Resolution of perplexities when reading the parable of the unrighteous steward and promises to those who leave everything for the sake of the Kingdom of Christ

Contents Introduction 1) In what sense is an unrighteous overseer commendable? a) Trivia story b) Interpretation c) Appendix 2) How the promise of the Lord is fulfilled to those who leave all the Kingdom of Heaven for the sake of Some lovers of Scripture, when reading the parable of the unrighteous steward (Luke 16:1-13) and about leaving everything for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, with the perception of a hundredfold of everything abandoned in this age (Mark 10:29-30), bewilderment arose in their hearts, which seemed very difficult. Namely: 1) how (in the first) is the unrighteous leader praised and set as a model for those seeking eternal salvation, as if through unrighteous acquisition one could open one’s way to the Kingdom? and 2) how (in the second) is the hundredfold perception of everything left here actually justified? After reporting several comments, in order to clarify the meaning of the indicated passages and ward off confusion, it seemed unnecessary to compose a more detailed explanation of them and offer it to the attention of the readers on the assumption that confusion is not impossible among other people and in other places. 1) In what sense is the unrighteous overseer commendable? The path to understanding the meaning of the parable of the unrighteous steward is opened by the circumstances in which it was spoken. The Savior was surrounded, in addition to the holy Apostles, by publicans and sinners who had gathered to Him precisely to listen to Him (Luke 15:1). Knowing their weaknesses and desires, the Lord would surely have immediately addressed His word to them. But how the Pharisees and the scribes standing right there reproached Him for communicating with notorious sinners, saying: “Why does He accept sinners?” (Luke 15:2), then the Savior first directed his speech to these Pharisees. In several parables He explained to them that for Him, as God and Savior, sinners who are capable of repenting and repenting are as dear as the road for a householder is a lost sheep, one out of a hundred (Luke 15:4-7), as the road for a wife is a lost drachma, one out of ten (Luke 15:8-10), as dear to a father is the prodigal son returning to him after a long wandering in a distant country, although he has squandered all his wealth (Luke 15:11-32). Having enlightened the Pharisees, the Lord turned to publicans and sinners, who thirsted for His word for themselves, although the spoken parables were comforting for them, and not only comforting, but also instructive. It was not difficult for them to understand that it was the Lord who was looking for them, and after that to come to the question: what should we do and what should we do in order to be appropriated to the Lord? The Pharisees suffered more from pride, but they were not alien to greed, although they could always easily sacrifice it to vanity. Covering their passions with a guise of piety, they hardened them and closed the door of their hearts for repentance. The publicans suffered from covetousness (greed) and acted on its motives openly, so that they were haunted by a general unfavorable judgment about them. This could not but weigh heavily on them, and for many of them, it is true, their conscience spoke strongly about the wrongness of their actions and behavior. Those gathered around the Savior, one might assume, were among those affected and hoped to hear from His lips instructions on how to get out of their moral labyrinth into the light of God. Afterwards, the example of Zacchaeus showed how great the power of the spirit of the repentant is and how powerfully it tears apart everything that constrains him (Luke 19:1-10). You see how a repentant heart throws off one by one the alien covers that have been placed on it. But not everyone has such moral strength. The light-hearted and light-hearted are looking for another outcome, a quieter one. And here is the word of the Savior to them! With the parable of the unrighteous overseer, He seemed to say to them: you are confused and are looking for an outcome. Here it is! Do like this bailiff. He, too, was confused, but managed to get out of it and provide for himself for the future; he managed to arrange temporary rest for himself, but you will manage to earn from God eternal rest for yourself in His Kingdom. It should not, however, be assumed that the lesson of the parable was limited to the tax collectors alone. It concerned everyone who listened: the holy Apostles, among whom was Judas; and the Pharisees, who also knew how to attract alien property to themselves; and everyone, not only lovers, but also those who had anything in general, who possessed any earthly blessings. The Lord taught the soul-saving use of wealth, all possessions and all the gifts of life. This is especially evident from the application that the Lord made from His tributary lesson (Luke 16:10-13). It is from this point that one must look at this parable and at the entire speech of the Savior (Luke 16:1-13). It has three parts: first a) a tributary story is offered (verses 1–8); then b) the meaning of the parable is indicated, or a moral lesson is drawn from it (verses 8–9); finally c) this lesson is applied to all who listened (verses 10-13). The inflow history is clear in itself. What is required is not an explanation, but more of an indication, some unspoken particulars, so that it becomes clear that just as the exact boundaries of all circumstances are not defined in the tributary story, there is no way to carry out an allegorical interpretation of this entire story. Verse 1. “He spoke to his disciples: a certain man was rich, even in the name of a steward: and he was slandered by him, because he was wasting his property” (Luke 16:1). When the holy evangelist says that the Savior, having spoken to the Pharisees and scribes, addressed the disciples, he means by these not only the twelve Apostles, but all who gathered to listen to Him with a readiness to follow His lessons. There have always been many of these. The Gospel of John says that many of the Lord’s disciples left Him and no longer followed Him (John 6:66). Therefore, all those who followed Him and listened to Him were considered His disciples. Saint Luke sees in those who listened to the Savior a whole “nation of disciples” (Luke 6:17). They were there at that time too. It is precisely said about the tax collectors that they approached the Savior in order to listen to Him (Luke 15:1). The rich man is not designated by any characteristics, as is done in the next parable (verse 19 ff), because he is not the main person of the parable, but the overseer. He was so rich that he had to have an assistant. It is not mentioned whether there were other bailiffs. The point is not in the measure of the master’s wealth, but in the everyday practicality of the “sons of the age” (Luke 16:8), which can be fully expressed in one example, in the disposal of insignificant property. The bailiffs were mostly trusted among their slaves, a custom that still persists in the East. But sometimes free persons were invited to this place and served under conditions. The steward of the parable, as can be seen, belonged to the ranks of the free, because from the master for whom he served, he is not afraid of beatings, prison or any other punishment for poor management of the estate, but only dismissal from his place and, because of this, poverty and need. The bailiff is “slandered” for squandering the estate. The word “slandered” seems to indicate a false denunciation - slander, but this word also means a fair denunciation. In the present case, the denunciation, apparently, was right, but it was called slander, perhaps because it was not made openly, but in the ear. The entire flow of the speech shows that the bailiff was guilty and did not say anything against the master’s accusation, probably because there was nothing to say. Wasting property in relation to the manager means most closely: he manages poorly, he has dissolved the property, he doesn’t look after anything, everything is not going well. It is not clear that he was previously self-interested in the master's goods, otherwise, after being removed from management, he should not have expected extreme poverty, unless one assumes that, in self-interest, he squandered everything. Direct thought - the bailiff turned out to be such that his management was of no benefit to either the master or himself. Verse 2. “And having invited him, he said to him: What am I hearing about you? give an answer about the appointment of a housekeeper: for you are not able to build anyone’s house” (Luke 16:2). The gentleman just heard - and believes, and on the basis of the hearing he makes a decision to dismiss the bailiff who did not live up to the trust. It’s true, the guilt was so obvious that there was no point in verifying its truth and making inquiries. The master directly decides: you can no longer manage the house and household - “give me an answer.” Don’t “give” an explanation or excuse against what I hear, but prepare everything for surrender, settle your accounts and hand over your property, and then leave my house and go wherever you want. Verse 3. “The steward of the house said to himself: What will I do, since my Lord takes away the building of the house from me? I can’t dig, I’m ashamed to ask” (Luke 16:3). The master's word was so decisive that it left the bailiff no hope of remaining in his former place. Meanwhile, he does not see himself crowded or surrounded by supervision - he has complete freedom to prepare reports. He took advantage of this freedom to provide for himself for the future. The extremity of his situation was revealed - he had one of two options: either die of hunger, or lead a sorrowful and humiliating life, become a day laborer or beg for alms. “Digging,” that is, working with a spade in gardens, orchards and fields, is the most extensive way of obtaining food for the working class in the East. “I can’t dig,” he says, “either because I’m old, or because I’m unfamiliar; “I’m ashamed to ask” - it’s true that he was famous in his place. Verse 4. “I knew what I would do...” (Luke 16:4). He guessed how to get out, a happy thought came, the execution of which, not difficult and completely in his hands, promised him shelter, maintenance, and protection. What exactly was invented is not stated in advance, but the plan was good, and the bailiff could confidently promise himself: “If I am removed from the building of the house, they will receive me into their homes” (Luke 16:4). Verses 5–7. What is invented can be seen from the deed, but as it is conceived, so it is done immediately. The plan is carried out with haste: perhaps there was no time, or perhaps it was meant by the unexpectedness of the lengthy offer to amaze the debtors and, all the more, to win them over in one’s favor. The questions are also aimed at the same goal: how much do you owe, and how much do you owe? (Luke 16:5,7). He knew how much everyone owed, but he wanted to show the favor more sharply, saying, as it were: this is the concession I am making to you, and this is what you are making. The consent of the debtors to this was assumed, there is no question of it, because the action proceeded in their spirit. It was clear, of course, that for them there was a reason why this was being done, just as for the bailiff there was no doubt that he would not be forgotten. Why is there no mention of any secret transaction regarding this? The essence of the plan was that the bailiff, when settling accounts, decided to do his master’s debtors a significant favor by discounting their accounts, one fifty, and the other twenty parts of a hundred, so that out of gratitude they would then accept him “into their homes.” What does this and that measure mean, why was fifty given to one and twenty to another, whether there were only two debtors or more, the definition of these particulars means nothing for the parable. It was meant only to indicate that the bailiff had achieved the intended goal - he managed to provide for himself for the future. Verse 8. “And the Lord praise the house of the unjust builder, for he has created wisely” (Luke 16:8). The bailiff did not make multiple speeches not only with outsiders, but also with the debtors themselves: everything was done silently, mentally, like mathematical calculations. The result, the investigation, the case itself showed how well everything was thought out. It must be assumed that the bailiff has already left the master’s house and is received in the houses of his debtors. The gentleman either guessed or tried to find out why and how it was done, and praised the bailiff not for the lie, but for how skillfully he managed to provide for himself for the future, being in such an extreme situation, and carried out his work in such a way that it was impossible to pester him. This is the main point of the parable! Everything else was said only to create an unbroken story. In telling it, the Savior, apparently, touches only the surface, hastening to quickly achieve this main thing: “And praise... for having done wisely.” The interpretation should focus on this point with all its attention. “Praise the Lord” does not refer to the Lord the Savior, but to the master, the rich man. If we assume that the Savior praised the unrighteous overseer, then we must admit that these words were introduced by the holy evangelist. But this will upset the entire legend, the tributary story will remain endlessly; the words “as the sons of this age are wiser... are” (Luke 16:8) and so on will refer to the holy evangelist, and in order to attribute them to the Savior, one must add before them: “saying,” for which there is no basis. It is also obvious that the speech, from verse 1 to 13, proceeds continuously, in a natural connection, and must be recognized as coming from the mouth of the Savior in its entirety. Consequently, He said: “praise the Lord” and, therefore, did not speak about Himself, but about the same one whom He called Lord in the 3rd verse (Luke 16:3) and master in the 5th (Luke 16:5). This remark is necessary for those who, attributing the words “praise the Lord” to the Savior, bring upon themselves a confusing bewilderment: how did the Savior praise the unrighteous? It is not the Lord who praises, but the master. Here the tributary story ends - interpretation follows. The interpretation itself is expressed in the 9th verse: “And I say unto you” (Luke 16:9), which means the same thing as “this parable teaches this.” But the Savior does not begin this interpretation suddenly, but at the transition to it puts the thought of the comparative value of the wisdom of the “sons of this age” and the “sons of light” regarding the approval expressed to the overseer: “as you have done wisely” ( Luke 16:8). Verse 8. “For the sons of this age are wiser than the sons of light in their generation” (Luke 16:8). Who are these “sons of this age” and who are the “sons of light”, and in what respect are the former wiser than the latter? “The sons of this age” are those for whom there seems to be no future age, who are occupied only with the here, earthly, and temporary, as if they were supposed to live here forever and ever. They do not think about heavenly paradise, but dream of creating it on earth and from earthly things. The Lord said about them: “the sons of this age will marry” (Luke 20:34). It is implied: and only one thing is bothered about, which is associated with marriage. Из них, по другой притче, кто жену поемлет, кто село (поле) покупает, кто волов купленных пробует ( Лк. 14, 18–20 ), кто торговлею занят ( Мф. 22, 5 ). All their treasure on earth is here and their heart (Matthew 6:21). They do not seek “the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). These are lovers of peace, conforming to this whole age (Rom. 12:2) and “walking through the age of this world” (Eph. 2:2). They are not always evil and directly hostile to the Divine order. Отличительная черта их та, что «печаль века сего и лесть богатства» заглушили в них все высшие потребности ( Мф. 13, 22 ), и они живут как бы без Бога и духа ( Еф. 2, 12 ). Сделавшись такими, они стали омраченными и умом, и сердцем, и совестию ( Рим. 1, 21 ; 2Кор. 4, 4 ; Тит. 1, 15 ). Why are they opposed to the “sons of light”. “Sons of light” are those who “believe in the light” (John 12:36). This light is our Lord Jesus Christ, who enlightens “every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9). Whoever believes in the Lord passes from the darkness of this age into the light (Eph. 6:12; Acts 26:18), at the same time he himself is completely changed and, having been before darkness becomes “light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8). Therefore, all those who believe, who stand in the faith and act according to its requirements, are “sons of light and sons of day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). There are many characteristic features of the “sons of light” indicated in the word of God. In this place, in contrast to their “sons of this age,” it is especially brought to attention how they, having renounced earthly and temporary interests, should seek primarily “the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) and be jealous only about how “to improve the age” (Luke 20:35). Their treasure must be there, and with the treasure their heart (Matthew 6:21). This feature is so significant among others that St. Peter calls all Christians born again, in the image of the One who created them, born “to a living hope..., to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for their sake” (1 Pet. 1:3-4), so that the spirit of grace itself is nothing other than the betrothal of this inheritance (2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5, Eph. 1, 14). In what respect are the “sons of this age” wiser than the “sons of light”? На это дают не один ответ. Most directly in the sense that they know how to wisely organize their affairs and direct everything so that the intended goals are achieved, but these do not know how to act in relation to their main business: they do not show as much jealousy, constancy and effort to achieve their eternal goals as they do - resourcefulness and resourcefulness in achieving their temporary and earthly goals. Everyone knows that this happens. But this happens not because of the meaning of the “sons of light,” but because of their weaknesses and deviations from their meaning. In fact, “in their own way,” in the circle of their goals and aspirations, the “sons of light” are incomparably wiser than all the worldly sages. One has only to remember how they leave the dark region of the world, how they extricate themselves from the snares of sin, how they manage to overcome passions and outwit the machinations of the enemy, how they discover for themselves the most secret path to the invisible and incomprehensible God and enter into living communication with Him, in order to make sure that the “sons of light”, “in their generation,” show such a high wisdom that in comparison with it the most refined resourcefulness is nothing. peace lovers. But such are the “sons of light” only when, standing in their rank, they act at his request with all zeal, conscientiousness and self-sacrifice. When, having given the word to be “sons of light”, aware of the conditions under which this is possible, and believing in the promises connected with this, they are not zealous to show themselves as true “sons of light” and, thus, in view of the bright promises, they do not stretch out their hands and do not take a step towards receiving them; then, for sure, they are more unreasonable even than the not entirely skillful lovers of peace. It is always proper to address such people with intelligible speech: look how peace-loving people manage to direct everything towards achieving their worldly goals, make plans, come up with means and carry them out with patience and perseverance and do not stop working until they get what they want, which, however, is always insignificant, transitory, momentary; and you, having unspeakable promises, and undoubted evidence of them, and the means to obtain them at hand, indulge in carelessness and negligence, no effort is visible in you to act according to “your kind,” as your name, your title and promise require. It is precisely this intelligible suggestion that is contained in the words of the Lord, as Blessed Theophylact and Euthymius Zigaben point out. For those who listened to the Lord, it was clear and intelligible. The expressions “sons of this age” and “sons of the kingdom” were then generally known. The latter meant those who belonged to the Kingdom of the Messiah, and the former those who were alien to it. Although the Savior called them “sons of light,” but by contrasting them with “sons of the age,” it was clear that by this He meant the sons of the Kingdom, members of the promised Kingdom of the Messiah. Since those who listened for the most part understood that the Lord is the promised Messiah, they themselves recognized themselves as destined to participate in the Kingdom of the Messiah, then everyone should have fallen into the idea that this intelligible word - “the sons of light are less wise than the sons of the age” (Luke 16:8) - directly concerns them, and everyone who was sincere should have been irritated by the conviction of conscience, that if they were clearly carried away by interests earthly and, having become entangled in them, cannot turn around so that, having believed in the word of the Lord and clinging to it, they begin to act as they should act as destined sons of the Kingdom, then they are more unreasonable than those whom they consider lower and worse than themselves. This reproachful reminder, very sensitive, could not remain without action. It strongly aroused the impulse to take up one’s rank and maintain one’s meaning by following the Lord. That was the Savior’s goal in bringing this saying, so that it would plant such an accusatory thought in the hearts of those who heard Him, just as on another occasion He directly said: “the sons of ... kingdoms will be cast out” (Matthew 8:12). The Pharisees understood this and, as they did not like it, spoke murmuring speeches (Luke 16:14). But, of course, not everyone was of the same mood as the Pharisees. Of the other persons who were present, the Apostles had already left everything. In relation to them, the saying of the Lord could, perhaps, only mean: as you began, so maintain yourself to the end, and see that none of you turns out to be less than the “sons of the age” wise “in his generation.” What a strong admonition this gave to Judas, who was about to fall from his rank and fall from its promise! As for the publicans who were looking for admonition, the outcome from their bad moral state was predicted here. They were already aware that their course of action could not be in accordance with the promises of Israel; at the word of the Lord, they could not help but guess that they had to do something similar to what was done by the bailiff. It was as if the Lord was saying to them: Do you see how clever the bailiff has become? You need to follow his example, and I’ll tell you exactly how now: “Make for yourselves friends from mammon of unrighteousness” and so on (Luke 16:9). Not far from the truth, perhaps, is the opinion of those who consider the “sons of the age” to be the wisest “sons of light” in the sense that they know how to conduct earthly, everyday, worldly affairs, but these do not. Saint Basil the Great, in his interpretation of the Psalter (Ps. 48:11–12), citing these words of the Lord (Luke 16:8), says: “They are not just “wise,” but only in the sense of how to conduct this carnal life... In the same sense, serpents are wise” (Basily the Great. Conversations on Psalms 48:11–12). When the “sons of light” happen to meet the “sons of the century” in the same field, they always end up losing. Due to their simplicity, they cannot understand all the tricks that are used first, and are always bypassed by them to the detriment of their business. Directed towards a higher, detached life and as if their feet were only touching the ground, they completely forget about the techniques necessary for arranging earthly life, they lose all earthly wisdom; while the “sons of the century” are constantly busy arranging everything necessary, according to their spirit, for the convenience of life, developing in this direction extraordinary skill, resourcefulness and foresight, against which the simplicity and gullibility of the “sons of light” cannot resist! There are other opinions that are not so close to the point. Others think to reach the thought hidden in the saying of the Lord, based on that characteristic feature of the “sons of the age”, according to which each of them, pursuing his own interests in everything, always colliding with the interests of others, certainly consists in a constant struggle with all people of the same kind as him and must use all the tricks in order to outwit others and not suffer damage, but benefit from everything. This is inevitable because, as the “sons of the age” start from selfhood, they cannot be at peace until they protect themselves from everywhere with their own methods of self-preservation, the strength of which they necessarily want to be assured. But as everything in their circle flows and changes, they are constantly busy inventing new ways to provide for themselves and defend themselves in the face of their peers, who live in the same spirit with them. They have a constant struggle: every now and then they lay down mines and set up countermines. This kind of wisdom is cunning and outwitting. It is certainly in constant use and in various applications among the “sons of the century.” “Sons of light,” on the contrary, as having placed all their trust in God, are alien to such tricks, but live with each other, in their circle, among themselves, in simplicity, frankness and mutual trust, never suspecting any intention against them in anyone. Applying these concepts to the saying of the Savior, they find in it the following thought: “the sons of this age” are wise “in their generation” (Luke 16:8), that is, they are wise and cunning among themselves, but the “sons of light” are not wise “in their generation,” that is, they are not wise and are not cunning among themselves. The comparative degree is recognized as standing instead of the positive. The connection with the previous one will be as follows: the master of the bailiff praised what he “created wisely,” and what he did “wisely,” that is, cunningly, is because the “sons of this age” always act in this spirit of cunning and outwitting, which is completely alien to the “sons of light.” This is not a reproach for the latter; on the contrary, if they too began to deceive each other like this, they would fall from their rank and cease to be “sons of light.” The Holy Apostle James calls the simplicity of the “sons of light” true wisdom, but although he calls the cunning of the “sons of the age” wisdom, he assigns it a very low and dark origin. According to him, the wisdom of the “sons of the age,” irritated by zeal and envy, is the wisdom of “earthly, spiritual, demonic” (James 3:15); wisdom, which is “peaceful, meek, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, foolish and unfeigned,” is “wisdom coming from above,” Divine (James 3:17). Others think so: “the sons of this age,” acting in their circle, always count on the right thing, so that there will be direct benefit from their turnover; they cannot allow unproductive expenses: according to their calculations, coins taken out of storage must certainly return there, either more or less. On the contrary, the “sons of light” do not know such calculations in the use of their property and, judging by the world, spend it completely unproductively: they give alms, help the bankrupt, set up hospitals, almshouses; They only spend money and empty their treasuries, but get nothing back. According to the principles of the “sons of the century”, this is not prudent, not wise. They cannot possibly allow such an imprudent course of action: they are too wise to fall into such a mistake. “The sons of light,” in their words, “are boiy” (1 Cor. 3:18), although, in essence, they are deliberately so “buy” in order to become wise in the eyes of God. Others say this: based on the praise given by the master to the bailiff for his cunning, they believe that the Lord with His saying indicated only the mutual praise of each other in successful resourcefulness, which is common among the “sons of this age.” The idea is that people devoted to the spirit of the world, from those who belong to the same class with them, in feelings, morals and deeds are considered wiser than those who, enlightened by faith, act steadily in its spirit and are devoted to concerns about matters pleasing God, and not about earthly well-being. They consider these people to be stupid, outdated, backward, although in fact, according to the judgment of God, they only seem wise, but are not the essence. The essence is “an evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:39), which, “professing to be wise, has become a fool” (Rom. 1:22). The first thought is preferred: it is more direct, fits more closely with the subsequent lesson from the parable and itself gives a very intelligible and impressionable lesson. But you don’t have to reject other thoughts either, putting them in the background, as secondary. The sayings of Christ the Savior cannot be rounded off according to our judgments. Since different souls listened to His word, each of which had its own needs and weaknesses, Divine wisdom knew how to invent sayings that gave each soul exactly what it needed. Therefore, it is unlawful to discuss the words of the Lord according to the laws of judgment about human speech. Verse 9. “And I say to you: make for yourselves wickedness from mammon, so that when you become poor, you will be received into eternal shelter” (Luke 16:9). The Savior says, as it were: this is why I introduced this parable! This is the lesson I wanted to instill in you: “make yourselves friends from mammon” and so on. This saying defines the meaning of the parable and indicates the features that must be taken from the parable story for its allegorical use. And there is no reason to go beyond this outline when interpreting, made by the Savior Himself. Those who want to give every feature of this parable a spiritual meaning act contrary to the Lord’s intention. By doing this, they burden the parable with unnecessary additions, multiply confusion and, cluttering the lesson brought out by the Savior with many thoughts, take away from it the power of impression, admonition and suggestion inherent in its simplicity. The features that are subject to allegorical interpretation are: unrighteous mammon (wealth) and through it the acquisition of friends for oneself who can be accepted “into eternal blood”, after the impoverishment of life, or after death. As the bailiff acted wisely when, having in his hands property that was not his own, through the favor of famous persons, he acquired friends in them, who accepted him into their house, after he removed him from the house in which he had lived until then: I command you to act wisely, says the Savior, so that through the wise use of what you have and which, however, is not yours, even here on earth, make your friends those who have the power to receive you in eternal shelters after your departure from this life. One has only to interpret what the mammon of unrighteousness is, who friends are and how to acquire them, and the whole parable will be interpreted. Nothing more will be required to understand it. Mamon - the Syrian god of wealth - here directly means wealth, property, property; why below, in verse 11, this word stands instead of “possession”: “if... you have unrighteous property, do not return it quickly” and so on (Luke 16:11). Why is Mammon called unrighteous? During the time of Christ the Savior, this was a commonly used expression that meant the property of wealthy people, who had more than they needed, and who became rich. The title of “unrighteousness” does not necessarily indicate the unrighteousness of the means to get rich, but expresses only a general judgment, which still holds and, probably, will always hold, that with wealth untruth is in close cooperation, that it is difficult for someone who has become rich, especially one who has started to get rich, not to get entangled in some untruth. It is difficult to acquire wealth with pure truth, it is also difficult to use it righteously in everything, because around it, in addition to many other things, two major untruths are always instilled (there are): an excess of pleasures - luxury, and inflexibility to help those in need - stinginess in varying degrees. The Holy Apostle Paul says about “those who want to get rich” that they “fall... into many foolish and destructive lusts, which plunge people into destruction and destruction” (1 Tim. 6:9). Wealth could also be called unjust because the unrighteous, who do not belong to it, bear the title: they call it good and treasure, but it is not that; they think that it gives special dignity to a person, but this is unjust, because it is not the person himself who becomes better, but only his appearance becomes more ostentatious with wealth; They consider it a strong support, but it is a rotten support, collapsing, flowing. This idea about wealth is expressed by Christ the Savior Himself. Below, in the 11th verse (Luke 16:11), He contrasts “unrighteous wealth” with true wealth and, therefore, calls wealth unrighteous, because he recognizes it as untrue, falsely so called, due to its fragility, deceitfulness and deceit. “For the image of this world is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31). Thus, the mammon of unrighteousness in the saying of the Lord means wealth, wealth, property, often in acquisition, and almost always in use, entangling in untruth and, in itself, untrue, unreliable, deceiving those who rely on it. Who are the persons whom the Savior commands to make his friends? Most commonly they mean the poor, and the commandments of the Lord give the following meaning: Expect your wealth and wealth on the poor, so that, remembering your good deeds on earth, after death they will intercede for you from the Heavenly Father to accept you into the eternal abode. But prayer for acceptance into a monastery is another matter, and acceptance into them itself is another matter. The Lord’s saying indicates to make friends those persons who themselves will be accepted into eternal blood, and who will not pray to God for this. Moreover, in this sense, it is assumed that the poor will move into another life before the benefactors, and all as those who have pleased God so much that the strong will intercede for such a great and final good as being placed in eternal shelters. But neither one nor the other can be affirmed at all. And in the parable, the bailiff did not make his friends those who were in poverty, although they considered the diminution of their debt a favor to themselves, deserving gratitude and recompense. So, although, as we will see, without the help of the poor, it is impossible to acquire for yourself the friends indicated by the Lord, but by friends in the word of the Lord they are not meant. The Lord says: make such use of your property that those who have eternal shelters will consider it a favor to themselves, and for this they will accept you into these shelters when you pass into eternity. Who are these people? God Himself, Who is the decider of the eternal fate of everyone, and His servants are the holy Angels, who receive souls departing from here and, by God’s determination, settle them in bright places, as the Lord says after this in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). And this is where the poor and needy cannot be ignored: they are intermediaries in making friends in heaven. It is possible to please God, to gain His mercy and closeness to those who have property, only by alleviating the lot of those suffering from poverty and all kinds of deprivation. God deigns to appropriate the alms given to the poor and accepts it as a favor to Himself, as loans, according to the word of the Wise One, who says: “The merciful poor gives back to God” (Proverbs 19:17). These loans will be repaid by God when the eternal fate of people is decided, when the determination is made as to who will go to eternal shelter and who will be expelled to eternal bloodlessness. Then the Lord will invite into the Kingdom, prepared from the foundation of the world, those who in their lives fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, gave rest to the strange, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, visited those imprisoned. Why? “Because,” he says, “you have made these lesser brothers of Mine one and the same, you have made one for Me” (Matthew 25:40). Thus, the Lord Himself determines that He is the Supreme Friend, who has to receive Him into eternal blood, and indicates the way to acquire His friendship. He is one for all, or combines everyone in Himself. That the saying says “make for yourself friends,” and not “friend,” this was required by the flow of speech. Or is it because it is said that the Lord also understood the Angels to be with Him, as the executors of His decree about dwelling in eternal shelters. Holy Angels live in heaven. Those leaving from here are accepted by them because they are moving into their community. Although God is the determiner, the mediation of Angels is also appropriate here. The Lord says: so that they receive you “into eternal shelters” - not their own, but determined by God to each - into those abodes of which the Heavenly Father has “many” (John 14:2). For this reception to be friendly, it is necessary to make the Angels of God friendly. What? By minimizing their debts. What debts do they have? They have debts to those who resort to them. Those in need turn to them in prayer and ask for help. When accepting prayer, they accept the duty to help those praying; and when accepting a debt, they cannot help but worry about paying it off. How is this? Through people who are sufficient and strong, among whom live the needy and the praying. The begging celestials come down to earth, go around those who can do good, and inspire one to do one good thing and another to do another good thing. When it comes to your heart by chance to help someone definitely, know that at that time an Angel stands at your heart and puts these good thoughts into it, and do not refuse to fulfill it. Whoever listens to the suggestion and fulfills it, pays the debt for the Angels (or saints) and through this calms them themselves, so that they no longer need to look for other people who can provide the required help. They accept this as a favor to themselves, and remember that; why, when a benefactor dies and passes on to another life, the Angels of God (and saints) joyfully accept him as their friend, like-minded person and co-worker, and indwell him for eternal sojourn, wherever the Lord commands. Saint Ambrose, in his interpretation of this passage, says: “With the words “make for yourselves friends from the mammon of unrighteousness,” the Lord commands that we, through generosity to the poor, acquire for ourselves the fellowship of Angels and other saints.” Here is the entire explanation of the parable, and nothing more should be sought. We consider it necessary to add just one or two remark to this: 1) those who by “mammon of unrighteousness” mean only wealth acquired by untruth, too constrain the meaning of the parable. Although such a thought is very suitable for one part of those who listened to the Lord, namely, for the publicans (and Pharisees), for them the hint of the moral side of their enrichment, which is here, and very strong, is enough. The Lord, apparently, did not want to limit the meaning of the parable to them alone, but embraced everyone who had wealth and could do good, as can be seen from the following appendix (Luke 16:10-13). It wasn’t just publicans who listened to the Lord; there were, of course, other wealthy people whose wealth was not acquired through untruth. At the words of the Lord, the publicans were reminded of their own conscience, and these were reminded of theirs. Those who had wealth acquired through untruth, when they heard the word “mammon of untruth,” their thoughts stopped more on the word “untruth”; and those whose wealth was not so obviously unrighteous, their attention was more focused on the word “mammon” and presented to their consciousness the thought of wealth in general (according to the usual understanding of the phrase “mammon of untruth”). Both of them heard a common lesson - to use earthly wealth in such a way as to earn eternal shelter; 2) the meaning of the parable is equally confused by those who introduce into its lesson a reminder of the return of what was unjustly acquired by those who were unrighteous, and even a suggestion of righteous acquisition. Excessive increase! The Savior takes the acquired property as it is. He expressed his approval of the return of what was unjustly acquired in the example of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:2-10). That was not what was meant here. If there is a hint of unrighteous acquisition, then it is one the return of which is difficult and impossible. Meanwhile, there were souls who listened to the word of the Lord with the question: how should we deal with this kind of acquisition? They are given the answer: return it to God through the hands of the poor - He will equalize everything. Or as the Lord said above: “Give alms from those who exist: and behold, everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41). If you can’t return it, sanctify what you grabbed with alms. This instruction calmed that part of those who listened to the Lord, who were troubled by their conscience for the wrongness of acquisition, which was not possible to return; 3) but on the other hand, there is reason to think that the meaning of the parable is not limited to indicating the beneficial use of wealth alone, but points to the similar use of everything that a person has - mental and physical powers, knowledge, art, external position, connections, service - all the gifts of life received from God. Turn everything towards charity, and you will all make friends for yourself in heaven and prepare eternal shelters there for yourself in advance. This idea can be seen in the circumstance of the parable that the bailiff prepared friends and shelter for himself, skillfully disposing of what was not his own. With us, everything is not ours, everything is from God, but in Christ Jesus, and we ourselves are not ours. This expansion of the meaning of the parable is justified by the fact that after this, in continuation of the tributary lesson, the Lord Himself dwells on the words “stranger” and “his own” (Luke 16:12); 4) the words “when you become poor” (Luke 16:9) do not mean: when you exhaust your wealth, but when you yourself become exhausted, when your strength and life are exhausted, otherwise – when you die and pass on to another life. For who is accepted into eternal shelters? He did not only give away his property, but was also called from this life to another in order to receive righteous reward for the godly use of the gifts of this life. Eternal shelters are the abodes of the Heavenly Father (John 14:2), blessed dwellings in heaven. These words were said in relation to the fact that the debtors took the bailiff into “their homes,” or shelters (Luke 16:4). To confirm that nothing more than what has been said should be sought in the parable of the Savior, we present a brief extract from the interpretation of this parable by Blessed Theophylact. “We shouldn’t,” he says, “examine in detail what each feature of the parable means; but, having taken from it what is necessary for its purpose, leave the rest as said only for the sake of completeness of the tributary history. If in this parable we begin to examine in detail who the bailiff is, who is the master who entrusted him with the management, who denounced him, which means that one of the debtors owed oil, and the other wheat, which also means that they owed a hundred measures - in a word, if we begin to inquisitively examine and interpret everything; then we will only obscure the parable, and it is not marvelous that we will agree to something incongruous. So, it is necessary to take from the parable only the most essential and edifying. The Lord wants to teach us through it the good use of the property entrusted to us. We are not owners, but stewards of someone else's property, given to us by God, so that we dispose of it according to His holy will. It is His will that we use what is given to us for the needs of our fellow men, and not for the pleasure of ourselves alone. "By Mammon of unrighteousness" (Lk. 16:9) the Lord called the estate because it was given to us for the needs of others, and we keep it to ourselves or rely on ourselves alone. So what? Let us make our poor brothers partners in our wealth, for which, when we “become impoverished,” that is, we are displaced from this life, we will be received into “eternal shelters” (Luke 16:9). The Lord rewards the poor, for “the merciful poor give back to God” (Proverbs 19:17). Understanding the parable in this way, we do not allow anything unnecessary and dreamy, satisfying only curiosity. The words also refer to this subject: “The sons of this age are wiser than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8). The Lord calls “sons of the age” those who care about earthly interests and diligently come up with everything necessary for this; “sons of light” - those who must manage their property spiritually and pleasing to God. And this is what the Lord wants to indicate! That the people assigned to manage the estate, according to human calculations alone, know how to arrange everything in such a way that, in the event of removal from management, they will not beg, and the “sons of light,” who are commanded to dispose of their property in a godly and soul-saving manner, do not know how to conduct this matter in such a way that it will benefit them after this life.” (This is also the idea of Evfimy Zigaben) As for other interpretations, it is inconvenient to give them: there are extremely many of them. Not a single parable has given rise to such differences of opinion as this one. Here is the shortest list of them! The ancient interpreters all agree that by a rich man they mean God. But they differ in their understanding of the guardian, meaning by him either the Apostles, or bishops, or Christians in general, or the rich, or sinners, or the Jewish people, or the devil. The new interpreters all agree that by “presbyter” they mean the followers of Christ the Savior. But in the understanding of the rich man they differ, meaning by him either God, like the ancients, or the prince of this age, or Mammon, or the personified world, or Roman power, or the Roman emperor, or an indefinite person. Every invented thought finds some application in the parable, but not a single one can be traced across all the features of the parable without stretches, and even contradictions. Even the idea that a rich man should mean God cannot be accepted without restrictions, although it is the most natural and has the commonality of the ancients and the majority of new interpreters. In applying it, it is necessary to stay within precise boundaries, but it should not be applied to all the features of the parable, and there is no possibility: we will immediately encounter a contradiction. The bailiff manages the estate poorly and is dismissed from his position for this. But he did even worse and is praised for it. As the same gentleman, by whom God is understood, condemns and praises, it turns out that God condemns for a smaller fault, and praises for a larger one. Changing points of view in an allegorical interpretation is completely illegal. Without the thought of God the interpretation will not be complete; but this thought should not be carried out throughout the parable, but should be kept within the limits indicated by blessed Theophylact. The interpretation in which by master is meant the spirit of the age, the world or its prince, is even more untenable. A steward, according to him, is a servant of the world, living according to the spirit of the world, who, having thought that everything must end, comes to repentance and changes his way of life. Death will come and take everything - and there will be judgment and an answer. Prompted by this thought, he begins to use his wealth and all the gifts of life for his salvation, contrary to the spirit of the world. The Prince of Peace notices this and initiates such persecution. Application stops here: you can’t go any further. But even so far things have not been entirely in accordance with the parable. The thought of death corresponds to the master’s sentence, but, according to this interpretation, it must precede it, as the reason for the use of his property that is displeasing to the prince of the world. Moreover, this thought is not presented by the prince of peace, but is suppressed in every possible way. Further, the world or the prince of peace, noticing that his former minion (friend) has begun to act not according to his rules, condemns him to resign from office. In application, this will mean: it initiates persecution and oppression of the pious by peace-loving people. And this is another thought on the same circumstance, which should not be. From this method of interpreting the parable, one can, however, borrow the idea of ​​death as an understanding of those who dispose of God’s gifts not according to God’s intention. The bailiff began to think and decided on how to provide for himself in the future, due to the fact that he saw himself in extremes. The thought of the death of one who is wrong before God in the use of His gifts strikes a sense of the extremity of the eternal situation, and quickly develops corrective thoughts and feelings in him. Clearly imagining how he must leave this life and move on to another, for which he has prepared nothing and in which, therefore, nothing but humiliation and torment awaits him, she forces him to come to his senses and become concerned about securing his future. From this moment on, the use of everything begins not for one’s own pleasure, but for the good of others and the glory of God. The thought of death and afterlife deprivations is sent to the soul from God. But, having planted it, He leaves the infidel free to think about how to get out of his bad situation. Thus, this thought is in complete agreement with the interpretation we have proposed. Other methods of interpretation are even less convenient to use. Almost all of them make the mistake of undertaking to interpret the parable themselves when it is interpreted by the Savior, and, wanting to say something new, they fall into great inconsistencies. One should take only those features of the parable that the Lord Himself indicated; everything else should be left without application, since in the story of the tributary itself it was only mentioned in passing by the Lord, without certainty and restrictions that could guide the interpretation. Having indicated the meaning of the parable, the Lord then makes an appendix, which, although not related to the essence of the parable, contains thoughts that greatly serve to clarify the parable lesson. The Lord said that the “sons of the age” are wiser than the “sons of light,” in order to irritate the jealousy of the latter and surpass those in wisdom, turning all the efforts and desires of the heart from the present to future promises. Then he indicated the very way how to further assert the possession of what was there for himself, teaching him to share everything without regret with his needy brothers. As a condition for the successful fulfillment of this is maintaining oneself in relation to the blessings of life as a guardian - and this requires complete renunciation from them, so that the heart is not attached to anything and is not bound by anything - then the Lord now turns His speech to the stimulation of this renunciation. What prevents you most from detaching yourself from what you possess? The beauty of something that anyone can take possession of. It is this charm that the Lord wants to remove from the face of the possessed, saying: do not become addicted to earthly things, for all these blessings are insignificant compared to those that are prepared for you in another life - these are small, but those are great (Luke 16:10); these are false, deceptive, unreliable, but those are true, immutable and faithful (Luke 16:11); these are strangers to you, and those are yours (Luke 16:12). But just as such an indication could not be impressive for everyone, in one and the same speech there is also an indication of the definition of the eternal truth of God. Whoever does not come to his senses first will perhaps be afraid of the second. For when the Lord says: “Who will give it to you?” “Who will believe you?” (Luke 16, 11, 12) - obviously, he wants to say by this: you absolutely will not receive it. Infidelity here is the same as addiction. The Lord says, as it were: because you are addicted to the small, the unfaithful, the alien, you will not receive what is yours, the true, the great. This is the judgment of God (Luke 16:10–12). These two indications of the unenviable properties of earthly things and the judgment for addiction to it are completed by the Lord by indicating the impossibility of being with God with such addiction and, therefore, the impossibility of achieving the final goal of one’s existence, which is communion with God (Luke 16:13). This is the main purpose of the entire speech. The Lord wanted to incite those who listened to renounce everything in order to pave the way to living unity with God. Verse 10. “He who is faithful in a little is also faithful in much: and the unjust in a little is also unrighteous in much” (Luke 16:10). It is as if the Lord is answering the bewilderment why temporal blessings are so highly esteemed that everyone’s eternal fate is determined depending on their use. He says something like this: exactly, these benefits are small and insignificant compared to the future; but, after all, that is, there is a general law that he who is faithful in little is also faithful in much, that is, in general he is ultimately faithful, and is worthy of the full reward characteristic of the faithful, and vice versa. The nature of good faith is taken into account here. If someone in a small matter, in which it is easy to sin because it is protected by smaller motives and obligations, shows such a sensitive conscience that he does not allow himself even to be unfaithful in relation to him; then, all the more, his conscience will not allow him to misrepresent anything big, which is usually surrounded by large and strong motives and obligations. On the contrary, if someone’s conscience is so weak that in small things it yields to impulses that are contrary to it, where can he stand in large things, when greater self-resistance and greater sacrifices are required here? “Small” here the Lord calls temporary blessings - all the gifts of life; and “many,” or great, he calls life in the spirit, according to the commandments of God, not in earthly interests, but in forms of pleasing God. The Lord says: whoever behaves in relation to the gifts of life as God commanded, that is, not being addicted to them, but using them on those in need, he, of course, fulfills all the other highest commandments and the entire will of God in general. Whoever, on the contrary, behaves incorrectly in relation to these benefits, has, of course, already bent his conscience in relation to the highest demands of the will of God. And from this it naturally follows: Verse 11. “If you do not quickly return what you have from unrighteousness, who has faith in you about what is true?” (Luke 16:11). The unrighteous property is opposed to the true one. Consequently, by unrighteous we mean untrue, that is, false, deceptive, fragile, unreliable, in contrast to the true, which consists in the blessings of the Kingdom of Christ, lasting, unchanging, eternal, that is, in gifts of grace and future bliss in eternal shelters (Theophylact, Euthymius Zigaben). The Lord says: if you were unfaithful in relation to the first, the second will believe you; the former did not know how to manage the latter; you cannot be expected to manage the latter well. This gives the idea that the Lord is speaking here, firstly, about the impossibility of entrusting grace-filled gifts to those who are partial to the blessings of life to use them for their salvation or to dispose of them in order to improve the Kingdom of Christ. In this case, the instruction concerned, on the one hand, publicans and others like them, on the other, the Apostles, and strongly reproached Judas, over whom this definition was fulfilled. But, secondly, the Lord’s saying can be accepted as a verdict of God’s truth in relation only to the eternal benefits of retribution. In this case, the words of the Lord will have the following meaning: so, if it turns out that you were unfaithful in using untrue, unfaithful, unreliable blessings, then do not expect that true, unchangeable, eternal blessings will be entrusted to you, that is, given, eternal in heaven, in the Kingdom of Christ. The Lord represents retribution under the image of entrusting goods - for disposition and control, in relation to the flow of His speech. In this form, the suggestion embraces all believers in general - of all times, places and situations. The Lord deliberately used the word: “in unrighteous wealth” (and not “in untrue wealth”) in order to make a stronger blow to the conscience of tax collectors (and others like them) and to further irritate the feelings of repentance that began to disturb them, and to encourage them to speedy self-correction - out of fear for infidelity (so obvious) in relation to the transitory blessings of life, to be deprived of participation in the true, incessant and most faithful benefits of the Kingdom of Christ. Opposite this word is placed: “in truth” - also intentionally, in order to show that in the first He means in general any temporary good - untrue, and thereby take away any pretext to remove themselves from the spoken judgment from those who possess not unjustly acquired, and to dispose them to take diligent care to dispose of it according to the intention and direction of the Lord. Verse 12. “And if you do not quickly return what is someone else’s, who will give you what is yours?” (Luke 16:12). Temporary goods are also called “foreign”, both because they are not ours, but are entrusted to us for a time from God, and because they do not belong to our nature and do not enter into it, but are applied from outside and flow past it. That they are exactly like this is evident from the fact that we bring none of them into this world, and we take nothing out (1 Tim. 6:7). “Ours” refers to the eternal bliss predetermined for us in communion with God, as created in the image of God, and, as a means to receive it, all “Divine powers..., even to life and piety” (2 Pet. 1, 3), given by faith in the Lord (Theophylact, Zigaben, Augustine). This is not given to us when we are unfaithful in relation to someone else’s, not only because the unfaithful is subject to punishment and deprivation, but also because, in this case, the ability to accept “our own” is lost, sympathy for him is muffled, and the vessels for containing it are upset. This reminder hugged everyone; but it is not difficult to notice that it (except for the publicans) was especially directed at the conscience of Judas and should have aroused fears in him - not to lose what should belong to him upon his election to the apostleship, indicating at the same time the path to correction. And this saying about unfaithfulness in the things of others has the meaning of an eternal definition of God’s truth, like the previous one about unfaithfulness in the unrighteous, deceptive and false, as if it were like this: the unfaithful in the things of others will be deprived of what is his. It is expressed this way in relation to the flow of speech about the bailiff, who was entrusted or given control - not his own. One cannot help but dwell on the peculiarities of the Lord’s use of sayings. He gives general instruction, suitable for everyone, but at the same time in each saying he deliberately inserts a word that goes straight to the conscience of one or another of those who listen. “Faithful in Mala” consoled and inspired the Apostles; “unfaithful in mala” (Luke 16:10), as well as unfaithful in someone else’s, fell on Judas; “unfaithful in unrighteousness” (Luke 16:11) - denounced the tax collectors; The speech that followed admonished the Pharisees, who hoped to possess many things unrighteously and with partiality, and to please God or to appear to Him as working. This is not possible, says the Lord. Verse 13. “No servant can work for two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other: or he will hold on to one, but will begin to neglect his friends: you cannot serve God and Mammon” (Luke 16:13). Unfaithfulness, about which the Lord repeatedly repeated before this, is revealed, as can be seen from the meaning of the Lord’s lessons, by those who use the gifts of life, received from God in order to use them well for the benefit of their brethren, for their own pleasure, for empty pleasures and luxury and, in addition, become addicted to them to the point that they become idols for them, which they slavishly serve, wasting both time and strength in vain. It is clear that addicts were required to be reminded of the danger of their situation - renunciation of addiction was required. How to break oneself, to give a completely different mood to the heart is very difficult, then those who understood the lesson, in order to avoid painful sacrifices of the heart, could think and wish whether it was possible to combine both: to live with addictions for one’s own pleasure, and to please God. Such were the Pharisees. The Lord says to them and others like them that this is impossible, explaining this with a well-known example in everyday life, the sign of which in relation to spiritual life is understandable. The Lord requires a decisive - all-hearted, undivided - dedication of oneself to eternal goals, to what He called ours, true, faithful and great, and decisive impartiality to everything else, untrue, fast-moving, insignificant, alien to us. Whoever wants to combine earthly selfish aspirations with the desire for eternal blood is planning the impossible. These are two opposites. Whoever is on one side is not on the other. It is impossible to successfully pursue interests, both temporal and eternal, with the same heart, just as two masters cannot work properly. Possession of worldly goods, their acquisition and storage are inevitable in this life. It is not against this that the Lord speaks, but against addiction to these blessings, against tireless concern only about how to make more money and live more comfortably here. This concern for earthly things, which torments and drives those addicted to covetousness from morning to evening, is the yoke of labor under which, like serfs, these slaves of Mammon toil, not having the time or desire to sigh about what is above the earth and what awaits them after this temporary life. The Lord says: have what is given, but do not be a slave, but a master, freely owning, freely disposing of and sacrificing it without pity. How to have without coveting, how to acquire, store and use without slavish care - this is Christian wisdom, which the spirit of grace teaches to those who seek it with all their hearts. But experiments have shown and show that this is not impossible; and that this is obligatory, behold, we hear the word of the Lord. And the word “supervisor” best expresses how everyone should behave in relation to the gifts of life. Own and manage everything, but as a stranger, entrusted to you for a time for good use, according to the intention of the donor, with accountability for it. Through this you will turn out to be no less wise than the “sons of the age” (Luke 16:8); through this you will gain eternal friends and eternal shelter; through this you will prove fidelity in small, unreliable, transitory, alien things and you will be worthy to receive great things that are truly yours; through this you will only testify that you work for God, and not for mammon. “You cannot work for God and Mammon” (Luke 16:13). The whole speech aimed at this conclusion. It was said that it was about external prudent action in relation to temporary goods; but the inner, guiding thought was - whole-hearted service to the one God, through walking in the will of God, detached from all attachments, and in this circle of affairs, small compared to others. Their value in the eyes of God is determined by the complete belonging of the heart to God. Over everything entrusted to a person for this life, the Lord places an inscription: this is for you, but “give me... a heart” (Proverbs 23:26). Only those who are so disposed are a true servant of God. A split heart produces a double-minded person, unsettled in his ways (James 1:8). The condition under which the Lord is pleased to recognize the wise use of wealth and all property as service to Himself is that, clinging to God with your heart, you only touch with your hands what you have and possess, and then all according to God’s intention. This is also a means to how to have without love. Let the heart be completely embraced by the love of God and there will be no place for the love of money. 2) How is the promise of the Lord fulfilled to those who leave all the Kingdom of Heaven for the sake of “And Jesus answered and said, Amen, I say unto you, There is no one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or villages, for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel: if he does not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and father, and mother, and children, and villages, in exile, and in the age to come, eternal life" ( Mark 10, 29–30). In the parable of the unrighteous steward (Luke 16:1-13), the Lord spoke about the wise use of one’s property with the heart detached from it, but here he speaks of abandoning everything by deed, everything decisively, even parents and brothers, wife and children, and not just external property. The Lord gave this lesson on the occasion of a conversation with a rich young man (Mark 10:17-22), to whom He suggested that, for the final perfection of morality and for the unhindered following of Himself, to give everything to the poor. When the young man, unable to do this, went away mourning, the Lord told His disciples how inconvenient it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:23), that is, into the Kingdom of grace, so that, having lived in it by grace, they will also be worthy of the Kingdom of glory. This is inconvenient for them because they are bound hand and foot by love and do not have the freedom to act even according to such rules, the legality and piety of which they receive certification from God Himself. This decision led the disciples into amazement, accompanied by fear and horror (Mark 10:24). Then the Lord explained to them that it is not wealth that closes the door to the Kingdom of God, but trust in it, when someone leans on it and rests; for for the sons of the Kingdom there must be one support and confirmation - the Lord Himself. Since such persons do not have an essential conditional disposition within themselves, they are recognized as unfit for the Kingdom of God. Realizing how difficult this change in internal disposition is, this transition from one foundation to another, the holy Apostles discovered even greater bewilderment, saying: “Who can be saved?” (Mark 10:26). The Lord told them: for man, in himself, of course, such a change is “impossible, but... with God... everything is possible” (Mark 10:27). He will send grace into the heart, transforming the old into the new - and everything there will change and be transformed according to God’s will and mark. This eliminated the confusion. But those who heard the Lord had another question: what will come of this? Let the rich man diminish like a camel when he passes through a low and narrow gate, or become thin like a rope, if he is woven into thin threads that can pass into the ears of a needle, how will this end, what will this serve? Saint Peter asks for everyone: for example, did we leave everything and follow You (Mark 10, 25, 26, 28)? The thought that gave birth to this question is not shown here. It is not clear what exactly Saint Peter wanted to say and what he wants to hear. But the Lord’s answer shows that he had a question in his mind: “What will happen to us” and to those who act like us? (Matthew 19:27). The Lord says: whoever leaves anything for the sake of Me and the Kingdom will receive “in this world, in exile..., also a hundredfold”, and in the next century - “eternal life” (Mark 10:30). Others explain the birth of the question this way: The apostles thought that they seemed to have done everything necessary to follow the Lord. Saint Peter speaks about this to the Lord with the thought: “We have done everything” or with the question: “Have we done everything?” According to others, this question gave birth to the fact that the Lord said to the young man: “sell” (Mark 10:21), but the Apostles did not sell, but only left; why did they want to know how it would be received, whether it had a price? But we must not forget that the Lord’s answer is not limited to the Apostles alone, but embraces everyone. It is true that the Lord saw that this question occupied everyone, and not just the Apostles; why and the answer extended to everyone. The saying of the Lord is difficult to understand in only one way. That those who leave everything for the sake of the Lord will receive eternal life in the age to come, this does not require explanation. It is difficult to understand how the one who left will receive what was left a hundredfold in this age, in exile? The first thought that arises from this is: is it possible to remove this promise from this age? What do other evangelists say about this? Do they not have such turns of phrase on the basis of which the whole promise could be attributed to the future age? Precisely, the circumstance for which the Lord spoke a difficult promise is described, in addition to Saint Mark, by the evangelists Matthew (Matthew 19:16-22) and Luke (Luke 18:18-23). Saint Peter asks the Evangelist Matthew: “What will happen to us” for abandoning everything? (Matthew 19:27). And the Lord answers that at the second coming you will sit on 12 thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel. But everyone who has left everything for My sake will “receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:27-29). It is not said where it will be received a hundredfold. But as it was added “and he will inherit the eternal life,” of course, in the age to come, then a hundredfold reward, one can assume, here too, of course, in this age. Saint Chrysostom, citing the text, after the words “he will receive a hundredfold” from himself, inserts: “in the present age” (John Chrysostom. Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Conversation 64.1). Only if the fact that nothing was promised to the Apostles (of course, from the Evangelist Matthew) in this age, one can assume that in the promise to everyone else besides them, everything should also relate to the age to come. But the last promise does not exclude the Apostles. The speech may look like this: you will sit on 12 thrones and so on, and, in addition, along with all the others, here too you will receive what was left a hundredfold. Saint Chrysostom says: “If all the others, then how much more should the Apostles receive retribution - both there and in this century” (Conversation 64.2). Moreover, it is inconsistent with the teachings of the Savior in the future century to expect family life, even in its best and purest form: for there “they neither marry nor encroach” (Matthew 22:30), for which the character of a grace-filled spiritual life serves as preparation, in which “there is neither male nor female” (Gal. 3:28). In the holy evangelist Luke (Luke 18:28–30), the question of St. Peter is listed, as in the evangelist Mark (Mark 10:28), and the Lord’s answer is similar to the answer seen in the evangelist Mark (Mark 10:29–31), only expressed more abbreviated. As a reward for those who left behind, everything is promised here - the perception of what was left behind “in abundance, in this time, and in the age to come, eternal life” (Luke 18:30). So, according to the testimony of all three evangelists, who leave everything for the Lord (Mark 10:29, Matt. 19:29) and “for His kingdom’s sake” (Luke 18:29), not only an eternal life is promised, but also in this age, “at this time” (Mark 10:30, Luke 18:30), “in exile” (Mk. 10:30), the perception of the same left “a hundredfold” (Mk. 10:30, Matt. 19:29) or “multiple” (Lk. 18:30). The question is, how to understand this? There is nothing to expect for the fulfillment of this promise in the literal sense, not only now, when everyone knows that this did not happen in reality, but even then those who heard the Lord could not expect that, having left everything, they would receive back a hundred brothers, sisters, children, villages, houses. On the contrary, this very image of expression made it clear to everyone that the Savior’s word should not be taken literally. How can we understand them? It should be noted that the abandonment of everything that the Lord speaks about, if we judge it by the example of the Apostles, is of course arbitrary, which someone himself decides to do for the sake of spreading the Kingdom of Christ, as, for example, Saints Timothy and Titus did and many others did. If we pay attention to the subsequent words of the Lord about a hundredfold reward, now “in exile” (Mark 10:30), then by it we must understand involuntary abandonment, when the persecutors forced the believers to leave their families or their relatives, in jealousy, through their wickedness, deprived them of both their love and their native shelter. Since there were incomparably more persons of the latter kind, the Lord probably meant them more when speaking about reward. A hundredfold reward could be and was twofold: 1) visible, in the person of all believers; and 2) invisible, spiritual, in the heartfelt feeling of well-being. 1) all believers were one, and this unity was not only external, but internal, most sincere and heartfelt. The spirit of love, strong as death (Song 8:6), bound everyone, so that everyone considered everyone their own and everyone considered everyone their own. The degree of age, spiritual advancement, spiritual gifts and services determined only the shades of this love. Its power penetrated everyone equally. In this regard, the elder who entered the community of believers was accepted by everyone as a father and from everyone received the spirit of love characteristic of children; the entering young man received signs from all his elders and felt in his heart the breath of fatherly and maternal love, and from all equals - the signs and breath of brotherly and sisterly love and the like. Thus, if someone, as a result of faith in the Lord, had to leave his relatives, then, entering the environment of believers, he met as many kindred loves as there were believers - hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands; for “hundredfold” (Mk. 10:30, Matt. 19:29) definitely expresses an indefinite number - in the sense of “multiple,” as in the Evangelist Luke (Luke 18:30). Further, since the believers, out of the power of deep mutual love, did not share anything, but considered everything to be the common property of all, then for everyone who entered their midst, the house was open, and all the property of everyone was, as it were, his own, ready to satisfy his needs. Thus, he suddenly became the owner of an innumerable number of houses, villages and all kinds of property. This is how Saint Chrysostom understands this, and after him Blessed Theophylact and Euthymius Zigaben. Saint Chrysostom says that in relation to the Apostles this promise came true as follows: “Having left the fish and the nets, they had in their power the property of all people, their houses, fields and even the very bodies of the believers; many were even ready to die for them, as Paul testifies to this, saying: “If it had been powerful, your hair would have gone to waste” (Gal. 4:15)” (Ibid. Conversation 64:2). Blessed Theophylact complements Saint Chrysostom: “Since the preaching (of the Gospel) caused strife to flare up (between people), so that children had to renounce their fathers for the sake of piety, the Lord says: whoever forsakes carnal kinship and everything carnal in general for the sake of the Gospel, in this age he will receive all this a hundred times more, and in the future - eternal life” (Interpretation of the Gospel from Mark.10). “Instead of a father, he will have church elders, instead of a mother, church elders, instead of a wife, all faithful wives, not in marriage, no, but in spiritual relationships, in spiritual love and care for them” (Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew. 19). Evfimy Zigaben has the same thoughts. He asks himself the question, how can anyone receive a hundredfold or multiple reward for what was left in this century, and answers: “How? Just as the Apostles, martyrs and all the righteous received. For, look, all the houses of the faithful were open to them; all the saints (men) and all the saints (wives) became brothers and sisters to them, fathers - all those who loved them in a fatherly manner, cared for them and were pained by them; for this is the essential quality of the father; mothers - all (wives) who were disposed towards them in the same way, wives - all (wives) who helped and served them; for this is the wife's business; children - all students. Moreover, everything that the believers had, they had in their power. And what is especially wonderful is that they had all this in the midst of persecution, being, that is, persecuted by the enemies of the faith” (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. 19, 29). 2) when the Lord says: “He will receive a hundredfold” (Matthew 19:29), then it is not necessary to understand that He promises a hundred houses and villages, a hundred brothers and sisters, and so on as reward. It can be understood that the Lord promises here a hundredfold not exactly this, but against this or in exchange for this; Moreover, it is permissible to think about benefits of a different kind, that is, instead of visible ones - about invisible ones, instead of bodily ones - about spiritual ones. In this case, what will be compared is not the externally possessed good, but the feeling of good, or well-being, produced by it. Union with parents and relatives, possession of a house and villages, and in general a well-organized family life leaves in the heart a feeling of goodness, or well-being and well-being. Anyone who freely leaves the family or is involuntarily expelled from it, for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, is supposed to be deprived of this feeling, losing the feeling of well-being, therefore exhausted, constantly sick and, as it were, dying. The Savior says that this will not be so, but whoever leaves everything “for the sake of Me and the Gospel” (Mark 10:29), he will constantly feel in himself the kind of well-being that he would feel if his previous well-being were increased a hundred times or more - “by multiplication” (Luke 18:30). The stories of martyrs provide multiple examples of the expression of such sentiment. It is very natural, based on their living communication with Christ and in Christ with God. Since they were united with Christ and clothed themselves in Him, they took into themselves all the riches of Christ. It was not imputation, not aspiration, but possession of the matter itself. What kind of well-being now could that feeling of well-being that filled the hearts of the believers bring?! It was this that made them capable of all hardships and all kinds of indescribable suffering. The Apostle Paul says: “Both the present and the future are all yours when you... belong to Christ” (1 Cor. 3:22-23). And he also says: “I count all vanity... for the surpassing understanding of Christ Jesus the Lord” (Phil. 3:8). “We overcome everything for our beloved” - and nothing can greatly separate us from Him (Rom. 8:37-39). That exactly kindred feelings were returned to them in Christ Jesus, He Himself attests to this. When they told Him that His Mother and brothers were waiting for Him, “standing outside,” He said that His brother and sister and mother are the one who does the will of the Heavenly Father (Matthew 12:47–50). Consequently, back for the hearts of those who believed and walked in the will of God, He was and is a brother, a sister, and a mother. He alone replaced and replaces all kinship, as supremely as He Himself is above all. The heart, naturally seeking kindred feelings, was satisfied by possessing Him alone, and it cannot be compared, as to a higher degree than before. Saint Gregory the Great (Dvoeslov) in the 18th Discourse on Ezekiel says: “He will receive a hundredfold” (Matthew 19:29) because God will make one much more joyful with poverty or the abandonment of all things out of love for Christ, than the rich are delighted with all their wealth and all their possessions. And this is felt by those who for the sake of Christ leave everything that is theirs.” Blessed Jerome also means here a hundredfold reward, not with visible blessings, but with spiritual blessings, that is, peace of the heart, joy of the spirit, unspeakable consolation and other gifts of grace with which God filled their souls and which surpass all earthly blessings and joys much more than a hundred exceeds one. Blessed Theophylact similarly interprets the receipt in abundance of what was left in the present century: “This must be understood,” he says, “about spiritual gifts, which are incomparably higher than earthly ones and serve as a guarantee of future blessings” (Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew. 19, 21). Saint Ambrose on the 118th Psalm in the 8th Osmeritsa says: “Whose part is God, he is the owner of everything. Instead of fields (abandoned), He Himself is a field that bears fruit that does not perish forever. Instead of houses (abandoned), He Himself is the most precious dwelling and church of God. What is higher and more precious than God? This is a part with which no earthly areas can compare. What is more magnificent than this Heavenly guest? What is more satisfying than this possession of the Divine? Both of these ways of understanding the promise of the Lord began to have application from the very beginning of the spread of Christianity. But then Christians appeared among the unbelievers; therefore, they were naturally removed from their circle, persecuted by them and suffered hardships. At the present time, among us, for example, among believers, what application can the Lord’s instruction regarding the abandonment of everything and the promise connected with it have? Almost the same as then: 1) we also have preachers of the word of God, leaving home and kinship and going to preach the Gospel to the savages, to wild places, to Altai, for example, to Kamchatka or Abkhazia, doing the work of evangelists amid deprivations of all kinds. They are accompanied by the sympathy of all of Russia, of all believers, whose ears reach the news of their labors, expressed in word, expressed and in deed. Receiving confirmation of this attitude of believers towards them, evangelists feel how they are all relatives to them, and all of Russia is their one native home. At the same time, it is certain that these visible consolations would not cover their great hardships, if at the same time their souls were not filled with abundant grace-filled consolations, which only they know about. With these highest consolations, no consolations left and now from time to time delivered by people can be compared in any way. Because of them, they actually lose their painful sorrow and all the hardships that inevitably accompany preaching work; 2) the second type of leaving everything in our time is when someone leaves family life, in the form of the most perfect following of Christ and the most sincere union with Him, through the cleansing of the heart from passions, through special feats aimed at this, in a community of like-minded people. Whoever does this sincerely, as it should, when entering into a new spiritual cohabitation, decisively cuts off communication with kinship and everything worldly and begins to work in alienation from them. This alienation must resonate in his heart. But since it is not endured because of some vain undertaking, but out of love for the Lord, then it is worthy of retribution, according to His word, not only in the next century, but also in this one. It meets similar people in the faces and property of the monasteries, on the one hand, and in spiritual consolations, on the other. The brethren, accepting newcomers as brothers, replace for them their love with kindred love, being some a father, some a brother, and in women's monasteries - some matter, some a sister. Likewise, all the property of the monastery becomes as if it were his property: he finds here a house, fields, clothing, and food. But it must be said in relation to them that even for such, these visible consolations alone are not enough. If there were no spiritual consolations here, no one would have the patience to go through this difficult path to the end. They happen, of course, to the extent of labor, self-sacrifice and zeal for spiritual achievements. This thought is expressed by Saint Cassian the Roman (Conversations... 24, 26): “One hundred brothers, fathers and relatives are received by the one who leaves the love of a father, or mother, or son for the sake of Christ, for he passes into the sincere love of all those who work for Christ (in the monastery), where instead of one, so many fathers and brothers are attached to him with warm love. He is also enriched by the possession of houses and fields, multiplied many times over, because instead of one house, abandoned for the love of Christ, he becomes the owner of countless monastic dwellings, entering them everywhere as if he were his own”; 3) finally, now it may happen that in another family faith will be completely lost, and the spirit of the world and passions will begin to reign despotically in it. When it happens that one of the members, especially not the main ones, is not carried away by the same spirit, or the merciful Lord already arouses zeal for salvation in one of those carried away; then such people, considering it obligatory for themselves before the face of God to stand firmly in their rules, inevitably come into discord with all the established orders that are not in harmony with their mood. Through this, they are alienated from other members of the family, and they are alienated from them, and often completely crowd them out of their circle. And here are persons who left family and home, for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, and are persecuted for Christianity among Christian society from those who are called Christians! What will happen then? The same thing that the Lord promised everyone: they will meet kindred sympathy, and they will find shelter everywhere among Christians, guided by the true spirit of Christ, and gracious consolations will sweeten the sorrows of their sorrowful path, on which they are placed by the hand of Providence, building everything for the better. There are experiences of this everywhere, although impoverishments for the sake of the spirit of Christ of persons of both kinds have become very rare, that is, those who leave everything, for this last reason, and are disposed to accept them as their own. You might be interested in: