheer, daughter! Your faith has saved you; go in peace and be well from your illness. From that hour the woman became healthy. 79. Resurrection of Jairus's daughter. Matt. 9, 23–26; Mk. 5, 35–43; OK. 8, 49–56. While the Lord was still saying this, someone came from the house of the ruler of the synagogue and said to him: Your daughter is dead; Why else are you bothering the Teacher? Don't bother the Teacher. But the Lord Jesus, having heard these words, immediately said to the leader of the synagogue: Do not be afraid, only believe, and you will be saved. When they then came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, the Lord did not allow anyone to follow Him inside and enter the house, except Peter, James and John, the brother of James. Entering the house, the Lord Jesus saw flute players and the people in confusion, weeping and crying out loudly. Everyone cried and sobbed for her; He said to them: Why are you upset and crying? Don't cry: the girl is not dead, but she is sleeping. And they laughed at Him, knowing that she had died. But He sent them all away, saying, “Come out.” When the people were expelled, He takes with Him the father and mother of the maiden and the disciples who were with Him and enters where the maiden lay. Then, taking the girl by the hand, he says to her: “talifa, kum’i,” which means: girl, get up! And her spirit returned; she immediately stood up and began to walk, for she was about twelve years old. And He ordered to give her something to eat. Those who saw it and the parents were in great amazement. The Lord strictly ordered them not to tell anyone about what had happened, so that no one knew about it. But the rumor about this spread throughout that country. 80. Healing of two blind men and a dumb demon. Matt. 9, 27–34; When the Lord Jesus came out from there - from Jairus's house to His own - two blind men followed Him and shouted: have mercy on us, Jesus, Son of David! When He came into the house, the blind came to Him. The Lord Jesus said to them: Do you believe that I am able to do this? They say to Him: Yes, Lord! Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. The Lord Jesus sternly told them: Be careful that no one finds out. And they went out and spread the word about Him throughout all that land. When they went out, they brought to Him a mute man possessed by a demon. And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man began to speak. And the people, surprised, said: such a phenomenon has never happened in Israel. And the Pharisees said: He casts out demons by the power of the prince of demons. 12. The Lord’s sixth walk through Galilee 81. Second visit to Nazareth. Matt. 13, 53–58; Mk. 6, 1–6; Then the Lord left Capernaum and went to His fatherland (Nazareth); His disciples followed Him. Having come to His fatherland, when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. Those who heard were amazed and said in amazement: where did He get this - such wisdom and power? What kind of wisdom was given to Him? And how are such miracles performed by His hands? Isn't He the son of carpenters? Isn’t His Mother called Mary, and aren’t His brothers Jacob, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? Isn't He Himself the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Josiah, Judas and Simon? Are not all His sisters here, between us? Where did He get all this from? And they were offended because of Him. The Lord Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his relatives, and in his own house. And he could not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith; He only laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled at their unbelief. 82. Walking through cities and villages and regretting the lack of shepherding of the people. Matt. 9, 35–38; Mk. 6, 6; Then the Lord walked through the surrounding villages and through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among people. Seeing the crowds of people, He took pity on them because they were exhausted and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 83. Message of the twelve Apostles for preaching. Matt. 10, 1–5; Mk. 6, 7; OK. 9, 1–2. Then, having called and gathered twelve of His disciples to Himself, the Lord gave them power and authority over unclean spirits and over all demons in order to cast them out and heal every disease and every infirmity, and began to send them out two by two, preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. The names of the twelve Apostles are these: the first Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the Zebedee and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, James Alphaeus and Levbeus, called Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. 84. Instruction of the Apostles for this case. Matt. 10, 5–15; Mk. 6, 8–11; OK. 9, 3–5. These twelve the Lord Jesus sent and commanded them, saying: Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter the city of the Samaritans. But go especially to the lost (lost) sheep of the house of Israel. As you walk, preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. He also commanded them not to take anything with them on the road, except one staff, no gold, no silver, no copper in their belts, no scrip, no two clothes, no shoes (spare), but put on simple shoes and not wear two clothes, no staff (another), no bread. For the worker is worthy of food. Whatever city or village you enter, visit whoever is worthy in it, go in, and stay with him until you leave that place, and from there set off again. And when you enter a house, greet it, saying: Peace to this house. And if the house is worthy, then your peace will come upon it; if you are not worthy, then your peace will return to you. But if anyone will not receive you and will not listen to you, will not listen to your words, then when you leave from there, from that house or from that city, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city. 85. Instruction on this occasion for all apostolic activity. Matt. 10, 16–42. Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves: therefore be ye wise as serpents, and innocent as doves. Beware of people, for they will hand you over to the courts and beat you in their synagogues. And you will be brought before rulers and kings for Me, to testify before them and the Gentiles. When they betray you, do not worry about how or what to say; for at that hour it will be given to you what to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak in you. Brother will betray brother to death, and father his son; and the children will rise up against their parents and kill them. And you will be hated by everyone because of My name; he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For truly I say to you, before you have gone around the cities of Israel, the Son of Man comes. A student is not higher than a teacher, and a servant is not higher than his master. It is sufficient for the disciple that he should be as his teacher, and for his servant that he should be as his master. If the master of the house was called Beelzebub, how much more of his household? So, do not be afraid of them: for there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and whatever you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but fear Him more who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two small birds sold for an assarium? And not one of them will fall to the ground without the will of your Father. Even the hairs on your head are numbered. Do not be afraid: you are better than many small birds. Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father in Heaven. And whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace to earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s enemies are his own household (Mic. 7:6). He who loves father and mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves a son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me is unworthy of Me. He who saves his soul will lose it; but he who loses his life for My sake will save it. Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet, and whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of a righteous person. And whoever gives one of these little ones to drink only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, truly I tell you, will not lose his reward. 86. Walking with preaching - especially by the Lord, especially by the Apostles. Matt. 11, 1; Mk. 6, 12, 13; OK. 9, 6. When the Lord Jesus finished teaching His twelve disciples, He went from there to teach and preach in their cities. And the Apostles went and passed through the villages, evangelizing and preaching repentance and healing everywhere. They cast out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. 87. At this time, or a little before, the beheading of the Forerunner. Matt. 14, 6–12; Mk. 6, 19–29. Herodias, angry at John the Baptist, sought in every possible way how to destroy him, and did not find it. But finally the opportune day came when Herod, on the occasion of his birthday, gave a feast to his nobles, the commanders of thousands and the elders of Galilee. During the celebration of this day, the daughter of Herodias entered and danced before the congregation and pleased Herod and those who were reclining with him. The king said to the girl: ask me what you want, and I will give it to you. And with an oath he promised her: whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you, even up to half of my kingdom. She went out and asked her mother: what to ask? She answered: the heads of John the Baptist. So prompted by her mother, the girl immediately went with haste to the king and asked, saying: I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter now. And the king was sad; but, for the sake of the oath and those reclining with him, he did not want to refuse her. And he immediately sent his armor bearer to cut off John’s head in prison and bring it. He went and cut off John's head and brought it on a platter. And they gave it to the maiden, and the maiden took it to her mother. John's disciples, hearing about this, came, took his body and laid it in a tomb. Then they went and told the Lord Jesus about this. 88. Herod’s confusion when hearing about the works of the Lord. Matt. 14, 1, 2; Mk. 6, 14–16; OK. 9, 7–9. While the Apostles were walking around Galilee preaching, and the Lord was preaching in their cities, Herod the tetrarch heard the report about the Lord Jesus and about everything that He did: for His name had become known, and he was in bewilderment. For some said that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared; and others that one of the ancient prophets was resurrected. Hearing this, Herod said to himself: I beheaded John; Who is this one about whom I hear such things? But his conscience forced him to stop at John, and he began to publicly say to those serving with him: this is John the Baptist. He rose from the dead, and therefore miracles are done by him. And when others said: This is Elijah, this is a prophet or like one of the prophets; he kept repeating one thing: this is John, whom I beheaded; he rose from the dead. - And I sought to see Him. 13. The seventh sojourn of the Lord in Capernaum 89. Return of the Apostles. And removal to the desert of Bethsaida. Matt. 14, 13; Mk. 6, 30–33; OK. 9, 10–11. The apostles, having returned, gathered to the Lord Jesus and told Him everything, both what they had done and what they had taught. He said to them: go alone to a deserted place and rest a little. For there were many coming and going, so that they had no time to eat. Then, hearing about Herod’s desire to see Him, the Lord Himself decided to leave; and, taking the Apostles with Him, he withdrew to the other side of the Sea of ​​Galilee, to a deserted place near a city called Bethsaida. They went to that deserted place on a boat alone. But the people saw them leaving, many recognized them; and they ran there on foot from all the cities, and warned them, and gathered to Him. So many people followed the Lord, because they saw the miracles that He performed on the sick. 14. The seventh walk of the Lord 90. Miraculous feeding of five thousand. Matt. 14, 14–23; Mk. 6, 34–46; OK. 9, 11–17; In. 6, 3–15. Having crossed to the other side, the Lord Jesus ascended the mountain and sat there with His disciples. Passover, the Jewish holiday, was approaching. The Lord Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that many people were coming to Him, took pity on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and, going out to them, began to teach them, and taught them a lot, talking with them about the Kingdom of God; then he healed their sick and healed all those who needed healing. Much time passed in this way, and the day began to turn towards evening. When evening came, His twelve disciples came to Him and said: This is a deserted place, and the time is already late; release the people so that they can go to the surrounding villages to spend the night and get food for themselves by buying bread; for they have nothing to eat, because we are here in an empty place. The Lord Jesus said to them, “They need not go; you give them something to eat. And turning to Philip, he asked: where can we buy bread to feed them? He said this, testing him; for He Himself knew what He wanted to do. Philip answered Him: There will not be enough bread for them for two hundred denarii, so that everyone gets at least a little. Then the other Apostles also said to Him: Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat? But He asked them: How many loaves are there? Go and have a look. They went and found out. And one of them, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to Him: A certain boy here has five barley loaves and two fish; but what is this for so many?! For there were about five thousand of them. The others said the same thing: there are no more than five loaves and two fish here. Then the Lord Jesus said to His disciples: Bring them here to Me; and tell the people to lie down and seat them in rows of fifty. There was a lot of grass in that place; and the Lord commanded them to seat everyone in sections on green grass. They did so and seated everyone on the grass. And they all sat down in rows of a hundred and fifty. Then the Lord Jesus, taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, blessed them and, having given thanks, began to break the loaves and give them to the disciples, and the disciples distributed them to the people reclining; He also divided the two fish among everyone, as many as anyone wanted. And they all ate and were filled. And when they were satisfied, the Lord said to His disciples: Gather up the remaining pieces so that nothing is lost. They collected and filled twelve boxes with the pieces of the five barley loaves and the fish left over from those who ate. Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Then the people who saw the miracle performed by the Lord Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet who is about to come into the world.” Immediately, after the gathering of the loaves, the Lord Jesus forced His disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the people. Then, having dismissed the people and having learned that they wanted to come and accidentally take Him and make him king, he again withdrew to the mountain alone to pray alone; and in the evening he remained there alone. 91. Walking on the waters. Matt. 14, 24–33; Mk. 6, 47–52; In. 6, 16–21. When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea and, entering a boat, went to the other side of the sea, to Capernaum. It became dark, and the Lord Jesus did not come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the sea was rough. The boat was already in the middle of the sea, and it was beaten by waves because the wind was contrary. Seeing them distressed at sea, the Lord Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. About the fourth watch of the night, when they had already sailed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, He approached them and wanted to pass them. But when they saw Him walking on the sea and approaching the boat, and thinking that it was a ghost, they were alarmed and, saying: it is a ghost, they cried out in fear. They all saw Him and were afraid. But the Lord Jesus immediately spoke to them and said to them, “Be of good cheer; It's me, don't be afraid! Peter answered Him: Lord! If it is You, command me to come to You on the water. He said: go. And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to come to the Lord Jesus. But, seeing the strong wind, he got scared and, starting to dive, shouted: Lord! save me. The Lord Jesus immediately stretched out his hand, supported him and said: you of little faith! Why did you doubt? And he went into the boat with him; and when they entered the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat came up, bowed to Him and said: Truly You are the Son of God! They were extremely amazed and amazed at themselves. 92. Miracles of the Lord in the land of Gennesaret. Matt. 14, 34–36; Mk. 6, 53–56. As soon as the disciples joyfully accepted the Lord into the boat, the boat immediately landed on the shore where they were sailing. They arrived in the land of Gennesaret; and when they got out of the boat, the inhabitants of that place, recognizing the Lord, immediately sent to run around that entire area and tell about Him. And they began to bring the sick on their beds to where, as it was heard, He was. And they brought all the sick to Him and asked Him just to touch the hem of His garment; and those who touched were healed. So it usually happened that wherever the Lord came, whether to villages, towns, or villages, they laid the sick in open places and asked Him to touch at least the hem of His garment; and those who touched were healed. (On the same day, another after the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, the Lord arrived from there to Capernaum still early.) 15. The eighth stay of the Lord in Capernaum 93. The Lord's conversation about Heavenly bread. In. 6, 22–71. On this other day, the people who stayed overnight on the other side of the sea, seeing that there was no other boat there except for one boat into which the disciples entered, and that the Lord Jesus did not enter the boat with His disciples, but only His disciples sailed away, they wondered where the Lord was. Why, when now other ships came from Tiberias close to the place where they ate bread, with the blessing of the Lord, the people, seeing that the Lord Jesus and His disciples were not there, boarded the ships and sailed to Capernaum, looking for the Lord Jesus. And, having found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him: Rabbi! when did you come here? The Lord Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw miracles, but because you ate bread and were filled.” Do not strive for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for the Father, God, has set His seal on Him. They said to Him: What should we do to do the works of God? The Lord Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” To this they said to Him: What sign will You give, so that we may see and believe You? What are you doing? Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat (Ps 77:24). The Lord Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. To this they said to Him: Lord! always give us such bread. The Lord Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. But I told you that you have seen Me and do not believe. Whatever the Father gives Me will come to Me; and whoever comes to Me I will not cast out. For I came down from heaven not to do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me. The will of the Father who sent Me is this, that of what He has given Me I should not destroy anything, but raise it all up on the last day. This is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Then the Jews murmured against Him because He said: I am the bread that came down from heaven. And they said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? As He says: I came down from heaven. The Lord Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves.” No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: and they will all be taught by God (Isaiah 54:13). Everyone who has heard from the Father and learned comes to Me. It is not that anyone has seen the Father except He who is from God; He saw the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me has eternal life. I am the bread of life (eternal). Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and died. The bread that comes down from heaven is such that whoever eats it will not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats this bread will live forever; And the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Then the Jews began to argue among themselves, saying: How can He give us His flesh to eat? The Lord Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have (eternal) life in you.” He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who eats Me will also live through Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate manna and died: whoever eats this bread will live forever. These things the Lord spoke in the synagogue, teaching in Capernaum. Many of His disciples, hearing this, said: What strange words! who can listen to this? But the Lord Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were grumbling about this, said to them: Is this tempting you? What if you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? The Spirit gives life; the flesh does not benefit at all. The words that I speak to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who are unbelievers. For the Lord Jesus first knew who the unbelievers were and who would betray Him. And he said: This is why I told you, that no one can come to Me unless it is given to him from My Father. From that time on, many of His disciples departed from Him and no longer walked with Him. Then the Lord Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?” Simon Peter answered Him: Lord! who should we go to? You have the verbs of eternal life. And we believed and knew that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Lord Jesus answered them: Have I not chosen you twelve? but one of you is the devil. He spoke this about Judas Simon Iscariot, for he wanted to betray Him, being one of the twelve. 16. The Eighth Walk of the Lord 94. Condemning the Pharisees for absurd traditions. Matt. 15, 1–20; Mk. 7, 1–23; In. 7, 1. After this the Lord Jesus walked through Galilee: for He did not want to walk through Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. One day the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered to Him. The third Easter has already passed. When they saw some of His disciples eating bread with unclean, that is, unwashed hands, they reproached them. For the Pharisees and all the Jews, holding to the tradition of the elders, do not eat without washing their hands thoroughly; and, having come from the market, they do not eat without washing. There are many other things that they decided to adhere to: observing the washing of bowls, tankards, cauldrons and benches. Then they come to the Lord and say: why do your disciples not act according to the tradition of the elders, but transgress it? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread, but eat it with unwashed hands. He answered them: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded: honor your father and mother; and: he who curses his father or mother, let him die (Ex. 20:12; 21:17). And you say: if someone says to father or mother: corvan, that is, a gift to God that you would use from me; he may not honor his father or his mother, you already allow him to do nothing for his father or his mother, eliminating the word of God by your tradition, which you yourself have established; and you do many similar things. Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied well about you, saying: This people draws near to Me with their lips and honors Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they honor Me, teaching doctrines the commandments of men (Isa. 29:13). For you, having abandoned the commandment of God, adhere to the tradition of men, the washing of mugs and cups, and do many other things like this. Is it good that you set aside God’s commandment in order to keep your own tradition? And, calling all the people, he said: Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: it is not what enters the mouth that defiles a person, and nothing that enters a person from without can defile him; but whatever comes out of him, whatever comes out of his mouth, defiles a person. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear! Then His disciples came and said to Him: Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this word, they were offended? He answered and said, “Every plant that My Heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.” Leave them alone: ​​they are blind leaders of the blind; and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit. When He entered the house from the people, His disciples asked Him about the parable, and Peter on behalf of everyone said to Him: Explain this parable to us. The Lord Jesus said: Do you also not yet understand? Are you really that stupid? Do you still not understand that nothing that enters a person from outside can defile him? Because everything that enters the mouth does not enter into his heart, but into the belly and is thrown out, by which all food is purified. But what comes from the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. For from within, from the human heart, come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy, covetousness, malice, deceit, lasciviousness, an envious eye, blasphemy, pride, madness. All this evil comes from within and defiles a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person. 95. Healing of the Syrophoenician daughter. Matt. 15, 21–28; Mk. 7, 24–30. Having left there, the Lord Jesus withdrew into the borders of Tire and Sidon. And so a Canaanite woman, whose daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard about Him, came out of those borders and shouted to Him: Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! my daughter is furious. But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came up and asked Him: let her go, because she is screaming after us. He said: I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And, having entered the house, he did not want anyone to find out, but he could not hide. For that woman, having come here, fell at His feet, bowed to Him and said: Lord! help me! She was a pagan, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she asked Him to cast out the demon from her daughter. But the Lord Jesus said to her: First let the children be satisfied, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. She answered Him: Yes, Lord! but even the dogs under the table eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. Then the Lord answered her: O woman! Great is your faith, may it be done for you as you wish; go for this word; The demon has left your daughter. And her daughter was healed at that very hour. And she, having come to her house, found that the demon had left, and her daughter was lying on the bed healthy. 96. Healing the deaf and tongue-tied. Mk. 7, 31–37. Having left the borders of Tire and Sidon, the Lord Jesus again went to the Sea of ​​Galilee, through the borders of the Decapolis, that is, from the eastern side. There they brought to Him a deaf, tongue-tied man and asked Him to lay His hand on him. The Lord, taking him aside from the people, put His fingers into his ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then, looking up at the sky, he sighed and said: “Ephphatha”, that is: open up! And immediately his ears were opened and the bonds of his tongue were loosed, and he began to speak clearly. And the Lord commanded them not to tell anyone. But no matter how much He forbade them, they divulged even more. And everyone was extremely amazed and said: He does everything well, and makes the deaf hear, and the dumb speak. 97. Healing of various sick people. Matt. 15, 29–31. After this the Lord Jesus went up to the mountain and sat down there. A multitude of people came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the dumb, the crippled, etc. Many others, and they cast them at the feet of Jesus. And He healed them. So the people marveled, seeing the dumb speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel. 98. The miraculous feeding of four thousand people. Matt. 15, 32–38; Mk. 8, 1–9. At this time, when a very large crowd had gathered and they had nothing to eat, the Lord Jesus, calling His disciples, said to them: I feel sorry for the people, because they have been with Me for three days now, and they have nothing to eat; I don’t want to let them go dumb, lest they become weak on the road. If I send them away sick to their homes, they will become weak on the way, for some of them have come from afar. His disciples answered Him: where can we get so much bread in the desert to feed so many people? The Lord Jesus asked them: How many loaves do you have? They said: seven and some fish. Then the Lord commanded the people to lie down on the ground. And taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples distributed them to the people. Then he took the fish and, having blessed them, ordered them to be distributed too. And they all ate and were filled, and took up seven baskets full of the fragments that remained. Those who ate were about four thousand, or four thousand people, besides wives and children. And the Lord let them go. 99. Answer to those who asked for a sign within the Magdalene and Dalmanuth regions. Matt. 15, 39; 16.1–4; Mk. 8, 10–13. Having dismissed the people, the Lord Jesus immediately entered the boat with His disciples and arrived in the region of Magdalene and Dalmanutha. Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came out and, approaching the Lord, began to argue with Him and, tempting Him, asked and demanded that He show them a sign from heaven. And He, taking a deep breath, said: Why does this generation require a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation. And he answered them: in the evening you say: there will be a bucket, because the sky is red; and in the morning: today it’s bad weather, because it’s purple. Hypocrites! Can you discern the face of the sky, but cannot recognize the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and no sign will be given to him except the sign of the prophet Jonah. And, leaving them, the Lord departed, entered the boat again and went to the other side. 100. Warning against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matt. 16, 5–12; Mk. 8, 13–21. At the same time, the disciples of the Lord, having crossed to the other side, forgot to take the loaves and, except for one loaf, had nothing with them in the boat. And the Lord Jesus commanded them, saying: Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees, and of Herod. The disciples, thinking within themselves and reasoning among themselves, said: this means that we did not take the loaves - that we have no loaves. Realizing this, the Lord Jesus said to them: Why do you think within yourselves, O you of little faith, that you have not taken the loaves, and argue that you have no loaves? Do you still not understand and understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, don't you see? Having ears, don't you hear? And do you not remember the five loaves for five thousand people, or the seven loaves for four thousand? When I broke five loaves for five thousand people, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up? They say to Him: twelve. And when there are seven for four thousand, how many baskets did you pick up of the remaining pieces? They said seven. He said to them: How can you not understand that I did not speak to you about bread, saying: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then they realized that He was telling them not to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 101. Healing of a blind man in Bethsaida Trans-Jordan. Mk. 8, 22–26. Having crossed to the other side, the Lord comes to Bethsaida Transjordan; and they bring a blind man to Him and ask Him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand, led him out of the village and, spitting in his eyes, laid his hands on him and asked him: does he see anything? He looked and said: I see people passing by, like trees. The Lord again laid his hands on his eyes and told him to look. And he was healed and began to see everything clearly. And He sent him home, saying: do not go into the village and do not tell anyone in the village. 102. Confession of Jesus Christ by the Apostles as the Son of God. Matt. 16, 13–20; Mk. 8, 27–30; OK. 9, 18–21. After this the Lord Jesus went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, at one time, when He prayed in a secluded place, and the disciples were with Him, He asked them: Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am? They answered Him: some - for John the Baptist, others - for Elijah, others - for Jeremiah or one of the prophets, saying that one of the ancient prophets has risen. The Lord Jesus asked them: Who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered Him: For the Christ of God; You are Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Lord said to him: Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say to you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. Then the Lord strictly ordered them not to tell anyone about this - He forbade His disciples not to tell anyone that He is Christ. 103. The Lord predicts His death and resurrection. Matt. 16, 21–23; Mk. 8, 31–33; OK. 9, 22. From that time on, the Lord Jesus began to reveal to His disciples and teach them, saying that He, the Son of Man, must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things, be rejected by the elders and high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day rise again. And He spoke about this openly. But Peter, calling Him back, began to rebuke Him: Be merciful to Yourself, Lord! may this not happen to you! The Lord, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter, saying: Get away from Me, Satan! you are a temptation to me! because you think not about what is God, but about what is human. 104. A word to everyone about bearing the cross. Matt. 16, 24–28; Mk. 8, 34; 9, 1; OK. 9, 23–27. Then calling the people with His disciples, the Lord Jesus said to everyone: if anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it; and whoever loses his soul for the sake of Me and the Gospel will save—will find—it. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? What is the benefit of gaining the whole world, but destroying and harming yourself? Or what ransom will a man give for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward everyone according to his deeds. And whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father and His own, with the holy Angels. The Lord concluded this speech as follows: Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power - they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. 105. Transfiguration of the Lord. Matt. 17, 1–13; Mk. 9, 2–13; OK. 9, 28–36. After these words, after eight or six days, the Lord Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them alone to a high mountain, and went up with them to this mountain to pray. While He was praying, Peter and those who were with Him were heavy with sleep, but woke up (from the action of extreme light). They saw the glory of the Lord, for when He prayed, He was completely transformed: the appearance of His face changed, and it shone like the sun; His clothes also became white as snow, very white, as a bleacher on earth cannot bleach - they became shining like light. And behold, two men appeared in glory, who were Moses and Elijah, and began to talk with the Lord Jesus, and talked about His exodus, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. At the same time, when they departed, Peter said to the Lord Jesus: Rabbi! Mentor! God! It’s good for us to be here; if you want, we will make three tabernacles here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, without knowing what he said; for he did not know what to say, because they were in fear. But while he was still saying this, a bright cloud appeared and overshadowed them; and they were even more afraid when they entered the cloud. And behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him! When this voice came, the Lord Jesus was left alone. But His disciples, hearing this voice, fell on their faces and were very afraid. The Lord Jesus came and touched them and said: stand up and do not be afraid. They lifted up their eyes, but, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them, except the Lord Jesus alone. When they later came down from the mountain, the Lord did not order anyone to tell about what they had seen; he forbade them to do so, saying: do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man rises from the dead. And they kept silent and did not tell anyone in those days about what they saw. But they stopped at this word - until he rises - and asked each other what it means: to rise from the dead. Then these disciples asked the Lord: How come the scribes say that Elijah must come first? He answered and said to them: It is true that Elijah must come first and arrange everything. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wanted, just as it was written about him. So the Son of Man will suffer from them; for the Son of Man must also, as it is written about Him, suffer many things and be humiliated. Then His disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist. 106. Healing of a demoniac for new months. Matt. 17, 14–21; Mk. 9, 14–29; OK. 9, 37–44. The next day, when they came down from the mountain, He was met by a multitude of people, who, when they saw Him, were amazed and ran up and greeted Him. Having come to the disciples, the Lord Jesus saw around them many people and scribes arguing with them. He asked the scribes: What are you arguing with them about? But suddenly a certain man from among the people approached Him and, kneeling before Him, exclaimed: Teacher! I beg You to look at my son, who is possessed by a dumb spirit; On new moons he goes berserk and suffers greatly, for he often throws himself into fire and often into water. Wherever this spirit seizes him, it throws him to the ground and torments him, so that he suddenly screams, emits foam, grinds his teeth and becomes numb; and this evil spirit forcibly retreats from him, tormenting him. Teacher! I brought him to You, but You were not there. I brought him to Your disciples and asked them to cast out this spirit, but they could not heal my son. Lord, have mercy on my son; and I have only one. Answering him, the Lord Jesus said: O faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I tolerate you? Bring him here to Me - bring your son here. And they brought him to Him. But while he was still walking to the Lord and as soon as he saw Him, the spirit of the demon shook him, threw him to the ground and began to beat him; he fell to the ground and lay there, emitting foam. The Lord asked his father: how long ago did this happen to him? He said: since childhood. And many times the spirit threw him into both fire and water to destroy him. But if you can, take pity on us and help us. The Lord Jesus said to him: if you can believe as much as possible, all things are possible to him who believes. And immediately the boy’s father exclaimed with tears: I believe, Lord! help my unbelief. The Lord Jesus, seeing that the people were running together, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him: the spirit is dumb and deaf! I command you, get out of it and do not enter it again. And he, screaming and shaking him violently, went out. The boy became as if dead, so that many said that he had died. But the Lord Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up. The boy was healed at that hour and stood up, and the Lord gave him to his father. And everyone was amazed at the greatness of God. But when everyone marveled at everything that the Lord Jesus did, He said to His disciples: Put these words in your ears: The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. When after this the Lord entered the house, His disciples, approaching Him, asked Him privately: Why could we not drive him out? The Lord Jesus said to them: Because of your unbelief; For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed and say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. This race is driven out only by prayer and fasting, and cannot leave. Otherwise, as from prayer and fasting. 107. The Lord walks through Galilee and still talks about His death and resurrection. Matt. 17, 22–23; Mk. 9, 30–32; OK. 9, 45, 46. Coming out from there, the Lord and His disciples passed through Galilee; and He did not want anyone to know about Him. For during this time they were in Galilee, He again taught His disciples and told them that the Son of Man would be delivered into the hands of men, and they would kill Him, and after He had been killed, He would rise again on the third day. But they did not understand this word, and it was hidden from them, so that they did not comprehend it and did not understand it, and they were afraid to ask the Lord about this word. And they were very sad. In this procession they moved towards Capernaum. Then the thought came to them, which of them would be greater; and they began to talk about this, but decided nothing. 17. The ninth sojourn of the Lord in Capernaum 108. Church tax, wonderful statir. Matt. 17, 24–27. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of didrachms approached Peter and said: Will your teacher give didrachms? He says yes. And when he entered the house, the Lord Jesus, warning him, said: What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take duties or taxes? from your own sons, or from strangers? Peter says to Him: from strangers. The Lord Jesus said to him: So the sons are free. But so that we don’t tempt them, go to the sea, throw a hook and take the first fish that comes along; and, opening her mouth, you will find a statir, take it and give it to them for Me and for yourself. 109. Conversation with disciples in Capernaum. a) Who is sick. Matt. 18, 1–5; Mk. 9, 33–37; OK. 9, 46–48. At that time, the disciples, not deciding who was sick, were going to approach the Lord and ask: who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? But the Lord warned them and, seeing the thoughts of their hearts, He Himself asked them: What did you discuss among yourself on the way? They were silent; because this question illuminated their conscience, and they realized the inappropriateness of the fact that along the way they were arguing among themselves who was greater. Then the Lord sat down and called the twelve and said to them: whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Then, calling the child and taking him, he placed him in the midst of them and, embracing him, said: Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me, for whoever is least among you will be great. b) Who is for the Lord and who is against? Mk. 9, 38–41; OK. 9, 49–50. At this John said: Teacher! We have seen a man who casts out demons in Your name, and does not walk with us; and they forbade him because he did not walk with us. The Lord Jesus said to him: do not forbid; for no one who has performed a miracle in My name can quickly curse Me. He who is not against you is for you. And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you are Christ’s, truly I tell you, will not lose his reward. c) About temptations. Matt. 18, 6–9; Mk. 9, 42–50. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone, a millstone, were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea, cast into the sea. Woe to the world from temptations, for temptations must come; but woe to the man through whom temptation comes. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you: it is better for you to enter eternal life crippled without a hand, than to go into hell with two hands and be thrown into the unquenchable fire, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you: it is better for you to enter into life lame without a foot, than to have two feet and be cast into hell, into the unquenchable fire, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. And if your eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it away from you: it is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God and life with one eye, than with two eyes to be cast into fiery hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. Salt is a good thing, but if the salt is not salty, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves and have peace among yourselves. d) About attention to children. Matt. 18, 10–14. See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. What do you think? If someone had a hundred sheep, and one of them got lost, would he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains and go looking for the lost one? And if he happens to find her, then, truly, I tell you, he rejoices over her more than over the ninety-nine who were not lost. Thus, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. e) If someone’s brother sins, what should he do? Matt. 18, 15–20. If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; If he listens to you, then you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. Truly I also tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them. f) About forgiveness of insults. Matt. 18, 21–35. Then Peter came to Him and said: Lord! How many times should I forgive my brother who sins against me? up to seven times? The Lord Jesus says to him: I do not say to you, until seven, but until seventy times seven. Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to reckon, someone was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he did not have anything to pay with, his sovereign ordered him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and everything that he had, and to pay. Then that slave fell, and, bowing to him, said: Sir! Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything. The Emperor, having mercy on that slave, released him and forgave him the debt. That servant went out and found one of his companions who owed him a hundred denarii, and he grabbed him and strangled him, saying, “Give me what you owe.” Then his comrade, falling at his feet, begged him and said: have patience with me, and I will give you everything. But he didn’t want to, but went and put him in prison until he paid off the debt. His comrades, seeing what had happened, were very upset and, when they came, told their sovereign everything that had happened. Then the sovereign calls him and says: evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your comrade, just as I had mercy on you? And, angry, his sovereign handed him over to the torturers until he paid him all the debt. So will My Heavenly Father do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart for his sins. 18. The ninth and last walk of the Lord through Galilee 110. The Samaritan village did not accept the Lord. OK. 9, 51–56. When the days of the taking of the Lord Savior from the world were approaching, He wanted to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers before Him; and they went and entered the village of the Samaritans to make preparations for Him. But they did not receive Him there, because He appeared to be traveling to Jerusalem. Seeing this, His disciples, James and John, said: Lord! Do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and destroy them, just as Elijah did? But He, turning to them, rebuked them and said: You do not know what kind of spirit you are. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of men, but to save. And they went to another village. 111. Answers to some that are contrary to their desires. OK. 9, 57–62. It happened that while they were on the way, someone said to the Lord: Lord! I will follow You wherever You go. The Lord Jesus said to him: Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. And He said to the other: follow Me. He said: Lord! let me first go and bury my father. But the Lord Jesus said to him: Let the dead bury their dead; and you go, preach the Kingdom of God. Another one said: I will follow You, Lord! but first let me say goodbye to my family. But the Lord Jesus said to him: no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. 112. Message of the 70 to preach. a) Election and message. OK. 10, 1–3. After this, the Lord chose seventy other disciples and sent them two by two before Him to every city and place where He Himself wanted to go. And he said to them: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go! I send you out like lambs among wolves. b) Instructions for them. OK. 10, 4–16. Do not take a bag, a scrip, or shoes, and do not greet anyone on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say: peace to this house; and if the son of peace is there, then your peace will rest on him, but if not, then it will return to you. Stay in that house, eat and drink what they have, for the worker is worthy of reward for his labors. Don't move from house to house. And if you come to any city and they receive you, eat what they offer you. And heal the sick who are in it, and say to them: The kingdom of God has come near you. If you come to any city and they do not accept you, then go out into the street and say: “We will shake off the dust that has stuck to us from your city for you.” however, know that the Kingdom of God has drawn near to you. I tell you that on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that city. Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the powers that were demonstrated in you had been done in Tire and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tire and Sidon in judgment than for you. And You, Capernaum, who ascended to heaven, will be cast down to hell. He who listens to you listens to Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me. 113. Answer to the one who asked about the inheritance of eternal life; parable of the merciful Samaritan. OK. 10, 25–37. And so one lawyer stood up and, tempting Him, said: Teacher! What must I do to inherit eternal life? The Lord Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?” how do you read? He answered and said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself. The Lord Jesus said to him; You answered correctly: do this, and you will live eternal life. But the questioner, wanting to justify himself, said to the Lord Jesus: Who is my neighbor? To this the Lord Jesus said: a certain man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and was caught by robbers, who took off his clothes, wounded him and left, leaving him barely alive. By chance, a priest was walking along this road and, seeing him, passed by. Likewise, the Levite, being at that place, came up, looked and passed by. A Samaritan, passing by, found him and, seeing him, took pity. And he came up and bandaged his wounds, pouring in oil and wine; and, setting him on his donkey, brought him to the inn and took care of him. And the next day, as he was leaving, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper and said to him: take care of him; and if you spend anything more, when I return, I will give it back to you. Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the one who fell among the robbers? He said: He showed him mercy. Then the Lord Jesus said to him: Go and do likewise. 114. The Lord Jesus in the house of Martha and Mary. OK. 10, 38–42. Continuing their journey, the Lord and His disciples through Galilee, the Lord Jesus came to one village; here a woman named Martha received Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the feet of the Lord Jesus and listened to His word. Martha was taking care of a great treat and, coming up, said: Lord! or do you not need that my sister left me alone to serve? tell her to help me. The Lord Jesus answered her: Martha! Marfa! You care and fuss about many things, but you only need one thing. Mary chose the good part, which will not be taken away from her. 115. Pray this: the Lord’s Prayer. OK. 11, 1–4. It happened that when the Lord Jesus was praying in one place and stopped, one of His disciples said to Him: Lord! teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He told them: when you pray, say: Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every debtor to us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 116. The instruction on persistence in prayer is indirect. OK. 10, 5–13. And he said to them: suppose that one of you, having a friend, comes to him at midnight and says to him: friend! lend me three loaves of bread, for my friend came to me from the road, and I have nothing to offer him; and he from the inside will tell him in response: don’t bother me, the doors are already locked, and my children are with me on the bed; I can’t get up and give it to you; if, I tell you, he does not get up and give him because of his friendship with him, then, because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he asks. And I will tell you: ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Which father among you, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? or, when he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake instead of a fish? Or, if he asks for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? So, if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. 117. Exorcism of a dumb demon; denunciation of the Pharisees for the words: about Beelzebub he drives out. OK. 11, 14–28. One day the Lord cast out a demon who was mute; and when the demon came out, the dumb man began to speak; and the people were surprised. Some of them said: He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the demons. And others, tempting, demanded from Him a sign from heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? And you say that I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. If I cast out demons with the finger of God, then, of course, the Kingdom of God has reached you. When a strong man guards his home with arms, then his property is safe. When his strongest attacks him and defeats him, then he will take all his weapons in which he hoped and divide what was stolen from him. He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. When the unclean spirit leaves a person, it walks through dry places, looking for rest, and, not finding it, says: I will return to my house from where I came. And, having arrived, he finds it swept and put away. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and live there. And for that person the last thing is worse than the first. 118. Some lessons after that. OK. 11, 29–36. When the people began to gather in large numbers, He began to say: This generation is wicked; he is looking for a sign, and no sign will be given to him except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The queen of the south will rise up in judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, there is more Solomon here. The Ninevites will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented from the preaching of Jonah, and behold, there is more Jonah here. No one, having lit a candle, puts it in a secret place, not under a bushel, but on a candlestick, so that those who enter may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye; So, if your eye is clean, then your whole body will be bright; and if it is bad, then your body will be dark. So, look: is not the light that is in you darkness? If your body is all light and does not have a single dark part, then everything will be light, as if a lamp illuminated you with radiance. 119. Reproof of the Pharisees and lawyers at a Pharisee’s dinner. OK. 11, 37–54. When the Lord said this, one Pharisee asked Him to have dinner with him. He came and lay down. The Pharisee was surprised to see that He did not wash His hands before dinner. But the Lord said to him: “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but your insides are full of robbery and wickedness.” Foolish! Didn't the same One who created the external also create the internal? Better give alms from what you have, then everything will be clean for you. But woe to you, Pharisees, for you tithe mint, rue, and all sorts of vegetables, and neglect the judgment and love of God: this should have been done, and this should not be abandoned. Woe to you Pharisees, because you love presiding in synagogues and greetings in public assemblies. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you are like hidden tombs over which people walk and do not know it. To this one of the lawyers said to Him: Teacher! By saying this, You offend us too. But the Lord said: woe to you lawyers too, because you impose unbearable burdens on people, but you yourself do not even touch them with one finger. Woe to you, for you build tombs for the prophets whom your fathers killed. By this you testify to the deeds of your fathers and agree with them, for they killed the prophets, and you build tombs for them. Therefore, the wisdom of God said: I will send prophets and apostles to them, and some of them will be killed and others driven out, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the creation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the church, may be required from this generation. She, I tell you, will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers, because you took the key of understanding; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who entered. When He told them this, the scribes and Pharisees began to come hard at Him, forcing Him to answer many things, looking for Him and trying to catch something from His mouth in order to accuse Him. 120. Some instruction subsequently. OK. 12, 1–12. Meanwhile, when thousands of people had gathered, so that they crowded each other, the Lord began to say first to His disciples: beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing hidden that would not be revealed, and nothing secret that would not be known. Therefore, what you said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you spoke in the ear within the house will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, My friends: do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and then are unable to do anything more. But I will tell you whom to fear: fear the one who, after being killed, has the power to cast him into Gehenna: I tell you, fear him. Are not five small birds sold for two assars? and not one of them is forgotten by God. And even the hairs on your head are all numbered. So, do not be afraid: you are worth more than many small birds. But I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God. And whoever denies Me before men will be rejected before the Angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; and whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. But when you are brought before the rulers and powers in the synagogues, do not worry about how or what to answer or what to say: for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should say. 121. The answer to the questioner about the division and lessons therefore: a) The danger of becoming rich not for God, but for yourself is a parable. OK. 12, 13–21. One of the people said to the Lord: Teacher! tell my brother to share the inheritance with me. He said to the man, “Who made Me a judge or a divider between you?” At this he said to them: Look, beware of covetousness, for a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions. And he told them a parable: A certain rich man had a good harvest in his field; and he reasoned with himself: what should I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruits? And he said, “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will gather all my grain and all my goods.” And I will say to my soul: soul! you have a lot of good things lying around for many years: rest, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him: crazy! this night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared? This is what happens to those who store up treasures for themselves and do not become rich in God. b) Don't worry. OK. 12, 22–31. And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.” The soul is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Look at the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; They have neither storehouses nor granaries, and God feeds them; How much better are you than the birds? And which of you, by caring, can add even one cubit to his height? So, if you can’t do even the slightest thing, why are you worrying about the rest? Look at the lilies, how they grow: they do not toil, they do not spin; but I tell you that Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them. If God clothes the grass in the field, which is there today and thrown into the oven tomorrow, then how much more so than you, you of little faith. So, don't worry about what to eat or what to drink. Because the people of this world seek all these things: but your Father knows that you need them. Seek above all else the Kingdom of God, and all this will be added to you. c) Lay up treasure for yourselves in heaven. OK. 12, 32–34. Fear not, little flock! for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. Sell ​​your property and give alms. Prepare for yourselves sheaths that do not wear out, a treasure that does not fail in heaven, where no thief approaches and where no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. d) Wait on the Lord. OK. 12, 35–40. Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning. And you be like people who wait for their master to return from marriage, so that when he comes and knocks, they will immediately open the door for him. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, finds awake; Truly I tell you, he will gird himself and make them sit down, and he will come and serve them. And if he comes in the second watch, and in the third watch, and finds them like this, then blessed are those servants. You know that if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief would come, he would have been awake and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Be ready, too, for at an hour you do not think the Son of Man will come. e) Live well, waiting on the Lord. OK. 12, 41–48. Then Peter said to him: Lord! Are you speaking this parable to us, or to everyone? The Lord said: Who is the faithful and prudent steward, whom the master appointed over his servants to distribute to them a measure of bread in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, finds doing this. Truly I say to you, he will put him over all his possessions. If that slave says in his heart, “My master will not come soon,” and begins to beat his servants and maidservants, and eat and drink and get drunk, then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not think, and will cut him up, and subject him to the same fate as the infidels. The servant who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, and did not do according to his will, will be beaten a lot. But whoever did not know and did something worthy of punishment will receive less punishment. And from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, from him will be required more. 122. Impressive reminders a) Fire and sword from the Lord. OK. 12, 49–53. I came to bring fire (the Holy Spirit) to earth, and how I wish it would already be kindled! By baptism I must be baptized (endure suffering and death); and how I languish until this is accomplished! Do you think that I came to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but separation. For from now on five in one house will be divided, three against two and two against three: the father will be against the son, and the son against the father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. b) How can you not recognize this time? OK. 12, 54–57. He also said to the people: when you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately say: it will rain, and it happens so. And when the south wind blows, say: there will be heat, and it does happen. Hypocrites! You know how to recognize the face of the earth and the sky, how can you not recognize this time? Why don’t you judge for yourself what should happen? c) Make peace while you're on your way. OK. 12, 58–59. When you go with your rival to the authorities, then try to free yourself from him on the road, so that he does not bring you to the judge, and the judge does not hand you over to the torturer, and the torturer does not throw you into prison. I tell you: you won’t leave there until you give back your last half. a) With the news of the beating of some Galileans by Pilate. OK. 13, 1–5. At this time some came and told Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. The Lord Jesus said to them: Do you think that these Galileans were more sinners than all the Galileans, that they suffered so much? No, I tell you, but if you do not repent, you will all perish in the same way. Or do you think that those eighteen people on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them were more guilty than all those living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but if you do not repent, you will all perish in the same way. b) From the parable of the barren fig tree. OK. 13, 6–9. And he spoke this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it, and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, “Behold, I have come for the third year to look for fruit on this fig tree and have not found it; cut it down: why does it occupy the land? But he answered him: Master! leave it this year too, until I dig it up and cover it with manure, and see if it bears fruit; if not, then next year you will cut it down. 124. Healing the crumpled woman on Saturday. OK. 13, 10–17. He taught in one of the synagogues on Saturday. There was a woman who had had a spirit of weakness for eighteen years: she was bent over and could not straighten up. The Lord Jesus, seeing her, called her and said to her: woman! you are freed from your illness. And he laid his hands on her, and she immediately straightened up and began to praise God. At this the ruler of the synagogue, indignant that the Lord Jesus healed on the Sabbath, said to the people: There are six days on which to do it; come on those days to be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. The Lord answered him: hypocrite! Doesn't each of you keep his ox or donkey away from the manger on the Sabbath and lead him to water? Should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound now for eighteen years, be freed from these bonds on the Sabbath day? And when He said this, all those who opposed Him were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced over all His glorious deeds. 125. The parable of the mustard seed and the leaven. OK. 13, 18–21. He said: What is the Kingdom of God like? and to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden; and it grew and became a great tree, and the birds of the air took refuge in its branches. He also said: What will I liken the Kingdom of God to? It is like leaven, which a woman took and put in three measures of flour until it was all leavened. 126. Answer to the words: Are there really few who are saved? OK. 13, 22–30. And the Lord passed through cities and villages, teaching and directing the way to Jerusalem. Someone said to Him: Lord! Are there really few people being saved? He said to them: strive to enter through the strait gate, for, I tell you, many will seek to enter and will not be able to. When the owner of the house gets up and closes the doors, then you, standing outside, will begin to knock on the doors and say: Lord! God! open to us; but He will answer you: I don’t know you, where you come from. Then you will begin to say: we ate and drank before You, and You taught in our streets. But He will say: I tell you, I don’t know where you come from; Depart from Me, all workers of iniquity. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourself being cast out. And they will come from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, and will lie down in the kingdom of God. And there are the last who will be first, and there are the first who will be last. 127. Answer to the words: Herod is looking for: get away. OK. 13, 31–35. That day some Pharisees came and said to Him: Come out and get away from here, for Herod wants to kill You. He said to them: go, tell this fox: behold, I cast out demons, and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will finish. However, I must walk today, and tomorrow, and on the next day, because it does not happen that a prophet perishes outside of Jerusalem. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! how many times have I wanted to gather your children together like a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to! Behold, your house is left to you empty. I tell you that you will not see Me until the time comes when you say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 128. Lunch with a Pharisee: water healing. OK. 14, 1–6. It happened on Saturday that the Lord came to the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread, and they watched Him. And behold, a man appeared before Him, suffering from water sickness. On this occasion, the Lord Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees: Is it permissible to heal on the Sabbath? They were silent. Then the Lord, touching him, healed him and released him. At this he said to them: If one of you has a donkey or an ox that falls into a well, will he not immediately pull it out on the Sabbath? And they could not answer Him about this. a) Instructions on seats at a dinner party. OK. 14, 7–11 Noticing how those invited chose the first places, the Lord told them a parable: when you are invited by someone to a marriage, do not sit in the first place, lest one of those invited by him be more honorable than you, and the one who invited you and him would come up and say to you: give him a place; and then with shame you will have to take the last place. But when you are called, when you arrive, sit in the last place, so that the one who called you will come up and say: friend! sit higher; then you will be honored before those who sit with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. b) Instructions on who to invite to dinner. OK. 14, 12–14 The Lord also said to the one who called Him: when you make lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, so that they do not call you, and you do not receive reward. But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed that they cannot repay you, for you will be rewarded at the resurrection of the righteous. 130. Dinner at the Pharisee: a parable about the great supper at a certain person. OK. 14, 15–24 Hearing this, one of those reclining with Him said to Him: Blessed is he who tastes bread in the Kingdom of God! He said to him: One man made a big supper and invited many. And when the time for dinner came, he sent his servant to say to those invited: go, for everything is already ready. And everyone, as if by agreement, began to apologize. The first one said to him: I bought land and I need to go and look at it; please forgive me. Another said: I bought five pairs of oxen and am going to test them; please forgive me. The third said: I got married and therefore cannot come. And, returning, that servant reported this to his master. Then, angry, the owner of the house said to his servant: go quickly through the streets and alleys of the city and bring here the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. And the servant said: Master! done as you ordered, and there is still room. The master said to the servant: go along the roads and hedges and persuade them to come, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you that none of those invited will taste my supper. For many are called, but few are chosen. 131. Lessons along the way: about renunciation from relatives and bearing the cross. OK. 14, 25–27 Many people walked with the Lord; and He, turning, said to them: if anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and, moreover, his own life, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. 132. Lessons along the way: parables - about building a tower, war, salt. OK. 14, 15–24 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, whether he has what it takes to complete it, so that when he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all who see it begin to laugh at him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish?” Or what king, going to war against another king, does not sit down and consult first whether he is able with ten thousand to resist the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Otherwise, while he is still far away, he will send an embassy to him to ask for peace. So, anyone of you who does not renounce everything that he has cannot be My disciple. Salt is a good thing; but if the salt loses its strength, how can it be corrected? not suitable for soil or manure; they throw it away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 133. Parables about God's mercy towards sinners a) About the missing sheep. OK. 15, 1–10 All the publicans and sinners approached the Lord to listen to Him. The Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying: He receives sinners and eats with them. But He told them the following parable: Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it? And having found it, he will take it on his shoulders with joy and, having come home, will call his friends and neighbors and say to them: rejoice with me: I have found my lost sheep. I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent. b) About the lost drachma. OK. 15, 8–10 Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a candle and sweep the room and search carefully until she finds it? And having found it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say: rejoice with me: I have found the lost drachma. So, I tell you, there is joy among the Angels of God over one sinner who repents. 134. Parable of the Prodigal Son. OK. 15, 11–32 The Lord also said: a certain man had two sons; and the youngest of them said to his father: Father! give me the next part of the estate. And the father divided the estate for them. After a few days, the younger son, having collected everything, went to a far side and there squandered his property, living dissolutely. When he had lived through everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. And he went and accosted one of the inhabitants of that country, and he sent him to his fields to graze pigs. And he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the pigs ate, but no one gave it to him. Having come to his senses, he said: How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, but I am dying of hunger. I will get up, go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants. He got up and went to his father. And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him. The son said to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son. And the father said to his servants: Bring the best robe and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fatted calf, and kill it; Let's eat and have fun! for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; lost and is found. And they started having fun. His eldest son was in the field; and, returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing. And calling one of the servants, he asked: what is this? He said to him: Your brother has come; and your father killed the fatted calf, because he received it healthy. He became angry and did not want to enter. His father came out and called him. But he answered his father: Behold, I have served you for so many years and have never violated your orders, but you never gave me even a kid so that I could have fun with my friends. And when this son of yours, who had wasted your property with harlots, came, you killed the fatted calf for him. He said to him: My son! you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. And it was necessary to rejoice and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; lost and is found. 135. The parable of the unrighteous steward and lessons from it. OK. 16, 1–18 The Lord also said to His disciples: a certain man was rich and had a steward, against whom it was reported to him that he was wasting his property. Calling him, he said to him: What is this I hear about you? give an account of your management, for you can no longer manage. Then the steward said to himself: What should I do? my lord takes away the stewardship of the house from me; I can’t dig, I’m ashamed to ask. I know what to do so that they will accept me into their homes when I am left from managing the house. And calling his master’s debtors, each one separately, he said to the first: How much do you owe my master? He said: one hundred measures of oil. And he said to him: take your receipt and sit down quickly, write: fifty. Then he said to another: how much do you owe? He answered: one hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him: take your receipt and write: eighty. And the lord praised the unfaithful steward for acting wisely; for the sons of this age are more perceptive in their generation than the sons of light. And I say to you: make friends for yourself with unrighteous wealth, so that when you become poor, they will receive you into eternal abodes. He who is faithful in a little is also faithful in much, and he who is unfaithful in a little is also unfaithful in much. So, if you were not faithful in unrighteous wealth, who will trust you with the true? And if you have not been faithful in what belongs to others, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one and neglectful of the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they laughed at Him. He said to them: You show yourselves to be righteous before men, but God knows your hearts: for whatever is high among men is an abomination to God. Law and Prophets before John; From now on, the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone enters into it with effort. But it is sooner that heaven and earth pass away than one line of the law disappears. Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. 136. Parable of the rich man and Lazarus. OK. 16, 19–31 A certain man was rich: he dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted brilliantly every day. There was also a certain beggar named Lazarus, who lay at his gate covered with scabs and wanted to feed on the crumbs falling from the rich man’s table, and the dogs, passing by, licked his scabs. The beggar died and was carried by the Angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in hell, being in torment, he raised his eyes, saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his bosom and, crying out, said: Father Abraham! have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said: child! remember that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus received your evil; now he is consoled here, and you suffer. And on top of all this, a great gulf has been established between you and us, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can they cross from there to us. Then he said: So I ask you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers; let him testify to them so that they too do not come to this place of torment. Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them. He said: no, Father Abraham! but if one comes to them from the dead, they will repent. Then Abraham said to him: if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then even if someone were raised from the dead, they will not believe. 137. Various instructions to students. OK. 17, 1–10 The Lord also said to the disciples: it is impossible not to come to temptations, but woe to the one through whom they come. It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and thrown into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Watch yourself. If your brother sins against you, reprimand him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times a day he turns back and says, “I repent,” forgive him. And the Apostles said to the Lord: increase our faith. The Lord said: if you had faith the size of a mustard seed and said to this fig tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” then it would listen to you. Which of you, having a slave plowing or herding, upon his return from the field, will say to him: go quickly, sit down at the table? On the contrary, will he not say to him: prepare my supper and, having girded yourself, serve me while I eat and drink, and then eat and drink yourself? Will he thank this servant for carrying out the order? Don't think. So you too, when you have done everything commanded you, say: We are worthless slaves, because we did what we had to do. 138. Healing of ten lepers. OK. 17, 11–19 Going to Jerusalem, the Lord passed between Samaria and Galilee. And when He entered a certain village, ten lepers met Him, who stopped at a distance and said in a loud voice: Jesus Mentor! have mercy on us. Seeing them, the Lord said to them: go, show yourself to the priests. And as they walked, they purified themselves. One of them, seeing that he was healed, returned, glorifying God with a loud voice, and fell prostrate at His feet, thanking Him; and it was a Samaritan. Then the Lord Jesus said, “Are not ten cleansed?” where is nine? How they did not return to give glory to God except this. A foreigner? And he said to him: get up, go; your faith has saved you. 139. About the coming of the Kingdom of God. OK. 17, 20–37 Having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, the Lord answered them: The Kingdom of God will not come in a noticeable way, and they will not say: behold, it is here, or, behold, it is there. For the Kingdom of God is within you. He also said to the disciples: the days will come when you will wish to see even one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see. And they will tell you: here, or: there, don’t go and don’t chase. For as lightning that flashes from one end of the sky shines to the other end of the sky, so will the Son of Man be on His day. But first He must suffer much and be rejected by this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: they ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Just as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot came out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the sky and destroyed everyone. So it will be on the day when the Son of Man appears. On that day, whoever is on the housetop and his belongings are in the house, do not go down to take them; and whoever is on the field, also do not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever saves his soul will destroy it; and whoever destroys her will bring her to life. I tell you: that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. The two will grind together; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two will be on the field; one will be taken and the other will be left. To this they said to Him: Where, Lord? He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the eagles will also gather.” 140. Parable of the unjust judge. OK. 18, 1–8 The Lord also told them a parable about how one should always pray and not lose heart, saying: in a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and was not ashamed of people. In the same city there was a certain widow, and she came to him and said: protect me from my rival. But for a long time he didn’t want to. And then he said to himself: although I am not afraid of God and I am not ashamed of people, but since this widow does not give me peace, I will protect her so that she does not come to bother me anymore. And the Lord said: Do you hear what the unjust judge says? Will not God protect His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night, although He is slow to protect them? I tell you that he will give them protection soon. But the Son of God, having come, will he find faith on earth? 141. Parable of the publican and the Pharisee. OK. 18, 9–14 The Lord also spoke to some who were confident in themselves that they were righteous, and humiliated others, the following parable: two men entered the church to pray: one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this publican: I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of everything I acquire. The publican, standing in the distance, did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven; but, striking himself on the chest, he said: God! be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you that this one went to his house justified more than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. 19. Tenth, short, stay of the Lord in Capernaum 142. The return of the 70 Apostles and the word of the Lord to them. Thanks be to God the Father. OK. 10, 17–24 (At this time the Lord returned to Capernaum for several days. Here to Him) seventy disciples returned with joy and said: Lord! and the demons obey us in Thy name. He said to them: I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I give you power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits obey you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. At that hour the Lord Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said: I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Hey, Father! for such was Thy good pleasure. And turning to the disciples, he said: everything has been handed over to Me by My Father; and who the Son is, no one knows except the Father, and who the Father is, no one knows except the Son, and to whom the Son wants to reveal. And, turning to the disciples, he said to them especially: blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see and did not see, and to hear what you hear and did not hear. You might be interested in: