В. Третья часть Евангельской Истории. Конечные события

143. The Lord goes to Judea for the Feast of Tabernacles. In. 7, 2–10; Matt. 19, 1; Mk. 10, 1. The Jewish holiday was approaching - the setting up of tabernacles. Then the brothers of the Lord said to Him: Get out of here (Capernaum) and go to Judea, so that Your disciples may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret, and seeks to be known. If You do such things, then reveal Yourself to the world. For even His brothers did not believe in Him. To this the Lord Jesus said to them: My time has not yet come, but for you there is always time. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify about it that its deeds are evil. You will go to this holiday, but I will not go to this holiday yet, because My time has not yet been fulfilled. Having told them this, the Lord remained in Galilee. But when His brothers came, then He also came to the holiday, not openly, but as if secretly. So the Lord left Galilee and came to the borders of Judea through the Trans-Jordanian country. 144. The Lord is in the church at halfway through the Feast of Tabernacles. In. 7, 11–36. The Jews sought the Lord at the festival and said: Where is He? And there was much talk about Him among the people; some said that He was good; and others said: no, but he deceives the people. However, no one spoke about Him openly, fearing the Jews. But halfway through the feast, the Lord Jesus entered the church and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, How does he know the Scriptures without having studied? The Lord Jesus, answering them, said: My teaching is not Mine, but that of Him who sent Me. Whoever wants to do His will will know about this teaching, whether it is from God, or whether I am speaking from Myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Didn't Moses give you the law? and none of you walks according to the law. Why are you seeking to kill Me? The people answered, “Are you not a demon?” who seeks to kill you? The Lord Jesus, continuing his speech, said to them: I did one thing (healed on the Sabbath), and you all marvel. Moses gave you circumcision [although it is not from Moses, but from the fathers], and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. If a person receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with Me because I healed the whole person on the Sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment. Then some of the Jerusalemites said, “Isn’t this the one they are trying to kill?” Behold, He speaks openly, and they say nothing to Him: were not the rulers convinced that He is truly the Christ? But we know Him where He comes from; When Christ comes, no one will know where He comes from. Then the Lord Jesus cried out in the church, teaching and saying: You both know Me, and you know where I come from (according to the flesh); and I did not come from Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. I know Him because I am from Him and He sent Me. And they sought to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him, because His hour had not yet come. Many of the people believed in Him and said: when Christ comes, will He really do more signs than He has done? The Pharisees heard such talk about Him among the people, and the Pharisees and high priests sent servants to seize Him. The Lord Jesus said to them: I will not be with you for a long time, and then I will go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and will not find Me; and where I am, there you cannot come. At this the Jews said among themselves: Where does He want to go, so that we will not find Him? Doesn't He want to go into the Greek Diaspora and teach the Greeks? What do these words mean that He said: You will seek Me and will not find, and where I am, you cannot come? 145. The Lord Jesus in the church on the last day of the holiday. In. 7, 37–53. On the last great day of the holiday the Lord Jesus stood and cried out, saying: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, from his belly will flow rivers of living water (Isa. 12:3; Joel 3:18). This He said about the Spirit, which those who believed in Him were about to receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet upon them, because the Lord Jesus was not yet glorified. Many of the people, hearing these words, said: He is truly a prophet. Others said: this is Christ. A. Others said: Will Christ come from Galilee? Doesn't the Scripture say that Christ will come from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, from the place where David was? So, there was dissension among the people about Him. Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him. So the servants who were sent returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them: Why did you not bring Him? The servants answered: Never has a man spoken like this Man. The Pharisees said to them, “Have you also been deceived? Did any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believe in Him? But these people are ignorant of the law, they are cursed. Nicodemus, who came to Him at night, being one of them, said to them: Does our law judge a man unless they first listen to him and find out what he did? To this they said to him: “Are you not from Galilee?” Look, and you will see that no prophet came from Galilee. And everyone went home. And the Lord Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 146. On the morning of the last day of the holiday, the Lord forgives the repentant sinner. In. 8, 1–11. In the morning the Lord came to the church again, and all the people came to Him. He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery, and, placing her in the middle, they said to Him: Teacher! this woman was taken in adultery. And Moses commanded us in the law to stone such people. What do you say? They said this, tempting Him, in order to find something to accuse Him of. But the Lord Jesus, bending low, wrote with his finger on the ground, not paying attention to them. When they continued to ask Him, He bowed down and said to them: He who is without sin among you, be the first to throw a stone at her. And again, bending low, he wrote on the ground. They, having heard this and being convicted by their conscience, began to leave one by one, starting from the eldest to the last; and there remained only the Lord Jesus and the woman standing in the middle. The Lord Jesus, standing up and not seeing anyone but the woman, said to her: woman! where are your accusers? no one judged you? She answered: no one, Lord. The Lord Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you.” Go and sin no more. 147. Word of the Lord to the people: I am the light…. In. 8, 12–20. Then the Lord Jesus spoke to the people - and said to them: I am the light of the world; Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Then the Pharisees said to Him: You bear witness to Yourself; Your testimony is not true. The Lord Jesus answered them: If I testify about Myself, My testimony is true; because I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from (as the Son of God, sent by the Father) and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I don't judge anyone. And even if I judge, My judgment is true: because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me. And in your law it is written that the testimony of two people is true (Deut. 19:15). I testify of Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies of Me. Then they said to Him: Where is Your Father? The Lord Jesus answered: You know neither Me nor My Father; If you knew Me, you would also know My Father. These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus at the treasury, when he taught in the church; and no one took Him, because His hour had not yet come. 148. Word to the people: I am coming... - a prediction of My death. In. 8, 21–32. Again the Lord Jesus said to them: I am going away, and you will seek Me; and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. Then the Jews said: Will He really kill Himself, because He says: “Where I go, you cannot come”? He said to them: You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that it is I, you will die in your sins. Then they said to Him: Who are You? The Lord Jesus said to them, “He was from the beginning, just as I tell you.” I have much to say and judge about you; but He who sent Me is true, and what I have heard from Him, that is what I speak to the world. They did not understand what He was telling them about the Father. So the Lord Jesus said to them: When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that it is I, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, so I speak. He who sent Me is with Me; The Father did not leave Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him. When He said this, many believed in Him. Then the Lord Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him: If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. 149. Word to the people: about slavery to sin and kinship with the devil through that. In. 8, 33–50. They answered him: we are Abraham's seed, and we have never been slaves to anyone; How then do You say: You will be made free? The Lord Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” But the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free. I know that you are Abraham's seed; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word cannot be contained within you. I speak what I saw with My Father; but you do what you saw your father do. They answered Him: Our father is Abraham. The Lord Jesus said to them: If you were children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham. And now you seek to kill Me, the Man who told you the truth, which I heard from God: Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father. To this they said to Him: We were not born of fornication: we have one Father, God. The Lord Jesus said to them: If God were your Father, then you would love Me, because I proceeded from God and came; for I did not come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you cannot hear My words. Your father is the devil; and you want to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks his own way, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But since I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you will convict Me of unrighteousness? If I speak the truth, why don't you believe Me? He who is from God listens to the words of God. The reason you don't listen is because you are not from God. To this the Jews answered and said to Him: Are we not telling the truth that You are a Samaritan and that You have a demon? The Lord Jesus answered: I have no demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. However, I do not seek My glory: there is a Seeker and a Judge. 150. Word to the people: The Lord irritates the Jews by pointing out His gifts. In. 8, 51–59. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever keeps My word will never see death. The Jews said to Him: Now we have learned that you have a demon. Abraham died and the prophets, and You say: whoever keeps My word will never taste death. Are You greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died: what are you doing? The Lord Jesus answered: If I glorify Myself, then My glory is nothing. My Father glorifies me, of whom you say that He is your God. And you did not know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, then I will be a liar like you. But I know Him and keep His word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day; and he saw and rejoiced. To this the Jews said to Him: You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? The Lord Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Then they took stones to throw at Him; but the Lord Jesus hid himself and left the church, passing in the midst of them, and went on. 151. Healing of a man born blind. In. 9, 1–7. As the Lord passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him: Rabbi! Who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind? The Lord Jesus answered: neither he nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might be revealed in him. I must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night comes when no one can do anything. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Having said this, the Lord spat on the ground, made clay from the spit, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with clay, and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which means: sent. He went and washed, and came back seeing. 152. The talk of the people about this and the investigation of the Pharisees. In. 9, 8–34. Then the neighbors, who had seen before that he was blind, said: Isn’t this the one who sat and begged for alms? Some said: this is him, and others: he looks like him. He said: it’s me. Then they asked him: how did your eyes open? He said: The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, “Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.” I went, washed and received my sight. Then they said to him: Where is He? He answered: I don’t know. They took this former blind man to the Pharisees. And it was the Sabbath when the Lord Jesus made clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Then some of the Pharisees said: This Man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others said: how can a sinful person perform such miracles? And there was a quarrel between them. Again they say to the blind man: What will you say about Him, because He opened your eyes? He said: this is a prophet. Then the Jews did not believe that he was blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of this one who had received his sight. And they asked them: Is this your son, of whom you say that he was born blind? How can he see now? His parents answered them: We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But we don’t know how he sees now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He himself is of advanced years: ask yourself; let him speak about himself. This is what his parents answered because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that whoever recognized Him as Christ should be excommunicated from the synagogue. That is why his parents said: he is of perfect age; ask yourself. So, they called the man who was blind a second time and said to him: Give glory to God; we know that That Man is a sinner. He answered and said to them, “Whether He is a sinner, I don’t know; One thing I know is that I was blind, but now I see. They asked him again: What did He do to you? How did I open your eyes? He answered them: I already told you, and you did not listen; what else do you want to hear? or do you also want to become His disciples? They reproached him and said: You are His disciple, and we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; We don’t know where He comes from. The man who received his sight answered and said to them: It is surprising that you do not know where He comes from, but He opened my eyes. But we know that God does not listen to sinners; but whoever honors God and does His will listens to him. Since the beginning of time it has not been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If He were not from God, He could not create anything. They answered him: You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us? And they kicked him out. 153. Faith of the healed. In. 9, 35–41. The Lord Jesus, having heard that they had cast him out, and having found him, said to him: Do you believe in the Son of God? He answered and said: Who is He, Lord, that I should believe in Him? The Lord Jesus said to him: And you have seen Him, and He speaks to you. He said to Him: I believe, Lord! And he bowed to Him. And the Lord Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” When some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, they said to Him, “Are we also blind?” The Lord Jesus said to them: If you were blind, you would have no sin; but as you say what you see, the sin remains on you. 154. A word about the good shepherd. In. 10, 1–21. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in elsewhere, is a thief and a robber. And he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The doorkeeper opens for him, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. And when he has brought out his sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. They don’t follow a stranger, but run from him, because they don’t know someone else’s voice. The Lord Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them. So the Lord Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” All, no matter how many of them came before Me, are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door: whoever enters through Me will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But a hireling, not a shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and runs; and the wolf plunders the sheep and scatters them. But the hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know Mine, and Mine know Me. As the Father knows Me, so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold, and these I must bring: and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life in order to take it again. No one takes it away from Me, but I myself give it. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to receive it again. I received this commandment from My Father. From these words a quarrel arose again between the Jews. Many of them said: He is possessed by a demon and is going mad; Why are you listening to Him? Others said: these are not the words of one possessed by a demon: can a demon open the eyes of the blind? 155. The Lord is at the feast of renewal. In. 10, 22–39. Then the feast of renewal came in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And the Lord Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him: How long will You keep us in bewilderment? If You are the Christ, tell us directly. The Lord Jesus answered them: I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in the name of My Father, they testify of Me. But you do not believe, for you are not of My sheep, as I told you. My sheep obey My voice, and I know them; and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them out of the hand of My Father. I and the Father are one. Here again the Jews took up stones to stone Him. The Lord Jesus answered them: I have shown you many good works from My Father; For which of them do you want to stone Me? The Jews answered Him: We do not want to stone You for a good deed, but for blasphemy and because You, being a man, make Yourself God. The Lord Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said: you are gods (Ps. 82:6)? If He called those to whom the word of God came gods, and the Scripture cannot be broken, do you say to him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world: you are blaspheming, because I said: I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of My Father, do not believe Me. And if I do, then when you do not believe Me, believe My works, so that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him. Then they again sought to seize Him; but He escaped from their hands. 156. The Lord’s crossing of the Jordan and His reception there. In. 10, 40–42; Matt. 19, 2; Mk. 10, 1. And the Lord went again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John had previously baptized, and remained there. Again the people gathered to Him, and He, according to His custom, again taught them. So many people followed Him; and He healed them there. Many came to Him and said among themselves that John had not performed any miracle, but everything that John said about Him was true. And many there believed in Him. 157. Answer to the question of divorce. Matt. 19, 3–9; Mk. 10, 2–12. The Pharisees approached the Lord and, tempting Him, asked: is it permissible for a man, a husband, to divorce his wife for any reason? The Lord answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said: Moses allowed the writing of a letter of divorce and divorce. The Lord Jesus said to them: Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. At the beginning of creation, God created them male and female. Have you not read that He who created everything in the beginning made them male and female (Gen. 1:27), and said: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh (Gen. 2:24); so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. So, what God has joined together, let no man separate. They say to Him: How did Moses command to give a letter of divorce (to his wife) and to divorce her? The Lord says to them: I have already said that Moses, because of your hardness of heart, allowed you to divorce your wives; but at first it wasn’t like that. But I tell you: whoever divorces his wife for reasons other than adultery and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. At home, His disciples again asked Him the same thing. And He told them the same thing again: whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a wife divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery. 158. Advice on celibacy. Matt. 19, 10–12. His disciples tell Him: if such is a man’s duty to his wife, then it is better not to marry. He said to them: not everyone can receive this word, but to those who have been given it. For there are eunuchs who were born like this from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who are castrated from people; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever can contain it, let him contain it. 159. Blessing of children. Matt. 19, 13–15; Mk. 10, 13–16; OK. 18, 15–17. They brought babies to the Lord, and brought children so that He, laying His hands on them, touched them and prayed. The disciples, seeing this, rebuked them and did not allow those who brought them. But the Lord Jesus, seeing this, was indignant at them and, calling them, said to them: let the children come to Me and do not hinder them, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God as a child will not enter it. And, embracing them, he blessed them, laying his hands on them; and when he had laid his hands on them all, he went away from there. 160. Advice to a rich young man - give everything away. Matt. 19, 16–26; Mk. 10, 17–25; OK. 18, 18–27. Когда выходил Господь в путь, некто (юноша) из знатных подбежал, пал пред Ним на колени и спросил Его: Учитель благий! What must I do to inherit eternal life? What good must I do to have eternal life? The Lord Jesus said to him: Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments. He says to Him: which ones? The Lord Jesus said: You know the commandments: do not kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery; don't steal; do not bear false witness; don't offend; Honor your father and your mother; and: love your neighbor as yourself (Ex. 20:12–16; Lev. 19:18). The young man answered Him: Teacher! I have kept all this from my youth. What else am I missing? Услышав сие, Господь Иисус полюбил его и, взглянув на него, сказал ему: еще одного недостает тебе; если хочешь быть совершенным, пойди, продай все, что имеешь, и раздай нищим, и приходи, следуй за Мною, взяв крест; and you will have treasure in heaven. Услышав сие слово, юноша опечалился и, смутившись от слова сего, отошел со скорбию, потому что был очень богат, имел большое имение. Господь Иисус, видя, что он опечалился, посмотрел вокруг и сказал ученикам Своим: как трудно имеющим богатство войти в Царствие Божие! Truly I tell you that it is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The disciples were horrified at His words. But the Lord Jesus, answering this, again said to them: children! How difficult it is for those who hope for wealth to enter the Kingdom of God! Удобнее верблюду пройти сквозь игольные уши, нежели богатому войти в Царство Божие! Услышав это, ученики Его весьма изумились и говорили между собою: так кто же может спастись? Господь же Иисус, воззрев на них, сказал им: человекам это невозможно, но не Богу, ибо все возможно Богу. What is impossible for men is possible for God. 161. Promises to those who have left everything for the sake of the Lord. Matt. 19, 27–30; Mk. 10, 28–31; OK. 18, 28–30. Тогда Петр, отвечая, начал говорить и сказал Господу: вот, мы оставили все и последовали за Тобою; what will happen to us? Господь Иисус сказал им: истинно говорю вам, что вы, последовавшие за Мною, – в пакибытии, когда сядет Сын Человеческий на престоле славы Своей, сядете и вы на двенадцати престолах судить двенадцать колен Израилевых. И всякий, кто оставит домы, или братьев, или сестер, или отца, или мать, или жену, или детей, или земли, ради имени Моего, получит во сто крат более и жизнь вечную наследует. Истинно говорю вам: нет никого, кто бы оставил что таковое ради Меня и Евангелия, и не получил бы ныне, во время сие, среди гонений, во сто крат более домов, и братьев, и сестер, и отцов, и матерей, и детей, и земель, а в веке грядущем жизни вечной. But many who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first. 162. Parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Matt. 20, 1–16. For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. And having agreed with the workers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard. Coming out around the third hour, he saw others standing idly in the marketplace. And he said to them, “Go you also into my vineyard, and whatever is proper I will give you.” They went. Coming out again around the sixth and ninth hours, he did the same. Finally, going out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing idly, and said to them: Why are you standing here idly all day? They tell him: no one hired us. He says to them: You also go into my vineyard, and you will receive what follows. When evening came, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning from the last to the first. And when they came, those who were hired about the eleventh hour received a denarius. Those who came first thought that they would receive more; but they also received a denarius. And having received it, they began to murmur against the owner of the house and said: these last worked for one hour, and you made them equal to us, who endured the burden of the day and the heat. He answered and said to one of them: friend! I don't offend you; Did you not agree with me for a denarius? take yours and go; I want to give this last one the same as I give you. Don't I have the power to do what I want? Or is your eye envious because I am kind? So the last will be first, and the first last; For many are called, but few are chosen. 2. The foreshadowing of the last days of the Lord’s stay on earth 163. The Lord comes to resurrect Lazarus. In. 11, 1–16. A certain Lazarus was sick from Bethany, from the village where Mary and Martha, her sister, lived. Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was the one who anointed the Lord with myrrh and wiped His feet with her hair. The sisters sent to tell Him: Lord! Behold, the one You love is sick. The Lord Jesus, hearing this, said: This illness is not for death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it. The Lord Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When he heard that he was sick, he stayed for two days in the place where he was. After this he said to the disciples: Let us go again to Judea. The disciples said to Him: Rabbi! how long have the Jews been looking to stone you, and are you going there again? The Lord Jesus answered: Are there not twelve hours in the day? He who walks during the day does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. And whoever walks at night stumbles because there is no light with him. Having said this, he then said to them: Our friend Lazarus fell asleep, but I am coming to wake him up. His disciples said: Lord! if he falls asleep, he will recover. The Lord Jesus told them about his death, but they thought that He was talking about an ordinary dream. Then the Lord Jesus told them directly: Lazarus is dead. And I rejoice for you that I was not there, so that you might believe; but let's go to him. Then Thomas, otherwise called Didymus (twin), said to the disciples: come and we will die with him. 164. The word of the Lord about His upcoming death and resurrection. Matt. 20, 17–19; Mk. 10, 32–34; OK. 18, 31–34. When the Lord and His disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus walked ahead of them, and they followed Him, and were terrified and in fear. Having called His twelve disciples, He again began to tell them about what would happen to Him. Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem and everything that was written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. The Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the pagans to be mocked, and beaten, and crucified; and they will mock Him, and insult Him, and beat Him, and spit on Him, and, having beaten Him, kill Him; and on the third day he will rise again. Но они ничего из этого не поняли; слова сии были для них сокровенны, и они не разумели сказанного. 165. Прошение матери сынов Зеведеевых и их самих; и Господни по сему случаю словеса. Matt. 20, 20–28; Mk. 10, 35–45. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee and her sons approached the Lord, bowing to Him and asking Him for something. He said to her: what do you want? She says to Him: command that these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand and the other on Your left in Your kingdom. Then the sons of Zebedee themselves, James and John, came up to Him and said: Teacher! We want You to do for us whatever we ask. He said to them: what do you want me to do to you? They said to Him: Let us sit by You, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in Your glory. The Lord Jesus answered and said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.” Can you drink the cup that I drink and will drink, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They answered: we can. The Lord Jesus said to them: You will drink of My cup that I drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized; but to let them sit on My right side and on My left does not depend on Me, but on whom My Father has prepared. Hearing this, the other ten disciples began to be indignant at these two brothers, James and John. The Lord Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that, being esteemed princes, the princes of the nations rule over them, and their nobles rule over them. But let it not be so between you; and whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to you all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His soul as a ransom for many. 166. Healing of the blind man at the entrance to Jericho. OK. 18, 35–40. When the Lord approached Jericho, one blind man was sitting by the road, begging for alms. And, hearing that people were passing by, he asked: what is this? They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was coming. Then he shouted: Jesus, Son of David! have mercy on me. Those walking in front forced him to remain silent, but he shouted even louder: Son of David! have mercy on me. Господь Иисус, остановившись, велел привести его к Себе; и, когда тот подошел к Нему, спросил его: чего ты хочешь от Меня? He said: Lord! so that I can see the light. The Lord Jesus said to him: see! your faith has saved you. And he immediately received his sight and followed Him, praising God; и весь народ, видя сие, воздал хвалу Богу. 167. The Lord calls Zacchaeus to repentance. OK. 19, 1–10. Then the Lord entered Jericho and passed through it. And so, someone named Zacchaeus, the chief of tax collectors and a rich man, sought to see Jesus who He was, but he could not follow the people because he was small in stature. And he ran ahead and climbed up a fig tree to see Him, because He had to pass by it. The Lord Jesus, when he came to this place, looked, saw him and said to him: Zacchaeus! come down quickly, for today I need to be in your house. And he hastily came down and received the Lord with joy. And everyone, seeing this, began to murmur and said that He had entered the house of a sinful man. Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord: Lord! I will give half of my property to the poor, and if I have offended anyone, I will repay him fourfold. The Lord Jesus said to him, “Now salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.” For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. 168. In the house of Zacchaeus - the parable of the ten minas. OK. 19, 11–27. When they heard this, the Lord added a parable: for He was near Jerusalem, and they thought that the Kingdom of God would soon open. So He said: A certain man of high birth went to a distant country to obtain a kingdom for himself and return. Having called ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas and said to them: use them until I return. But the citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying: we don’t want him to reign over us. And when he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered to call to himself the slaves of those to whom he had given the silver, in order to find out who had acquired what. The first one came and said: Master! your mine brought ten mines. He said to him: good, good servant! Because you have been faithful in little things, take ten cities into your administration. The second one came and said: Master! your mine brought five mines. He also said to this one: “You too be over the five cities.” A third came and said: Master! here is your mine, which I kept wrapped in a scarf. For I was afraid of you, because you are a cruel man: you take what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow. The master said to him: with your mouth I will judge you, wicked servant. You knew that I am a cruel man, I take what I did not put in, and I reap what I did not sow; Why didn’t you give my silver into circulation, so that when I came, I would receive it at a profit? And he said to those present: take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas. They said to him: Master! he has ten minutes. But he answered: I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Bring my enemies, those who did not want me to reign over them, here and kill them before me. 169. Healing of two blind men upon leaving Jericho. OK. 19, 28; Matt. 20, 29–34; Mk. 10, 46–52. Having said this, the Lord went further, ascending to Jerusalem. When He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a multitude of people following Him, behold, two blind men, one of whom was Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, who were sitting by the road to beg, when they heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming by, began to shout, saying: Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! Jesus, Son of David! have mercy on us! The people forced them to remain silent, but they began to shout even louder: have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! The Lord Jesus stopped and ordered to call them. They call the blind and tell them: do not be afraid, get up, he is calling you. They threw off their outer clothing, stood up and came to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus asked them: What do you want from Me? The blind men said to Him: Lord! so that our eyes may be opened. Rabbi! so that we can see the light. The Lord Jesus, being moved with compassion, said to them: Your faith has saved you, and touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed the Lord Jesus along the road. 170. Resurrection of Lazarus. In. 11, 17–46. The Lord Jesus, having come to Bethany, found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, fifteen furlongs from it. And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to console them in their sorrow for their brother. Martha, hearing that the Lord Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; Maria was sitting at home. Having met the Lord Jesus, Martha said to Him: Lord! If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. The Lord Jesus says to her: Your brother will rise again. Martha said to Him: I know that He will rise again on the resurrection, on the last day. The Lord Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? She says to Him: Yes, Lord! I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, coming into the world. Having said this, Martha went and secretly called Mary her sister, saying: The Teacher is here and is calling you. She, as soon as she heard this, quickly got up and went to Him. The Lord Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was at the place where Martha met Him. The Jews who were with Mary in the house and consoled her, seeing that she hastily got up and left, followed her, believing that she had gone to the tomb to cry there. Mary, coming to where Jesus was and seeing Him, fell at His feet and said to Him: Lord! If you had been here, my brother would not have died. The Lord Jesus, when he saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, was grieved in spirit and was indignant, and said: where have you laid him? They say to Him: Lord! go take a look. The Lord Jesus shed tears. Then the Jews said: Look how He loved him. And some of them said: Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have ensured that this one would not die? The Lord Jesus, again grieving internally, comes to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay on it. The Lord Jesus says: take away the stone. The sister of the deceased, Martha, said to Him: Lord! already stinks; for he has been in the tomb for four days. The Lord Jesus said to her: Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? So, they took the stone away from the cave where the deceased lay. The Lord Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and said: Father! I thank You that You heard Me. I knew that You would always hear Me; but I said this for the sake of the people standing here, so that they might believe that You sent Me. Having said this, He cried out with a loud voice: Lazarus! get out. And the dead man came out, entwined on his hands and feet with burial cloths, and his face was tied with a scarf. The Lord Jesus says to them: Untie him, let him go. Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what the Lord Jesus had done believed in Him. And some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 171. The Sanhedrin decides to kill the Lord. He goes to Ephraim. In. 11, 47–54. Then the chief priests and Pharisees held a council and said, “What should we do?” This Man does many miracles. If we leave Him like this, then everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take possession of both our place and our people. One of them, a certain Caiaphas, being the high priest that year, said to them: you know nothing, and you will not think that it is better for us that one person should die for the people, than that the whole people should perish. He did not say this on his own, but, being high priest that year, he predicted that the Lord Jesus would die for the people, and not only for the people, but in order to gather together the scattered children of God. From that day they decided to kill the Lord Jesus. Therefore, He no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to a country near the desert, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. 172. The people seek the Lord; supper in Bethany six days before Easter. In. 11, 55–57; 12, 1–11. The Passover of the Jews was approaching, and many from the whole country came to Jerusalem before Passover to cleanse themselves. Then they sought the Lord Jesus, and standing in the church they said to one another, “What do you think?” won't He come to the festival? The high priests and Pharisees gave orders that if anyone knew where He would be, they would announce it in order to take Him. Six days before Easter, the Lord Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was dead, whom He raised from the dead. There they prepared a supper for Him, and Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those who reclined with Him. Mary, taking a pound of pure precious ointment of spikenard, anointed the feet of the Lord Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the world. Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray Him, said: Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor? He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had a cash box with him, and wore what was put in there. The Lord Jesus said: Leave her alone; she saved it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but not always Me. Many of the Jews knew that He was there, and they came not only for the Lord Jesus, but to see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. The chief priests decided to kill Lazarus also, because for his sake many of the Jews came and believed in the Lord Jesus. 3. The last days of the Lord on earth 173. Solemn entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Matt. 21, 1–9; Mk. 11, 1–10; OK. 19, 29–44; In. 12, 12–19. The next day, after supper in Bethany, the Lord went to Jerusalem. - When they approached Jerusalem, Bethany and Bethphage, which is near the mount called Olivet, then the Lord Jesus sent two of His disciples, saying to them: go to the opposite village, which is right in front of you; entering it, you will immediately find a donkey tied, and with her tied a young donkey, on which no one has ever sat; untie them, bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, he asks you: why are you doing this? why are you untying? Answer that the Lord needs them; and he will immediately release them here. Those who were sent went and found as the Lord Jesus had told them, and they did as He commanded them: they untied the donkey and the colt that was tied with her at the gate in the street. When they untied, the owners and some of those standing there said to them: What are you doing? why are you untying? They answered, as the Lord Jesus commanded, that the Lord needed them; and they released them. They brought them to the Lord Jesus and, throwing their clothes on the colt, the Lord sat on it: He sat on it and headed towards the city. Nevertheless, this happened, so that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through the prophet, who says: Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your King is coming to you meek, sitting on a colt, born of a young donkey (Zechariah 9:9). His disciples did not understand this at first; but when the Lord Jesus became glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and they did these things to Him. As the Lord rode in this way, many of the people spread their clothes along the road; while others cut branches from trees and spread them along the road. And when He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God loudly in joy for all the miracles that they had seen, saying: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! And the multitude of people who came to the festival, hearing that the Lord Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, also took palm branches, came out to meet Him and exclaimed: Hosanna (Save, help God)! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel! Then all the people, both preceding and accompanying Him, exclaimed: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! The people who were with Him before testified that He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead. That is why the people met Him, because they heard that He had performed this miracle. At the same time, the Pharisees said to each other: Do you see that you are not at all on time? The whole world follows Him. Some Pharisees from among the people said to the Lord: Teacher! rebuke your disciples. But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if they remain silent, the stones will cry out.” When the Lord approached the city, looking at it, he wept for it and said: Oh, if only you, even on this day of yours, knew what serves for your peace! But this is now hidden from your eyes! For the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches, and surround you, and press you in on every side, and destroy you, and kill your children within you, and will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. 174. Traffic in the city; cleansing the church; healing; children's praise. Matt. 21, 10–16; Mk. 11, 11; OK. 19, 45–46. And the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem and the church. When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city began to stir: who is this? And the people said, This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. And the Lord Jesus entered into the church of God, and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the church, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves, and said to them: It is written: My house is a house of prayer; and you made it a den of thieves (Isa. 56:7; Jer. 7:11). And the blind and the lame came to Him in the church, and He healed them. When the chief priests and scribes saw the miracles that He performed, and the children shouting in the church and saying: Hosanna to the son of David! - They were indignant and said to Him: Do you hear what they say? The Lord Jesus says to them: Yes! Have you never read: from the mouths of babes and sucklings You have ordained praise (Ps. 8:3)? 175. What happened on the occasion of the desire of the Greeks to see the Lord. In. 12, 20–50. Of those who came to worship on the holiday, there were some Greeks. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying: Master! we want to see Jesus. Philip goes and tells Andrey about this; and then Andrew and Philip tell the Lord Jesus about it. The Lord Jesus answered and said to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; and if it dies, it will bear much fruit. He who loves his soul will lose it; But he who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. Whoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant also be. And whoever serves Me, My Father will honor him. My soul is now indignant; and what should I say? Father! deliver me from this hour? But for this hour I have come. Father! glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven: I have glorified it and will glorify it again. The people standing and hearing it said, “It is thunder,” and others said, “An angel spoke to Him.” The Lord Jesus answered this: “This voice was not for Me, but for the people.” Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Me. He said this, making it clear by what kind of death He would die. The people answered Him: We have heard from the law that Christ abides forever; How then do You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? Then the Lord Jesus said to them: For a little while yet the light (the Lord Himself) is with you; walk while there is light, so that darkness does not overtake you; but he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While the light is with you, believe in the light, so that you may be sons of light. Having said this, the Lord Jesus walked away and hid from them. He performed so many miracles before them; and they did not believe in Him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Lord! who believed what they heard from us? and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? (Isa. 53:1). Therefore, they could not believe that, as Isaiah also said, this people have blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they do not see with their eyes, and do not understand with their hearts, and do not turn, so that I heal them (Is. 6:10). This is what Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke about Him. However, many of the rulers believed in Him; but for the sake of the Pharisees they did not confess, so as not to be excommunicated from the synagogue. For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God. The Lord Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me.” And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as light into the world, so that whoever believes in Me will not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not accept My words has judgment for himself: the word that I have spoken will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak from Myself; but the Father who sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what to say and what to speak about. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me. 176. The end of the day of entry, with a note about the progress of affairs in these days. Matt. 21, 17; Mk. 11, 11; OK. 19, 47–48. Having said this, the Lord left them - the high priests, the scribes and the people - and, having examined everything, as it was already late, he went out of the city to Bethany with the twelve and spent the night there. Thus He taught every day in the church, and at night he retired to Bethany or the Mount of Olives. The chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people sought to destroy Him. And they did not find anything to do with Him, because all the people persistently listened to Him. 177. The curse of the fig tree and a word on this occasion. Matt. 21, 18–20; Mk. 11, 12–14. The next morning, when they left Bethany and were returning to the city, the Lord Jesus became hungry and, from afar, seeing a fig tree covered with leaves along the road, he approached it to see if he could find anything on it; but, having come to her, he found nothing on her except some leaves, for it was not yet time to gather figs. And he said to her: Let there be no fruit from you from now on forever; From now on, let no one eat fruit from you! His disciples heard it. And the fig tree immediately withered. Seeing this, the disciples were surprised and said: How did the fig tree immediately wither? The Lord Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but if you also say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer with faith, you will receive. 178. Secondary cleansing of the church. Mk. 11, 15–19. After this they came to Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus, having entered the church, again began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the church; and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling pigeons; and did not allow anyone to carry any thing through the church. And he taught them: Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? and you made it a den of thieves (Isaiah 56:7). The scribes and high priests heard this and sought how to destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were amazed at His teaching. Having finished his studies, when it was already late, he left the city. 179. Another word on the occasion of the drying up of the fig tree. Mk. 11, 20–26. In the morning, passing by, the disciples saw that the fig tree had dried up to the roots. And remembering what happened yesterday, Peter says to the Lord: Rabbi! Look, the fig tree that You cursed has dried up! The Lord Jesus answered and said to them: Have faith in God. For truly I say to you, if anyone says to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, whatever he says will be done for him. Therefore I tell you: whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and it will be done for you. And when you stand in prayer, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Heavenly Father may forgive you your sins. If you do not forgive, then your Heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins. 180. Conversation in the church: response to the words: by what authority are you doing this? Matt. 21, 23–27; Mk. 11, 27–33; OK. 20, 1–8. We came again to Jerusalem. And it happened on this one of the last days that when He entered the church, walked in it, taught and preached the gospel, the chief priests and scribes with the elders came to Him and said to Him: Tell us, by what authority are You doing this? and who gave You such power to do this? The Lord Jesus answered and said to them: I will also ask you one thing: if you tell Me this, then I will also tell you by what authority I do it. Tell Me: Where did the baptism of John come from, from heaven or from men? Answer Me. They reasoned among themselves: if we say: from heaven, then He will tell us: why didn’t you believe him? And if we say: from men, we are afraid of the people; for if we say: from men, then all the people will stone us: for he is sure that John is truly a prophet - everyone revered him as a prophet. And they answered and said to the Lord Jesus: We do not know where from. Then the Lord Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” 181. Conversation in the church: the parable of the two sons. Matt. 21, 28–32; Mk. 12, 1. And the Lord began to speak in parables to them and to the people. What do you think? One man had two sons; and he, approaching the first, said: son! Go today and work in my vineyard. But he answered: I don’t want to; and then, repenting, he left. And going up to the other, he said the same thing. This one said in response: I’m going, sir, but I didn’t go. Which of the two fulfilled the will of his father? They tell Him: first. The Lord Jesus says to them: Truly I say to you, tax collectors and harlots are going ahead of you into the kingdom of God. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; and the publicans and harlots believed him; But you, having seen this, did not repent afterwards to believe him. 182. Conversation in the church: the parable of the winegrowers. Matt. 21, 33–46; Mk. 12, 1–12; OK. 20, 9–19. Listen now to another parable, said the Lord. There was a certain owner of a house who planted a vineyard, surrounded it with a fence, dug a winepress in it and built a tower and, having given it to winegrowers, went away for a long time. When the time for gathering fruit approached, he sent his servant to the vinedressers so that they would give him, and he accepted from them the due portion of the fruit from the vineyard; but they grabbed him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He again sent another servant to them; but they beat him too, smashed his head with stones, and, having scolded him, sent him away empty-handed. He also sent them a third, but they, having wounded him to death, threw him over the fence. And they beat and killed many others who were sent to them. Finally, the lord of the vineyard, having another son dear to him, said: what should I do? I will send my beloved son. And he sent his son to them, saying: Perhaps when they see him, they will be ashamed. But the vinedressers, seeing their son, said to each other: This is the heir; Let's go, kill him, and the inheritance will be ours, we will take possession of his inheritance. And they seized him, took him out of the vineyard and killed him. So, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do with these vinedressers? They say to Him: These evildoers will be put to an evil death, and the vineyard will be given to other winegrowers, who will give him the fruit in their own time. Yes, the Lord confirmed, he will come and put those vinedressers to death and give the vineyard to others. Hearing this, the high priests said: Let it not be! But the Lord, looking at them, said: what does this writing mean: the stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is from the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes. Have you never read this in Scripture? (Ps. 117, 22–23). Therefore I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a people who bear the fruits of it. And everyone who falls on this stone will be broken; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him. Hearing such parables of Him, the high priests and Pharisees understood that He was talking about them; They understood that He spoke this parable about them. And they tried to seize Him and lay hands on Him, but they were afraid of the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet. 183. Conversation in the church: the parable of those invited to the marriage of the king’s son. Matt. 22, 1–14. The Lord Jesus, continuing to speak to them in parables, said: The kingdom of heaven is like a man king, who held a wedding feast for his son. And he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast; and didn't want to come. Again he sent other slaves, saying: Tell those who are invited: behold, I have prepared my dinner, my bullocks and what is fattened, slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast. But they despised this and went, some to their field, and some to their trade. The others, seizing his slaves, insulted and killed them. Hearing about this, the king became angry, and, sending his troops, destroyed their killers and burned their city. Then he says to his servants: The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So, go to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast. And those slaves, going out onto the roads, gathered everyone they found, both evil and good; and the wedding feast was filled with those reclining. The king, coming in to see those reclining, saw a man there, not dressed in wedding clothes, and said to him: friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes? He was silent. Then the king said to the servants: having tied his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. 184. Conversation in the church: to give or not to give tribute to Caesar? Matt. 22, 15–22; Mk. 12, 13–17; OK. 20, 20–26. Then the Pharisees left Him and went away; They went and consulted how to catch Him in words; and, watching Him, they sent crafty people who, pretending to be pious, would catch Him in some word in order to betray Him to the authorities and the power of the ruler - namely, they sent some of their disciples to Him: the Pharisees with the Herodians; and they came and asked Him: Teacher! we know that You are just, You speak truthfully and You teach truly the way of God, and do not care about pleasing anyone; for you do not look at any face. So, tell us: what do you think: is it permissible to give tribute to Caesar or not? Should we give it or not? But the Lord Jesus, seeing their hypocrisy and understanding their wickedness, said to them: Why are you tempting Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin with which the tax is paid; Bring me a denarius so that I can see it. They brought Him a denarius. He says to them: whose image and inscription is this? They answered: Caesar's. Then the Lord said to them, “Render therefore the things that are Caesar’s to Caesar, and the things that are God’s to God.” And they could not catch Him in His word before the people. But, surprised by His answer, they fell silent and, leaving Him, went away. 185. Shame of the Sadducees on the issue of resurrection. Matt. 22, 23–33; Mk. 12, 18–27; OK. 20, 27–39. Then on the same day the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to the Lord and asked Him, saying: Teacher! Moses wrote to us that if anyone's brother dies and leaves his wife, but leaves no children, then let his brother take his wife for himself and restore seed to his brother (Deut. 25:5). We had seven brothers: the first, having married, died and, having no children, left his wife to his brother; likewise the second and the third, even up to the seventh. After all, the wife died. So, in the resurrection, when they rise again, which of the seven will she be the wife of? for all seven had her as a wife. The Lord Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you being led astray by this, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God?” For in the resurrection, when they rise from the dead, then they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, but will be like the angels of God in heaven. The children of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are deemed worthy to reach that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. And they can no longer die, for they are equal to the Angels and are the sons of God, being the sons of the resurrection. And about the dead, that they will rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, how God said to him at the bush: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? (Ex. 3, 6). God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. For with Him all are alive. So, you are very mistaken. To this some of the scribes said: Teacher! You said it well. And the people, hearing this, marveled at His teaching. 186. Conversation in the church: what is the first commandment? Matt. 22, 34–40; Mk. 12, 28–34; OK. 20, 40. The Pharisees, hearing that the Lord Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, gathered together; and one of them, a scribe and lawyer, hearing their debate and seeing that the Lord Jesus answered them well, came up and, tempting Him, asked: Teacher! What is the first and greatest commandment of all the commandments in the law? The Lord Jesus answered him: The first of all commandments is: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first and greatest commandment (Deut. 6:4–5). The second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself (Lev. 19:18). There is no other greater commandment than these. All the law and the prophets are based on these two commandments. The scribe said to the Lord: good, Teacher! You have spoken the truth, that there is only God and there is no other besides Him; and to love Him with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. The Lord Jesus, seeing that he answered wisely, said to him: You are not far from the Kingdom of God. After this, no one dared to ask Him anything. 187. Question of the Lord: Whose Christ is the Son? Matt. 22, 41–46; Mk. 12, 35–37; OK. 20, 40–44. When the Pharisees gathered again, the Lord Jesus, who continued to teach in the church, asked them: The scribes say that Christ is the Son of David; What do you think about Christ? Whose Son is He? They say to Him: David. The Lord says to them: how then does David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in the book of Psalms call Him Lord, when he says: The Lord said to my Lord: sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool (Ps. 109:1)? So, if David himself calls Him Lord, then how is He his Son? And no one could answer Him a word; and from that day no one dared to ask Him anything. The multitude of people listened to Him with delight. 188. Conversation in the church: reproaches to the scribes and Pharisees. Matt. 23, 1–39; Mk. 12, 38–40; OK. 20, 45–47. The Lord Jesus, when all the people were listening to Him, said in His teaching to His disciples: Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes and receive greetings in public assemblies, to sit in front in the synagogues and to recline in the first place at feasts. These, who devour the houses of widows and pray for a long time for show, will receive the most severe condemnation. Then and again He began to speak to the people and His disciples and said: The scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses. So whatsoever they command you to observe, observe and do; But do not act according to their deeds, for they say and do not do. They tie heavy and unbearable burdens and place them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves do not want to move them. Still, they do their deeds so that people can see them; They enlarge their storehouses and enlarge the openings of their garments. They also love to sit at the table at feasts and preside over the synagogues, and for people to call them: teacher! teacher! But do not call yourself teachers, for you have only one Teacher - Christ, yet you are brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. And do not be called instructors, for you have only one instructor—Christ. The greatest of you shall be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you close the Kingdom of Heaven to men; For you do not enter in yourselves, and you do not allow those who want to enter. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour the houses of widows and pray for a long time for show: for this you will receive the gravest condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you go around sea and land to convert even one; and when this happens, you make him a son of Gehenna, twice as bad as you. Woe to you, blind leaders, who say: if anyone swears by the church, it is nothing; and if anyone swears by the gold of the church, he is guilty. Mad and blind! What is greater: gold, or the church consecrating gold? Also: if anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing; If anyone swears by the gift that is on him, he is guilty. Mad and blind! What is greater: the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? So, he who swears by the altar swears by it and everything that is on it; and he who swears by the church swears by it and by Him who dwells in it; and he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you tithe mint, anise and caraway seeds, and have abandoned the most important things in the law: judgment, mercy and faith; this had to be done, and this should not be abandoned. Blind leaders, straining out a mosquito and devouring a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you cleanse the outside of the cup and platter, while inside they are full of robbery and unrighteousness. Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside of them may also be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and all uncleanness. So, on the outside, you seem righteous to people, but on the inside you are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, and say: If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their accomplices in shedding the blood of the prophets. Thus, you testify against yourself that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets. Complete the measure of your fathers. Serpents, spawn of vipers! How will you escape from condemnation to Gehenna? Therefore, behold, I send you prophets and wise men and scribes; and you. Others you will kill and crucify, eh. Some you will beat in your synagogues and drive from city to city; May all the righteous blood shed on earth come upon you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachi, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! how many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to! Behold, your house is left to you empty. For I say to you, you will not see Me from now on until you cry, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 189. The high price of a widow's contribution. Mk. 12, 41–44; OK. 21, 1–4. Then the Lord Jesus sat opposite the treasury and watched as the people put money into the treasury. Looking, He saw the rich putting their gifts into this treasury. Many rich people put in a lot. He also saw a poor widow, who, having come, put in two mites, which is a coin. And calling His disciples, He said to them: Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who put into the treasury. For all of them gave as gifts to God out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave in everything she had, all her food. 190. On the way to Olivet: prediction of the fate of the church. Matt. 24, 1–2; Mk. 13, 2; OK. 21, 5–6. Coming out of the treasury, the Lord Jesus walked away from the church. And His disciples came to Him to show the buildings of the church, and one of them said to Him: Teacher! look at the stones and the buildings! Also, others said about the church that it was decorated with expensive stones and deposits. The Lord Jesus said to them: Do you see these great buildings? Truly I say to you, the days are coming in which from what you see here, not one stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed. 191. Conversation on Olivet: signs of the coming of the Lord and the end of the age. Matt. 24, 3–14; Mk. 13, 3–13; OK. 21, 7–19. When the Lord later sat down on the Mount of Olives opposite the church, Peter and James, and John and Andrew, and other disciples came to Him alone, and asked Him: Teacher! tell us when this will be, and what is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age, when all this must happen? Answering them, the Lord Jesus began to speak and said: Take heed, beware lest anyone deceive you, lest you be led astray. For many will come in my name and say, “I am the Christ.” And that time is near; and they will deceive many. Don't follow them. You will also hear about wars and war rumors. But when you hear about these wars and rumors of war and turmoil, look, do not be horrified and do not be afraid, for all these things must have happened first; but the end is not yet immediate. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, pestilences and great earthquakes in places; there will be turmoil and terrors and great signs from heaven. Yet this is the beginning of illness. But look after yourself. First of all, the Gospel must be preached to all nations. And then they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, handing you over to courts of justice, to synagogues and prisons; they will hand you over to be tortured, they will beat you and kill you; They will also lead you and present you before kings and rulers for My name’s sake, to testify before them (of the truth of the Gospel). When they lead you to hand you over to judges and rulers, and when you have to give testimony about Me, do not worry in advance what you should say, and put it in your heart not to think in advance what to answer; but whatever will be given to you at that hour, then speak. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all who oppose you will not be able to contradict or resist. For it is not you who will speak, but the Holy Spirit. And then many will be offended; and they will betray each other and hate each other. And many false prophets will arise and deceive many. And because of the multiplication of iniquities, the love of many will grow cold. You will also be betrayed by your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends; and some of you will be put to death. Brother will betray brother to death, and father will betray his children; and the children will rise up against their parents and kill them. And you will be hated by all, by all nations, because of My name. But even a hair from your head will not disappear. Save your souls with your patience. He who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. 192. Conversation on Olivet: a prediction about the fate of Jerusalem. Matt. 24, 15–22; Mk. 13, 14–20; OK. 21, 20–24. So, when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel (Dan. 9:27), standing in a holy place, where it should not be - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. And if anyone is on the housetop, do not go into the house, nor enter to take anything from your house; and whoever is in the field, do not turn back to take your clothes. Woe to them that are pregnant and to those who nurse at the breast in those days. Pray that your flight does not happen in winter or on Saturday. When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is approaching. Then whoever is in the city, come out of it; and whoever is in the vicinity, do not enter it. For these are the days of vengeance, that all that is written may be fulfilled. For then, in those days, there will be great tribulation—such tribulation as has not been since the beginning of the world—from the beginning of creation, which God created, even to this day, and never will be. In those days there will be great trouble on earth and wrath against this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and be carried away into captivity among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And if the Lord had not shortened those days, and they had not been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect whom He has chosen, He will shorten those days, and they will be shortened. (To the prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus added a prophecy about the end of the world and His second, glorious coming) 193. Conversation on Olivet: about the second coming of the Lord. Matt. 24, 3–14; Mk. 13, 3–13; OK. 21, 7–19. Then, if anyone tells you: behold, here is Christ, or, behold, there, do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. You must be careful. Behold, I told you everything in advance. So, if they say to you, “Here he is in the desert,” do not go out; or: “Here He is in the hidden rooms,” - don’t believe it. For just as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For where the carcass is, there the eagles will gather. And there will be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, but on earth there will be despondency of the nations and bewilderment: and the sea will roar and be troubled. People will die of fear and anticipation of the disasters coming to the universe. And suddenly in those days, after that sorrow, the sun will darken, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet; and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. When this begins to come true, then look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. And he told them a parable: look at the fig tree and at all the trees: when the branches of the fig tree become soft and put out leaves, when the trees also blossom; Then, seeing this, you know for yourself that summer is already close. So when you see all this coming true, know that the Kingdom of God is close, at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened: heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. No one knows about that day and hour, not the heavenly angels, not the Son, but only My Father alone. 194. Conversation on Olivet: watch and pray - the parable of the ten virgins, the talents. Matt. 24, 42–51; 25, 1–30; Mk. 13, 33–37; OK. 21, 34–36. Watch, watch and pray, for you do not know when this time will come. It is as if someone, going on a journey and leaving his home, gave authority to his servants, and to each his own work, and ordered the gatekeeper to watch. So stay awake; for you do not know when the owner of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning, lest he come suddenly and find you sleeping. But what I say to you, I say to everyone: stay awake. Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be burdened with gluttony, and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and lest that day come upon you suddenly. For he, like a snare, will come upon all those who live on all the face of the earth. Therefore, watch at all times and pray, that you may be worthy to escape all these future disasters and to stand before the Son of Man. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the flood they ate and drank, married and were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and thought not until the flood came and destroyed them all, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two on the field: one is taken and the other is left; two grinding millstones: one is taken, and the other is left. Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will come. You know that if the owner of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, be ready, for at an hour you do not think, the Son of Man will come. Who is the faithful and prudent servant whom his master made over his servants, to give them food at the right time? 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, being angry, says in his heart: My master will not come soon, and begins to beat his comrades, and eat and drink with drunkards, then the master of that slave will come on a day on which he does not expect, and at an hour on which he does not think, and will cut him up, and subject him to the same fate as the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Of these, five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps and took no oil with them. The wise, together with their lamps, took oil in their vessels. And as the groom slowed down, everyone dozed off and fell asleep. But at midnight a cry was heard: behold, the groom is coming! go out to meet him. Then all the virgins stood up and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish said to the wise, Give us your oil, for our lamps are going out. And the wise answered: so that there is no shortage for both us and you, you better go to those who sell and buy for yourself. And when they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. Then other virgins come and say: Lord! God! open to us. He answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, I do not know you.” Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man will come. For He will act like a man who, going to a foreign country, called his servants and entrusted his property to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his strength; and immediately set off. The one who received the five talents went and put them to work and acquired another five talents. In the same way, the one who received two talents acquired the other two. The one who received one talent went and buried it in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time, the master of those slaves comes and demands an account from them. And the one who had received five talents came and brought another five talents and said: Master! you gave me five talents; Behold, I acquired another five talents with them. His master said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in small things, I will put you over many things; enter into the joy of your master. The one who had received two talents also came up and said: Master! you gave me two talents; Behold, I acquired the other two talents with them. His master said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful in small things, I will put you over many things; enter into the joy of your master. The one who had received one talent came up and said: Master! I knew you that you were a cruel man: you reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter, and, being afraid, you went and hid your talent in the ground: here is yours. His master answered him: “You are a wicked and lazy servant!” You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; Therefore, you should have given my silver to the merchants, and I, having returned, would have received mine with profit. So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will have an abundance, but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. But throw the worthless slave into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Having said this, the Lord exclaimed: He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 195. Conversation on Olivet: depiction of the Last Judgment. Matt. 25, 31–46. When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory, and all nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him: Lord! when did we see you hungry and feed you? or to the thirsty and gave them something to drink? When did we also see You as a stranger and accept You? or naked and clothed? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You? And the King will answer them, “Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me.” Then He will say to those on the left hand: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and they did not accept Me; I was naked, and they did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and they did not visit Me. Then they too will answer Him: Lord! When we saw You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve You. Then He will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, because you did not do it to one of the least of these; they didn’t do it to me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life. 195 a). Conclusion of the third day; and again about the manner of action in these days. Matt. 26, 1–2; OK. 21, 37–38. When the Lord Jesus finished all these words, He said to His disciples: You know that in two days the Passover will take place, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified. So the Lord taught during the day in the church, and at night, leaving the church and the city, he spent on the Mount of Olives, or in Bethany. And all the people came to Him in the church in the morning and listened to Him. 196. Meeting of the Sanhedrin to destroy the Lord. Matt. 26, 3–5; Mk. 14, 1–2; OK. 22, 1–2. When the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called Passover, drew near, then the chief priests and scribes and the elders of the people gathered together in the courtyard of the high priest named Caiaphas, and sought how they could destroy the Lord Jesus. And the council decided to take Him by cunning and kill Him. But they said: just not on a holiday, so that there would be no disturbance among the people, because they were afraid of the people. 197. Supper in Bethany in the house of Simon. Matt. 26, 6–13; Mk. 14, 3–9. (Meanwhile, a supper was held for the Lord in Bethany.) And when He was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, and reclined; a woman approached Him with an alabaster vessel of precious ointment; and, breaking the vessel, she poured this ointment on His head as he reclined. Seeing this, His disciples and some others were indignant and said to each other: Why such a waste of the world? For this ointment could have been sold for a high price, more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor. And they grumbled at her. But the Lord Jesus, realizing this, said to them: Why are you embarrassing the woman? Leave her alone. She did a good deed for Me. For you always have the poor with you and, whenever you want, you can do good to them, but you do not always have Me. She did what she could. Having poured this ointment on My body, she prepared Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what she has done will also be told in her memory. 198. Betrayal of Judah. Matt. 26, 14–16; Mk. 14, 10, 11; OK. 22, 3–6. Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the twelve. And he went to the chief priests and rulers to betray the Lord Jesus, and said, “What will you give me, and I will betray Him to you?” When they heard this, they rejoiced and agreed to give him money, and offered him thirty pieces of silver. And he promised. And from that time on, he looked for an opportunity to betray the Lord to them, not in front of the people. 199. Last Supper: preparation of the Easter supper. Matt. 26, 17–19; Mk. 14, 12–16; OK. 22, 7–13; In. 13, 1. Just before the Feast of Passover, on the first day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb was slain, the disciples came to the Lord Jesus and said to Him: Where do you tell us to go to prepare the Passover for You? We'll go and cook. And the Lord sent two of His disciples, Peter and John, saying to them: go and prepare the Passover for us to eat. They said to Him, “Where do you tell us to cook?” The Lord said to them: Go into the city; and behold, when you enter the city, you will meet a man carrying a jug of water; follow him to the house where he enters, and say to the owner of that house: The Teacher says to you: My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover with you with my disciples. Where is the room in which I could eat the Passover with My disciples? And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready; cook for us there. And these His disciples went and came into the city, and found as He had said to them: They did everything as the Lord commanded them, and prepared the Passover. 200. The Last Supper: its beginning; they came and sat down. Matt. 26, 20–29; Mk. 14, 17; OK. 22, 14–18. When evening came, the Lord came to the prepared upper room with His twelve disciples. And when the hour had come, He lay down, and the twelve apostles with Him; and he said to them: I greatly desired to eat this Passover with you, before My suffering. For I tell you that I will no longer eat it until it is completed in the Kingdom of God. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he said: Take it and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will no longer drink of this fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes, until the day when I drink new wine with you (taste the bliss of eternal life) in the Kingdom of God My Father. 201. Last Supper: washing of feet. In. 13, 1–20. After this, the Lord Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, showed by deed that, having loved His beings in the world, He loved them to the end. And during the supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot to betray Him, the Lord Jesus, knowing that the Father had given everything into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God, stood up from the supper, took off His outer garment and, taking a towel, girded Himself. Then he poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel with which he was girded. He approaches Simon Peter, and he says to Him: Lord! Should you wash my feet? The Lord Jesus answered him: What I do you do not know now, but you will understand later. Peter says to Him: You will never wash my feet. The Lord Jesus answered him: If I do not wash you, then you have no part with Me. Simon Peter says to Him: Lord! not only my feet, but also my hands and head. The Lord Jesus says to him: he who has been washed only needs to wash his feet, because he is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all. For He knew His betrayer, and that is why He said: You are not all pure. When the Lord had washed their feet and put on His clothes, He lay down again and said to them: Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say correctly: for I am exactly that. So, if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, then you should wash each other’s feet. For I have given you an example, so that you should do the same as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. If you know this, blessed are you when you do it. I am not talking about all of you: I know whom I have chosen. But let the Scripture be fulfilled: he who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me (Ps. 40:10). Now I tell you before it comes to pass, so that when it comes to pass, you may believe that it is I. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives him whom I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 202. Last Supper: announcement of the traitor. Matt. 26, 21–25; Mk. 14, 18–21; OK. 22, 21–30; In. 13, 21–30. Having said this, the Lord Jesus, as they all reclined and ate, was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” And behold, the hand of him who betrays Me is with Me at the table. Then the disciples began to look around at each other, wondering who He was talking about, and, becoming very sad, each of them began to say to the Lord, one after the other: is it not I, Lord? and another: isn't it me? He answered and said to them: One of the twelve who dips with Me in the dish, this one will betray Me. However, the Son of Man goes according to his destiny, departs as it is written about Him; but woe to the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man not to have been born. At this, Judas, who betrayed Him, said: Isn’t it me, Rabbi? The Lord says to him: you said. But others, not noticing this, again began to ask each other, which of them would be who would do this? One of His disciples, whom the Lord Jesus loved, reclined at the breast of Jesus. Simon Peter made a sign to him and asked him who this is that He is talking about? And he, falling to the chest of Jesus, said to Him: Lord! who is this? The Lord Jesus answered: the one to whom I dip a piece of bread and give it. And, having dipped the piece, he gave it to Judas Simon Iscariot. After this piece Satan entered into him. Then the Lord Jesus said to him, “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.” But none of those reclining understood why He told him this. And as Judas had a box, some thought that the Lord Jesus was saying to him: buy what we need for the holiday, or that he should give something to the poor. He, having accepted the piece, immediately went out, and it was night. 203. Last Supper: who is greater. OK. 22, 24–30. Here a dispute arose between the disciples as to which of them should be considered greater. The Lord said to them: Kings rule over the nations, and those who rule over them are called benefactors. But you are not so: but whoever is greatest among you must be like the younger, and the ruler like the servant. For who is greater: the one who reclines or the one who serves? Isn't he reclining? And I am in your midst as one who serves. But you remained with Me in My troubles; and I bequeath to you, as My Father bequeathed to Me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 204. Last Supper: establishment of the sacrament of Body and Blood. Matt. 26, 26–29; Mk. 14, 22–25; OK. 22, 19–20; 1 Cor. 11, 23–25. And while they were eating, the Lord Jesus, taking bread and giving praise and blessing, broke it and gave it to the disciples, saying: Take, eat: this is My body, broken for you, which is given for you. Do this in My remembrance. And after supper he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.” And everyone drank from it. He said to them: this cup is the New Testament in My Blood; This is My Blood, shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins. Do this whenever you drink, in remembrance of Me. 205. Farewell conversation: its beginning. In. 13, 31–38. (And therefore the Lord Jesus began a farewell conversation with His disciples.) And he said: “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” If God was glorified in Him, then God will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him. Children! I won't be with you for long. You will seek Me, and, as I said to the Jews, where I go, you cannot come; I’m telling you so now. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Simon Peter said to Him: Lord! where are you going? The Lord Jesus answered him: Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but later you will follow Me. Peter said to Him: Lord! Why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my soul for You. The Lord Jesus answered him: Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times. 206. Farewell conversation: consolation of students. In. 14, 1–31. Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, and believe in Me. In My Father's house there are many mansions. But if it were not so, I would have told you: I am going to prepare a place for you. And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Me, so that you too may be where I am. And where I am going, you know, and you know the way. Thomas said to Him: Lord! we do not know where You are going; and how can we know the way? The Lord Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. If you knew Me, you would also know My Father. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him: Lord! show us the Father, and it is enough for us. The Lord Jesus said to him: I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say: show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak from Myself; The Father abiding in Me, He does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; but if not so, then believe Me by the very works. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do will he do also, and greater works than these will he do; because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask (from the Father) in My name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments, and I will pray to My Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; and you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I'll come to you. A little more and the world will no longer see Me; and you will see Me, for I live, and you will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he loves Me; and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father; and I will love him and appear to him Myself. Judas - not Iscariot - says to Him: Lord! What is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? The Lord Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; The word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father who sent Me. I told you these things while I was with you. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard that I said to you: I am leaving you and will come to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I said: I am going to the Father; for My Father is greater than Me (I am less than Him in My humanity). And behold, I told you these things before they happened, so that you might believe when they happen. It’s already a little while for me to talk to you; For the prince of this world comes and has nothing in Me. But so that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded Me, so I do: get up, let’s go from here. (The conversation, however, continued here, in the upper room.) 207. Farewell conversation: leadership lessons. In. 15, 1–27. I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of Me that does not bear fruit He cuts off; and every one that bears fruit he cleanses, that it may bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed through the word that I preached to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is in the vine, so neither can you unless you are in Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches; He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch and wither; and such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and they burn. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this will My Father be glorified, if you bear much fruit and become My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, I have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. I have spoken these things to you, so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have told you everything that I have heard from My Father. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you. This I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too; If they have kept my word, they will also keep yours. But they will do all these things to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me also hates My Father. If I had not done among them works that no one else had done, they would not have had sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. But may the word written in their law be fulfilled: they hated Me without cause (Ps. 68:5). When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me. And you too will testify, because you were with Me from the beginning. 208. Farewell conversation: promises. In. 16, 1–33. I told you these things so that you would not be tempted. They will drive you out of the synagogues; the time even comes when everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or Me. But I told you this so that when that time comes, you will remember what I told you about it; I didn’t tell you this at first, because I was with you. And now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: Where are you going? But because I told you this, your heart was filled with sorrow. But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go; for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; and if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, having come, will convict the world about sin and about righteousness and about judgment. About sin, that they do not believe in Me; about the truth that I am going to my father, and you will not see me anymore; about judgment, that the prince of this world is condemned. I still have a lot to tell you; but now you cannot contain it. When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak from Himself, but He will speak what He hears, and He will tell you the future. He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and proclaim it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that he will take from Mine and tell it to you. Soon you will not see Me, and again soon you will see Me, for I am going to the Father. Then some of His disciples said to one another, “What is it that He says to us: Soon you will not see Me, and again soon you will see Me, and: I am going to the Father?” So, they said: what does He say: “soon”? We don't know what he says. The Lord Jesus, realizing that they wanted to ask Him, said to them: Are you asking one another about this, which I said: A little while later you will not see Me, and again a short time later you will see Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will mourn and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. When a woman gives birth, she suffers sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to a baby, she no longer remembers the sorrow for joy, because a man was born into the world. So now you also have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. And on that day you will not ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. Hitherto I have spoken to you in parables; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables, but will tell you directly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you: for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and came into the world; and again I leave the world and go to the Father. His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You speak plainly, and do not speak any parables (something unclear). Now we see that You know everything and have no need for anyone to question You. Therefore we believe that You came from God. The Lord Jesus answered them: Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, that you will scatter, each in his own direction, and leave Me alone; but I am not alone, for the Father is with Me. I have spoken these things to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but take heart: I have overcome the world. 209. Prayer of the Lord Savior to God the Father. In. 17, 1–26. After these words, the Lord Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and said: Father! The hour has come: glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee, since Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He may give eternal life to all that Thou hast given Him. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I glorified You on earth, I accomplished the work that You entrusted Me with. And now glorify Me, O Father, with You, with the glory that I had with You before the world was. I have revealed Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world; They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have understood that everything that You have given Me is from You. For the words that You gave Me, I delivered to them, and they received, and truly understood that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I pray for them, not for the whole world, but for those whom You have given Me, because they are Yours. And all Mine is Thine, and Thine is Mine, and I am glorified in them. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father! keep them in Your name, those whom You have given Me, so that they may be one, just as We are. When I was at peace with them, I kept them in Thy name; those whom You gave Me, I have preserved, and none of them perished except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (Ps. 108:17). Now I come to You, and I say this in the world, so that they may have My complete joy within themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from evil. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them with Your truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And for them I consecrate Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth. I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory that You gave Me I gave to them; may they be one, just as We are one. I am in them, and You are in Me; that they may be perfected in one, and that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me. Father, whom You have given Me, I want them to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You gave Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father! And the world did not know You; but I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me. And I have made Your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. 210. End of the supper. OK. 22, 31–38. (Before leaving the Easter room) The Lord said to Peter: Simon! Simon, behold, Satan has asked to sow you like wheat. But I prayed for you, so that your faith would not fail; and you, having once turned, strengthen your brothers. Peter answered Him: Lord! I am ready to go with You to prison and to death. But the Lord said to him: I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you do not know Me. Then the Lord said to all of them: when I sent you without a bag and without a scrip and without shoes, did you lack anything? They answered: nothing. Then He said to them: but now, whoever has a bag, take it, also the scrip, and whoever doesn’t have it, sell your clothes and buy a sword (gain courage for the upcoming struggle with the spiritual enemy, dangers and deprivations). For I tell you that this which is written must also be fulfilled in Me: I am numbered with the evildoers. For what is about Me comes to an end (Is. 53:12). They said to Him: Lord! there are two swords here. He said to them: enough. (The Lord interrupted the conversation, seeing that He was not understood) 211. Transition to Gethsemane. In. 14, 31; 18, 1; OK. 22, 39; Matt. 26, 30–35; Mk. 14, 26–31. Having said this, the Lord repeated: get up, let’s get out of here. And having sung, He went out with His disciples, and went, as usual, beyond the brook Kidron to the Mount of Olives. His disciples followed Him. On the way, the Lord says to them: you will all be offended because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered (Zech. 13:7). After My resurrection, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter answered and said to him, “Even if everyone is offended because of You, yet not I; I will never be tempted. The Lord Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” But Peter spoke to Him with even greater effort: Even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You. All the disciples said the same or similar things. 8. Night from Thursday to Good Friday 212. The Passion of the Lord: prayer for the cup. Matt. 26, 36–46; Mk. 14, 32–42; OK. 22, 40–46; In. 18, 1–2. Then the Lord Jesus comes with His disciples to a village called Gethsemane, where there was a garden, into which He Himself and His disciples entered. Judas, His betrayer, also knew this place, because the Lord Jesus often gathered there with His disciples. Arriving at the usual place in the garden, the Lord said to His disciples: sit here while I go and pray there. Pray too, so as not to fall into temptation. And taking with him Peter and both sons of Zebedee, James and John, he began to grieve, be horrified and yearn. And he said to them: My soul is sorrowful unto death; abide here and watch with Me. And He Himself walked away from them a little, as if to throw a stone, and, kneeling, fell face down on the ground and prayed that, if possible, this hour would pass from Him, saying: My Father! if possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, let it be, not as I want, but as You want. Abba Father, everything is possible for You; carry this cup past Me; but let it be not what I want, but what You want. Father! Oh, if only you would deign to carry this cup past Me! However, not My will, but Yours be done. An angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him. And He, being in struggle, prayed more diligently; and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Rising from prayer, He returns to His disciples, finds them sleeping from sorrow and says to Peter: Simon! are you sleeping? Couldn't you stay awake for one hour? Then He said to all of them: “Were you not able to watch with Me even for one hour?” Why are you sleeping? Arise, watch and pray, so that you do not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And going away again, another time He prayed, saying: My Father! if this cup cannot pass from Me, lest I drink it; Thy will be done. And returning to His disciples, He again found them sleeping; for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him. And leaving them, He went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same word. Then He comes to His disciples for the third time and says: Are you still sleeping and resting? It's over. Behold, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Get up, let's go; Behold, he who betrayed Me has drawn near. 213. Suffering: The Lord gives Himself into the hands of a sinner. Matt. 26, 47–56; Mk. 14, 43–50; OK. 22, 47–53; In. 18, 3–11. While this was happening in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas, having taken a detachment of soldiers and servants from the high priests and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and lamps and weapons. And so, while the Lord was still speaking the above words to His disciples, this people appeared; one of the twelve, called Judas, went before them, and behind him a great multitude, with swords and staves, from the chief priests and scribes and the elders of the people. Having forestalled everyone, Judas approached the Lord Jesus to kiss Him: for this traitor gave a sign to those who came with him: Whomever I kiss, he is the same; take Him and lead Him carefully. Approaching the Lord Jesus, he said: Rabbi! Rabbi! Rejoice, Rabbi! and kissed Him. The Lord Jesus said to him: friend, why are you here? Judas! Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? When those who were with Judas later approached, the Lord, knowing everything that would happen to Him, stepped forward and said to them: Whom are you looking for? They answered him: Jesus of Nazareth. The Lord Jesus said to them: It is I. Now Judas, His betrayer, stood with them. And when the Lord said to them, “It is I,” they retreated back and fell to the ground. And when they got up, He asked them again: Who are you looking for? They said: Jesus of Nazareth. The Lord Jesus answered them: I have already told you that it is I. So, if you are looking for Me, leave these, My disciples, to go away freely: that the word He spoke before might be fulfilled: Of those whom You gave Me, I have lost none. Then those who were with Judas came up and laid their hands on the Lord Jesus and held Him. Those who were with the Lord, seeing where things were going, said to Him: Lord! Shouldn't we strike with a sword? And so one of them, Simon Peter, who had a sword, stretched out his hand, drew his sword and, striking the high priest’s servant with it, cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then the Lord Jesus said: leave it alone, enough! And touching the ear of the wounded slave, he healed him. He commanded Peter: put your sword into its sheath, and return it to its place; for all who take up the sword will perish by the sword. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave Me? Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will present to Me more than twelve legions of Angels? How will the Scripture be fulfilled that this must be so? At that hour the Lord Jesus said to the people and to the chief priests and the rulers of the church and the elders who were gathered against Him, “It is as if you came out against a thief with swords and staves to take Me.” Every day I was with you in the church, I sat with you in the church, teaching every day; and you did not raise your hands against Me and did not take Me. But now is your time and the power of darkness. All this happened so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then the soldiers and the captain and the servants of the Jews took the Lord Jesus and bound Him. His disciples, seeing this, all left Him and ran away. 214. The Lord is in Anna's house. Matt. 26, 57–58; Mk. 14, 51–54; OK. 22, 54; In. 18, 13–24. Those who took the Lord Jesus led Him out of the garden to the chief priests. One young man, wrapped in a veil over his naked body, followed Him. The soldiers grabbed him, but he, leaving the veil, ran away from them naked. Those who led the Lord took Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. This Caiaphas was the same one who gave advice to the Jews that it was better for one man to die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed the Lord Jesus from afar to the courtyard of the high priest. This disciple was known to the high priest and entered with the Lord Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest; and Peter remained standing outside the doors. Then another disciple, who was known to the high priest, came out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in. Annas the high priest asked the Lord Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching. The Lord Jesus answered him: I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews meet, and I did not say anything secretly. Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; behold, they know that I have spoken. When He had said this, one of the servants who was standing close struck the Lord Jesus on the cheek, saying, “Is this how you answer the high priest?” The Lord Jesus answered him: if I said something bad, show me what is bad; What if it’s good that you beat Me? After this, Annas sent the Lord bound to the high priest Caiaphas. 215. The Lord is on trial before Caiaphas. Matt. 26, 59–68; Mk. 14, 53–65. And they brought the Lord Jesus to the house of the high priest Caiaphas, where all the other high priests and elders and scribes were gathered. These chief priests and elders and the whole Sanhedrin sought false testimony against the Lord Jesus, in order to put Him to death, and found none; and although many false witnesses came, they were not found, because their false witness was insufficient. Finally two false witnesses came and said (one of them spoke): we heard Him say: I can destroy the church of God and build it in three days; (another false witness testified otherwise): I will destroy this church made with hands, and in three days I will erect another one not made with hands. But even such evidence was not enough. Then the high priest stood up and stood in the middle and first asked the Lord Jesus: Why don’t you answer? Do you hear that they are testifying against You? But as the Lord Jesus remained silent and did not answer anything, the high priest turned to Him with the following speech: I adjure You by the living God, tell us, Are You the Christ, the Son of God, the Son of the Blessed God? The Lord Jesus says to him: you said - I; and even I say to you: from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest, tearing his clothes, said: He is blaspheming! What more need do we need witnesses? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think? They all recognized Him as guilty of death and said in response: He is guilty of death. Then some began to spit on Him in His face and strangle Him; others struck Him on the cheeks; A. Others, covering His face, struck Him and said: Prophesy to us, O Christ, who struck You! and the servants beat Him on the cheeks. (After this, the Lord was taken out into the courtyard and kept in custody until the morning.) 216. The first denial of Peter, according to the Evangelist John. In. 18, 17–18, 27. When Saint Peter was led by Saint John into the courtyard of the high priest, then the servant-maid said to Peter: “Are you not one of this Man’s disciples?” He said no. Meanwhile, the slaves and servants, having lit a fire because it was cold, stood and warmed themselves. Peter also stood with them and warmed himself. When the Lord passed from Anna to Caiaphas, whose house was in the same courtyard, Simon Peter was still standing with the others, warming himself by the fire. Then they said to him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied and said: no. One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said: Didn't I see you with Him in the garden? Peter denied again. 217. Second denial of Peter, according to the evangelists Matthew and Mark. Matt. 26, 69–75; Mk. 14, 54–72. When Peter, who had followed the Lord from afar, led to the courtyard of the high priest, went inside to see the end, and, sitting with the servants in the courtyard, warmed himself by the fire, one of the high priest’s maids came there and, seeing Peter warming himself and looking at him, said: “You too were with Jesus the Galilean - the Nazarene.” But he denied before everyone, saying: I don’t know and don’t understand what you are saying. Having said this, he went out into the front yard; and the rooster crowed. When he went out of the gate that led to the front yard, another maid saw him and began to say to those who were there and standing: and this is one of them; and this one was with Jesus of Nazareth. But Peter again denied with an oath that he did not know this man. A little later those standing there again began to say to Peter: Surely you are one of them, for your speech also convicts you; You are a Galilean, and your dialect is similar. He began to swear and swear that he did not know this man, saying: I do not know this man of whom you speak. 218. Third denial of Peter, according to the Evangelist Luke. OK. 22, 55–62. After this, Peter again returned from the front yard to the main one and sat down by the fire. When the servants were sitting in the middle of the courtyard, by the fire, Peter was sitting between them. One maid, seeing him sitting by the fire and looking at him, said: “This one too was with Him.” But Peter denied Him, saying to the woman, “I don’t know Him.” A little later, another, seeing him, said: “You too are one of them.” But Peter said to the man: No! After about an hour, someone else insistently said: Surely this one was with Him, for he is a Galilean. But Peter said to the man, “I don’t know what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed a second time. Then the Lord, upon leaving the Sanhedrin, which was located right there in the courtyard, turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as He said to him: before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. And, going out, he began to cry bitterly. 219. The guard's mockery of the Lord. OK. 22, 63–65. The people holding the Lord Jesus mocked Him and beat Him; and, covering Him, they struck Him in the face and asked Him: Prophesy, who struck You? And many other blasphemies were uttered against Him. 220. The Lord surrenders to Pilate. Matt. 27, 1–2; Mk. 15, 1; OK. 22, 66–71; 23, 1; In. 18, 28. As soon as the day arrived, immediately in the morning the elders of the people, the high priests and scribes, and the entire Sanhedrin gathered together and held a meeting to put the Lord to death. They brought Him into their Sanhedrin and said: Are you the Christ, tell us. He said to them: If I tell you, you will not believe it; even if I ask you, you will not answer Me and will not let Me go. From now on, the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the Power of God. They told Him everything: So, are You the Son of God? He answered them: You say that I am the Son of God. They said: What more evidence do we need? For we ourselves have heard from His mouth. Then the whole multitude of them rose up, and, having bound the Lord Jesus, they led Him away from Caiaphas to the praetorium, and handed Him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor. 221. The Lord is on trial before Pilate. Matt. 27, 11–14; Mk. 15, 2–5; OK. 23, 2–5; In. 18, 28–38. It was morning when the Lord was brought to Pilate. Those who brought Him did not enter the praetorium, so as not to be defiled, but so that they could eat the Passover. Pilate came out to them and said: What do you accuse this man of? They answered him: If He had not been an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you. Pilate said to them: Take Him and judge Him according to your law. The Jews said to him: We are not allowed to put anyone to death; that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke, indicating by what kind of death He would die. And they began to accuse Him, saying: We have found that He corrupts our people and forbids giving tribute to Caesar, calling Himself Christ the King. Then Pilate again entered the praetorium and called the Lord Jesus. When the Lord stood before the governor, and the governor asked Him: Are you the King of the Jews? The Lord Jesus answered him: Are you saying this on your own, or have others told you about Me? Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Your people and the chief priests have delivered You up to Me; what have you done? The Lord Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be betrayed to the Jews; but My Kingdom is not from here. Pilate said to Him: So, You are a King? Answering him, the Lord Jesus said: You say the truth that I am a King. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice. Pilate said to Him: What is truth? And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to the chief priests and the people: I find no guilt in Him; I don’t find anything guilty in this man. Then the high priests began to accuse the Lord of many things. But when these high priests and the elders with them accused Him, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him: You don’t answer anything! Do you not hear how many are testifying against You? Do you see how many accusations are against You? But the Lord did not answer even a single word, so that Governor Pilate was greatly amazed. Meanwhile, they insisted, saying that He was disturbing the people by teaching throughout all of Judea, starting from Galilee to this place. Pilate, hearing about Galilee, asked: Is He a Galilean? And having learned that He was from Herod’s region, He sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem these days. 222. The Passion of the Lord: The Lord Jesus with Herod. OK. 23, 8–12. Herod, seeing the Lord Jesus, rejoiced greatly; for he had long wanted to see Him, because he had heard a lot about Him and hoped to see some miracle from Him. And he asked Him many questions, but He answered him nothing. The chief priests and scribes stood and strongly accused Him. But Herod and his soldiers, having humiliated Him and mocked Him, dressed Him in light clothes and sent Him back to Pilate. And that day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for before they had been at enmity with each other. 223. Pilate's unsuccessful efforts to release the Lord. Matt. 27, 15–23; Mk. 15, 6–14; OK. 23, 13–23; In. 18, 39–40. When the Lord returned from Herod, Pilate, having called the high priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them: You have brought this man to me as one who corrupts the people; and behold, I examined before you and did not find this man guilty of anything of which you accuse Him, and neither did Herod, for I sent Him to him; and nothing was found in Him worthy of death. So, having punished Him, I will release Him. And he needed to release one prisoner to them for the holiday, he had a custom on the Easter holiday to release to the people one prisoner whom they wanted and asked for, he released him to them. And the people, remembering this, began to shout and ask Pilate for what he had always done for them. Pilate wanted to turn this in favor of the accused innocently and said to them in response: Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you? For he knew that the high priests had betrayed Him out of envy. And he addressed the high priests themselves with the same word: you have a custom so that I will release one to you for Easter; Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you? But then, while he was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say: do not do anything to the Righteous One, because now in a dream I have suffered a lot for Him. By this, Pilate's attention was somewhat diverted from the people; and the high priests and elders managed to convince the people and aroused them to ask that it would be better to release Barabbas to them, and destroy the Lord Jesus. Why, when Pilate turned again to the people, expecting an answer, all the people shouted: not Him, but Barabbas. The one called Barabbas was a robber who was put in prison for rioting and murder in the city and was sitting there with other rebels who committed murder during the rebellion. Pilate, in bewilderment about this demand of the people, also asked them: which of the two do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ? They shouted again: Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ? What do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews? They all shouted to him: let him be crucified! crucify Him! execute Him, and release Barabbas to us! Pilate again raised his voice, desiring to release the Lord Jesus. But they shouted even more loudly: crucify, crucify Him! He said to them the third time, “What evil has He done?” I find nothing worthy of death in Him. So, having punished Him, I will release Him. But they continued with great shouting to demand that He be crucified. And the cry overcame them and the high priests: Pilate decided to comply with their request; He released Barabbas to them, who had been imprisoned for indignation and murder, whom they had asked for. 224. The Passion of the Lord: scourging. Matt. 27, 27–30; Mk. 15, 16–19; In. 19, 1–3. Then Pilate took the Lord Jesus and ordered the soldiers to beat Him. The ruler’s soldiers, having taken Him, took Him inside the courtyard of the praetorium and gathered the entire regiment against Him. Having undressed Him, they put a scarlet robe on Him, and having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head, and they gave Him a reed in His right hand, and, kneeling before Him, they bowed to Him and mocked Him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews! They beat Him on the cheeks, and spat on Him, and, taking a cane, beat Him on the head. 225. The Passion of the Lord: behold, Man. In. 19, 4–12. After this, Pilate went out again and said to them: Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, so that you may know that I do not find any guilt in Him. Then the Lord Jesus came out wearing a crown of thorns and a scarlet robe. Pilate said to them: Behold, Man! But when the high priests and ministers saw Him, they shouted: Crucify Him, crucify Him! Pilate says to them: Take Him and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him. The Jews answered him: We have a law, and according to our law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God. Pilate, hearing this word, was more afraid; and again he entered the praetorium, and said to the Lord Jesus: Where are you from? But the Lord Jesus did not give him an answer. Pilate says to Him: Do you not answer me? Do you not know that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You? The Lord Jesus answered: You would not have any power over Me if it had not been given to you from above; therefore there is greater sin on him who delivered Me to you. From that time on, Pilate sought to release Him. The Jews shouted: if you let Him go, you are not a friend of Caesar. Anyone who makes himself a king is an opponent of Caesar. 226. The Passion of the Lord: a judgment of condemnation. Matt. 27, 24–26; Mk. 15, 15; OK. 23, 25; In. 19, 13–16. Pilate, having heard this word, brought the Lord Jesus out and sat down at the judgment seat, in a place called Liphostroton, and in Hebrew Gavvatha. Then it was the Friday before Easter, and it was six o’clock. And Pilate said to the Jews: Behold, your King! But they shouted: take him, take him, crucify him! Pilate says to them: Shall I crucify your king? The high priests answered: We have no king except Caesar. Pilate, seeing that nothing was helping, but the excitement was increasing, took water and, having washed his hands before the people, said: I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One; see for yourself. All the people answered him and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Then finally Pilate, wanting to do what was pleasing to the people, handed the Lord over to their will, to be crucified. 227. Procession to Golgotha. Matt. 27, 31–32; Mk. 15, 20–21; OK. 23, 26–32; In. 19, 16–17. And the soldiers, having taken the Lord, took off the scarlet robe from Him, and dressed Him in His own clothes, and led Him to be crucified. And, bearing His cross, He went out to a place called Skull, in Hebrew Golgotha. And when the soldiers were leading Him, on the way, leaving the city, they met a certain Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexandrov and Rufus, coming from the field. Having captured him, they placed the cross of the Lord Jesus on him and forced him to carry it behind Him. And a great multitude of people and women followed the Lord, weeping and lamenting for Him. The Lord Jesus, turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem! do not weep for Me, but weep for yourself and your children. For the days are coming in which they will say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not given birth, and the breasts that have not nursed. Then they will begin to say to the mountains: fall on us! and the hills: cover us! For if they do this to a green tree, what will happen to a dry tree? They also led two villains with Him to death. 228. The Passion of the Lord: the crucifixion of the Lord. Matt. 27, 33–39; Mk. 15, 22–27; OK. 23, 32–38; In. 19, 18–24. They finally brought the Lord to Golgotha, to the so-called Place of Execution, and gave Him vinegar mixed with bile to drink; but He, having tasted it, did not want to drink; They gave Him wine and myrrh, but He did not accept that either. After this they crucified the Lord Jesus. It was the third hour before they crucified Him. With Him they crucified two evil thieves, one on His right and the other on His left, and in the midst of the Lord Jesus. And the word of Scripture came true: he was numbered among the evildoers (Is. 53:12). And over Him was the inscription of His guilt. Pilate wrote this inscription and ordered it to be established on the cross. And it was written: This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews; and written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman. This inscription was read by many of the Jews; because the place where the Lord Jesus was crucified was not far from the city. The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate: Do not write: King of the Jews, but that He Himself said: I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered: What I wrote, I wrote. The soldiers who crucified the Lord Jesus, when they crucified Him, took His clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier, and a tunic. Having divided the Lord's clothes into pieces, they cast lots for them, who should take what. The chiton was not sewn, but entirely woven from top to bottom. The soldiers said to each other: we will not tear it apart, but we will cast lots for it, whose it will be, who will get it. Let that which is spoken in Scripture be fulfilled: They divided My garments among themselves, and cast lots for My clothing (Ps 21:19). This is what the soldiers did; and they sat down and guarded Him there. 229. Seven words of the Lord from the Cross: the first is a prayer for the crucifiers. Matt. 27, 39–43; Mk. 15, 29–32; OK. 23, 34–35. The people stood before the cross and watched. Those passing by cursed Him, shaking their heads and saying: Eh! destroying the church and building in three days! Save Yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. The leaders with them also mocked; Likewise, the high priests with the scribes and elders and Pharisees, mocking, said to each other: He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Let him save himself, if he is the Christ, God's chosen one. Christ, King of Israel! If He is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross so that we can see; and we will believe in Him. He trusted in God; let God deliver Him now, if He pleases Him. For He said: I am the Son of God. Likewise, the soldiers mocked Him, coming up and offering Him vinegar and saying: If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself. Seeing and hearing all this, the Lord Jesus said: Father! forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. 230. The second word from the Cross is to the prudent thief. Matt. 27, 44; Mk. 15, 32; OK. 23, 39–43. Also, of the thieves crucified with the Lord, one reviled Him and slandered Him, saying: If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. The other, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: Or are you not afraid of God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing? And we are condemned justly, because we accepted what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad. And he said to the Lord Jesus: remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom! And the Lord Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” 231. The third word is to the Mother of God and John. In. 19, 25–27. At the Cross of the Lord Jesus stood His Mother and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. The Lord Jesus, seeing His Mother and the disciple whom He loved standing here, said to His Mother: Woman! Behold, Your son! Then he says to the disciple: Behold, your Mother! And from that time on, this disciple took Her to himself. 232. Darkness; the fourth word is an appeal to God the Father. Matt. 27, 45–47; Mk. 15, 33–35; OK. 23, 44–45. It was about six o'clock in the afternoon; at the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole earth and lasted from the sixth hour to the ninth; and the sun darkened. At the ninth hour the Lord Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli! Elou, Elou! lamma sabachthani? What does it mean: My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Some of those standing there, hearing this, said: Behold, He is calling Elijah. 233. Fifth word: I thirst!. Matt. 27, 48; Mk. 15, 36; In. 19, 28–29. After this, the Lord Jesus, knowing that everything had already been accomplished so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, says: I thirst. There was a vessel full of vinegar. And immediately one of the soldiers ran up, filled a sponge with vinegar and, putting it on a reed, brought it to His lips and gave Him to drink. And others said: wait; Let's see if Elijah will come to take Him down, save Him. 234. Sixth word: accomplished. In. 19, 30. When the Lord Jesus tasted the vinegar, he said: It is done! 235. Seventh word: Father! in Your hand I commend My Spirit; and death. Matt. 27, 50; Mk. 15, 37; OK. 23, 46; In. 19, 30. Finally the Lord Jesus, shouting with a loud voice, said: Father! I commit My spirit into Your hands. And having said this, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit, commending him to God the Father. 236. Signs after the death of the Lord. Matt. 27, 51–54; Mk. 15, 38–39; OK. 23, 45–48. And behold, the curtain of the church was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook; and the stones dissipated; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion standing opposite Him, seeing that He, having cried out thus, gave up the ghost, and seeing what happened next, glorified God and said: Truly this man was a Righteous One, he was the Son of God. And not only the centurion, but also those who were guarding the Lord Jesus with him, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened, were greatly afraid and also said: Truly this was the Son of God. And all the people who had gathered to see this spectacle, seeing what was happening, returned, beating their chests. 237. Sincere Lords at the Cross. Matt. 27, 55–56; Mk. 15, 40–41; OK. 23, 49. There were also those who knew the Lord, and many wives who followed Him from Galilee, serving Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and Josiah, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, Salome, who even while He was in Galilee followed Him and served Him, and many others. They came with Him to Jerusalem, and now stood in the distance and looked at everything that was happening from afar. 238. Perforation of a rib. In. 19, 31–37. Since it was Friday then, the Jews, in order not to leave the bodies on the cross on Saturday - for that Saturday was a great day - asked Pilate to break their legs and take them off. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to the Lord Jesus, when they saw Him already dead, they did not break His legs, but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. And he who saw it bore witness, and his testimony is true; he knows that he speaks the truth so that you may believe. For this happened, that the Scripture might be fulfilled: Let not His bone be broken (Ex. 12, 10, 46). Also in another place the Scripture says: they will look at Him whom they have pierced (Zech. 12:10). 239. Entombment. Matt. 27, 57–60; Mk. 15, 42–46; OK. 23, 50–54; In. 19, 38–42. Therefore, when evening had already come - since it was Friday, that is, the day before Saturday - a certain rich man, named Joseph from Arimathea, a city of Judea, a good and truthful man, a famous member of the council, who, however, did not participate in the council and their case against the Lord, who himself expected the Kingdom of God and studied with the Lord Jesus, being His disciple, although secretly out of fear from the Jews - he came to Pilate, had the boldness to enter him and asked permission to take down the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised that He had already died, and, calling the centurion, asked him: How long has it been since he died? And, having learned from the centurion, he ordered the body to be given to Joseph. Joseph went and bought a shroud and took off the body of Jesus. Nicodemus, who had previously come to the Lord Jesus at night, also came and brought a composition of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred liters. So, they took the body of the Lord Jesus and wrapped it in a clean shroud and linens with spices, as the Jews usually bury. At the place where the Lord Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, carved by Joseph in a stone rock, in which no one had yet been laid. There they laid the Lord Jesus, for the sake of the Friday of the Jews, because the tomb was near; and, having rolled a stone to the door of the tomb, they left. That day was Friday, and Saturday was coming. 240. Wives are witnesses to the position in the grave. Matt. 27, 61; Mk. 15, 47; OK. 23, 55. Joseph and Nicodemus were followed to the burial place and there were also some wives who had come with the Lord Jesus from Galilee - Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, Joseph (John, Salome and others). They sat opposite the tomb and watched where the Lord was laid, where and how His body was laid. Returning to the city, some of them prepared incense and ointments; and on the Sabbath they remained at rest according to the commandment. 241. Death of Judas. Matt. 27, 3–10. Judas, who betrayed the Lord, seeing that He was condemned, and repenting, returned the thirty pieces of silver to the high priests and elders, saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said to him: What is that to us? See for yourself. And, throwing away the pieces of silver in the church, he went out, went and hanged himself. The high priests, taking the pieces of silver, said: it is not permissible to put them in the church treasury, because this is the price of blood. Having held a meeting, they bought a potter's land with them for the burial of strangers. Therefore, that land is called the “land of blood” to this day. Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who says: And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One who was valued, whom the children of Israel valued, and gave them for the potter’s land, as the Lord told me (Zech. 11, 12, 13). 242. Wives at the tomb on Saturday evening. Matt. 28, 1; Mk. 16, 1. After the rest of the Sabbath, when, according to the church rite, the first day of the week began, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (James) came to see the tomb. Upon returning to the city, where Salome joined them, they bought spices so that in the morning they could go to anoint the Lord Jesus. 243. Attaching guards to the coffin. Matt. 27, 62–66. Meanwhile, on the same day - the next day, which followed Friday (evening), the high priests and Pharisees gathered to Pilate and said: Master! we remembered that the deceiver, while still alive, said: after three days I will rise again. So, order that the tomb be guarded until the third day, so that His disciples, coming at night, do not steal Him and say to the people: He has risen from the dead. And the last deception will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them: You have a guard; go and protect it as best you can. They went and placed a guard at the tomb and put a seal on the stone. (This was when the wives had already left Golgotha.) 244. The Resurrection of the Lord, certified by the appearances of His risen 1 Pet. 3, 18–19; Acts 2:24–31, 10:40–41, 13:31. Christ the Lord, in order to lead us to God, once suffered for our sins, the Righteous for the unrighteous, being put to death in the flesh, but alive, abiding in the Spirit, by which He descended and preached to the spirits in the prison of hell. But God raised Him up, breaking the bonds of death; because it was impossible for her to hold Him, just as David, foreseeing, said about the resurrection of Christ the Lord, that His soul was not left in hell, and His flesh did not see corruption (Ps. 15:10). God resurrected Him on the third day and gave Him to appear not to all the people, but to the witnesses chosen by God, to those who ate and drank with Him after His resurrection from the dead. To these chosen ones the Lord Jesus revealed Himself alive, through His suffering and after His death, with many true proofs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God. (The Resurrection of the Lord took place invisible and unknown to anyone.) 245. General enumeration of the appearances of the Lord by Saint Mark and Saint Paul. Mk. 16, 9–14; 1 Cor. 15, 3–7. Having risen early on the first day of the week, the Lord Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom he cast out seven demons. She went and told those who were with Him, weeping and weeping. But when they heard that He was alive and that she had seen Him, they did not believe it. After this, He appeared in another form to two of them on the road, when they were going to the village. And they returned and told others, but they (others) did not believe them either. Finally, He appeared to the eleven reclining at supper and reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw Him risen. “I taught you,” writes Saint Paul, “what I myself accepted, that Christ the Lord died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, and some have died. Then he appeared to Jacob, and also to all the Apostles again. 246. Holy women at the tomb: Mary Magdalene; the first appearance of the Lord. Matt. 28, 2–4; In. 20 1–18. On the night of Saturday, the first day of the week, there was a great earthquake, for the Angel of the Lord, who descended from heaven, came, rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. Frightened by him, the guards began to tremble and became as if they were dead - and, coming to their senses, they hastily retreated into the city. On the very first day of the week, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb early, when it was still dark, and sees that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb. The Angel present here did not show her his face. So she runs and comes to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom the Lord Jesus loved, and says to them: They have taken the Lord away from the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him. Peter and the other disciple immediately left and went to the tomb. They both ran together; but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and came to the tomb first. Bending down, he saw the linens lying, but did not enter the tomb. Simon Peter comes after him and enters the tomb and sees only the linen cloths lying and the cloth that was on His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but especially rolled up in another place. Then the other disciple, who had come to the tomb first, also entered, and saw and believed. For they did not yet know from the Scriptures that He had to rise from the dead. So, the disciples returned to themselves again. And Mary stood at the tomb and cried. And when she cried, she leaned into the coffin. And he sees two Angels, in white robes, sitting, one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of the Lord Jesus lay. They tell her: wife! Why are you crying? She said to them: They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him. Having said this, she turned back and saw the Lord Jesus standing, but did not recognize that it was the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus says to her: woman! Why are you crying? who are you looking for? She, thinking that it is the gardener, says to him: Master! if you have brought Him out, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him. The Lord Jesus says to her: Mary! She, turning to Him, says: Rabbi, which means: Teacher! The Lord Jesus says to her: Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brothers and tell them: I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God. Mary Magdalene goes and tells her disciples that she saw the Lord and that He told her this. 247. Holy women at the tomb: Joanna and others. Apparitions of Angels. OK. 24, 1–9. While Mary Magdalene went to the Apostles, other wives also came to the tomb very early, carrying prepared aromas. It was Joanna along with some others. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, and when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. But when they were perplexed about this, two men suddenly appeared before them in shining clothes; and when they were in fear and had cast their eyes to the ground, they said to them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” He is not here: He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. And they remembered His words and, returning from the tomb, announced all this to the eleven Apostles and to everyone else. 248. Holy women at the tomb: Mary of Jacob and Salome. Second appearance of the Lord. Matt. 28, 5–10; Mk. 16, 2–8. On the same first day of the week, at sunrise, Mary of Jacob and Salome, and perhaps some others with them, go to the tomb, and say to each other: who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? And, looking, they see that the stone has been rolled away; and he was very big. Approaching the place of the Holy Sepulcher, they saw an Angel sitting on a rolled stone, and they were afraid. The angel, speaking to the women, said: Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for the Lord Jesus crucified. He is not here: He has risen, as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee: there you will see Him. Here, I told you. Entering the tomb, the wives saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in white clothes, and were horrified. He (the Angel) said to them: do not be dismayed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, crucified: He is risen; He's not here. This is the place where He was laid. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going ahead of you to Galilee: there you will see Him. And, hastily emerging from the tomb, the women ran with fear and great joy to tell His disciples. They no longer saw the angel on the stone due to confusion. They were seized with trepidation and horror, and they (on the way) did not say anything to anyone, because they were afraid. When they went to tell the disciples of the Lord, behold, the Lord Jesus Himself met them and said: Rejoice! And they came, grabbed His feet and worshiped Him. Then the Lord Jesus says to them: Do not be afraid; go, tell my brothers to go to Galilee; and there they will see Me. 249. Disbelief of the Apostles in the words of the wives; appearance of the Lord to Peter. Third. OK. 24, 9–12; Mk. 16, 10–11; OK. 24, 34; 1 Cor. 15, 5. The women, returning from the tomb, announced all this, seen and heard, to the eleven Apostles and to all the others. It was Magdalene Mary, and Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James, Salome and others with them, who spoke about this to the Apostles. Joanna announced with others. And their words seemed empty to the Apostles, and they did not believe them. Mary Magdalene announced to those who were with the Lord, weeping and sobbing, what she saw and heard. But when they heard that He was alive and that she had seen Him, they did not believe. They did not believe the words of Mary of Jacob and Salome. But Peter, getting up, ran to the tomb and, bending down, saw the same thing as before, only the linens lying; and went back, marveling at what had happened. After this the Lord appeared to Cephas and Simon Peter. 250. An attempt by the Jews to obscure the truth of the resurrection. Matt. 28, 11–15. When the women went with the good news of the resurrection of the Lord to the Apostles, some of the guards, entering the city, announced to the high priests about everything that had happened. And these, having gathered with the elders and held a meeting, gave enough money to the soldiers and said: say that His disciples, coming at night, stole Him while we were sleeping. And if rumors about this reach the ruler, we will convince him and save you from trouble. They, having taken the money, acted as they were taught; and this word spread among the Jews to this day. 251. The appearance of the Lord to the disciples in Emmaus. Fourth. OK. 24, 13–35. On the same first day of the week, two of the disciples went to a village sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, called Emmaus, and talked with each other about all these events. And while they were talking and reasoning among themselves, the Lord Jesus Himself approached and went with them. But their eyes were kept, so that they did not recognize Him. He said to them: What are you talking about as you walk, and why are you sad? One of them, named Cleopas, answered Him: Are you really one of those who came to Jerusalem and do not know about what has happened in it these days? He said to them: about what? They said to Him: What happened to Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we hoped that He was the One who would deliver Israel; but with all that, it is now the third day since this happened. But some of our women also amazed us: they were early at the tomb and did not find His body, and when they came, they said that they had also seen the appearance of Angels, who said that He was alive. And some of our men went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Him. Then the Lord said to them: O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have foretold! Is this not how Christ had to suffer and enter into His glory? And beginning with Moses, he explained to them from all the prophets what was said about Him in all the Scriptures. So they approached the village to which they were going; and He showed the appearance that he wanted to go further. But they restrained Him, saying: stay with us, because the day has already fallen towards evening. And He went in and stayed with them. And as He reclined with them, He took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. But He became invisible to them. And they said to each other: Didn’t our heart burn within us when He spoke to us on the road and when He explained the Scripture to us? And they rose at that same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found together the eleven Apostles and those who were with them, who said that the Lord had truly risen and appeared to Simon. And they told about what had happened on the way, and how the Lord was recognized by them in the breaking of bread. 252. The appearance of the Lord to all the Apostles, except Thomas, is the fifth, in the evening of the same day. OK. 24, 36–40; In. 20, 19–23. On the same first day of the week in the evening, while the Emmaus disciples were still talking about what had happened to them, and the doors of the house where the Lord’s disciples had gathered were locked, out of fear from the Jews, the Lord Jesus Himself came and stood in the middle and said to them: Peace be with you! They were confused and frightened, thinking that they saw a spirit. But He said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do such thoughts enter your hearts? Look at My hands and at My feet; this is Me Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see Me. Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet and His ribs. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. When they, out of joy, still did not fully believe and were amazed, He said to them: Do you have any food here? They gave Him some of the baked fish and honeycomb. He took it and ate before them. And he said to them: This is what I spoke to you about while I was still with you, that everything that was written about Me in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms must be fulfilled. Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them: Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this. And the Lord Jesus said to them a second time: Peace be with you. As the Father sent Me, so I send you. Having said this, He breathed and said to them: receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; On whomever you leave it, it will stay on it. 253. Sixth Appearance of the Lord: again to everyone and with Thomas. In. 20, 24–31. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not here with them when the Lord Jesus came. The other disciples said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the marks of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” After eight days, the Lord’s disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The Lord Jesus came, with the doors locked, stood in the midst of them and said to them: Peace be with you! Then he says to Thomas: put your finger here and see my hands; give me your hand and place it in my side; and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer. Thomas answered Him: My Lord and my God! The Lord Jesus says to him: You believed because you saw Me; Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. 254. Seventh Appearance of the Lord: on the Sea of ​​Tiberias. In. 21, 1–6. After this, the Lord Jesus again appeared to His disciples at the Sea of ​​Tiberias. He appeared like this: Simon Peter, and Thomas, who is called the Twin, and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two of His other disciples were together. Simon Peter says to them: I am going to fish. They say to him: you and I are going too. They went and immediately got into the boat, and did not catch anything that night. And when morning had already come, the Lord Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples did not know that it was the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus says to them: children! do you have any food? They answered him: no. He said to them: cast your nets on the right side of the boat, and you will catch it. 255. Wonderful fishing. In. 21, 6–14. They cast, and could no longer pull out the nets from the multitude of fish. Then the disciple whom the Lord Jesus loved said to Peter, “This is the Lord.” Simon Peter, hearing that it was the Lord, girded himself with clothing - for he was naked - and threw himself into the sea. And the other disciples arrived on a boat - for they were not far from the land, about two hundred cubits - dragging a net with fish. When they came to the ground, they saw a fire laid out and fish and bread lying on it. The Lord Jesus says to them: Bring the fish that you have now caught. Simon Peter went and brought down to the ground a net filled with large fish, of which there were one hundred and fifty-three; and with such a multitude the network did not break through. The Lord Jesus says to them: Come, have dinner. None of the disciples dared to ask Him: Who are you? knowing that it is the Lord. The Lord Jesus comes, takes the bread and gives them fish as well. This was the third time the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples (several at once) after His resurrection from the dead. 256. Seventh phenomenon: conversation while fishing. In. 21, 15–24. When they were dining, the Lord Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon the Jonah! Do you love Me more than they? Peter says to Him: Yes, Lord! You know that I love You. The Lord Jesus says to him: Feed My lambs. Another time he says to him: Simon the Jonah! do you love me? Peter says to Him: Yes, Lord! You know that I love You. The Lord says to him: Feed My sheep. He said to him for the third time: Simon the Jonah! do you love me? Peter was saddened that the Lord asked him for the third time: Do you love Me? and said to Him: Lord! You know everything; You know that I love You. The Lord Jesus says to him: Feed My sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and went where you wanted; and when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and lead you where you do not want to go. The Lord said this to him, letting him know by what death he would glorify God. And having said this, he said to him: follow me. Peter, turning, sees the disciple following him, whom Jesus loved and who at the supper, bowing to His chest, said: Lord! who will betray you? When Peter saw him, he said to the Lord Jesus: Lord! what about him? The Lord Jesus says to him: If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me. And this word spread among the brethren that that disciple would not die. But the Lord Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but: if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? This disciple testifies to this and wrote this; and we know that his testimony is true. 257. Eighth appearance: on the mountain to more than 500 brothers. OK. 24, 9–12; Mk. 16, 10–11; OK. 24, 34; In. 21, 15–24. Then the Lord appeared to more than five hundred brethren, most of whom are still alive to this day (when St. Paul wrote this to the Corinthians), and some have died. Among them were eleven students. It was in Galilee on the mountain where the Lord commanded them to go and where they went from Jerusalem. Seeing the Lord appear, they worshiped Him, a. Others (of course, from among the 500) doubted. Approaching them, the Lord Jesus said to them: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Whoever believes and is baptized (by baptism) will be saved; and whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will take snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. 258. Ninth Appearance: To the Apostle James 1 Cor. 15, 7. The Lord also appeared to Jacob. 259. Tenth phenomenon. Acts 1, 1–14; Matt. 28, 19–20; Mk. 16:19–20; OK. 24, 49–53. So for forty days, from the day of the resurrection to the day on which he ascended, the Lord appeared to the Apostles whom He had chosen, showing them Himself alive after His suffering, with many true proofs, speaking to them about the Kingdom of God and giving them commands regarding it by the Holy Spirit. On that same day, having gathered them together, He commanded them: do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me. And behold, I will send you the promise of My Father upon you; But remain in the city of Jerusalem until you are endowed with power from on high. For John baptized with water; and you, a few days after this, will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The apostles asked the Lord, saying: Are you at this time, O Lord, restoring the kingdom of Israel? The Lord said to them: It is not your business to know the times and seasons that the Father has set in His power. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth. Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you to the end of the age. After such a conversation with His disciples, the Lord led them out of the city to Bethany and, raising His hands, blessed them; and when he blessed them, he began to move away from them and ascend to heaven. He rose up before their eyes, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. When they looked at heaven during His ascension, two men in white clothes suddenly appeared to them and said: Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Lord Jesus, who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you see Him ascending into heaven. Then they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And when they arrived, they entered the upper room, where they stayed, Peter and James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the brother of James. They all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with some of the women, and Mary, the Mother of the Lord Jesus, and with His brothers. And they always stayed in the church, glorifying and blessing God. So the Lord ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And the Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, went and preached everywhere, with the Lord’s assistance and strengthening the word with subsequent signs. 260. Final afterword. In. 20:30–31, 21:25. The Lord Jesus did many other miracles before His disciples, which are not written about in this book. For if everything that He created were written in detail, then, I think, the world itself would not be able to contain the books written. These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Lord Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. You might be interested in: