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“He sent them two by two according to His likeness” (cf. Matt. 10:5, Luke 10:1), that is, as He Himself preached freely, so let them do according to His word: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8), in order to turn out to be His imitators. Further, He sent them (so that) they would preach the truth, perform miracles and suffer disasters, as He Himself did, and thus would know that He was reflected in them, as if (in His) imprint. “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:5) is the same as what he then says: “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). When the latter did not accept them, the apostles said to them: “From here on we turn to the Gentiles” (cf. Acts 13:46). “So, behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (cf. Matt. 10:16), - he said this, in order to teach them that as long as the Shepherd is with them, (until then) nothing can harm them. And in order to strengthen them, he says: “Whoever... receives you will receive me” (cf. Matt. 10:40). “Do not take...,” he says, “gold” (Matthew 10:9), so that Judah and the one who took Achan’s life (Joshua 7:1-26), covered Gehazi with leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-27) and seduced all the people in the wilderness (Exodus 32:1-7) are not among you. And he forbade them and removed the silver (from them), lest anyone consider them to be merchants and not preachers. And he said: “a staff” (Mark 6:8), - that is, as a sign of power and humility, “not a rod” (Matthew 10:10), - because they did not go to shepherd an unbridled flock, as Moses once did. But notice also that Moses, when the flock began to act stiff-necked towards their shepherd, leaving the rod, took up the sword (Ex. 32:25-28); and since this flock 136 lived in the world, then he said to take a staff instead of a rod. Further, he did not say: “boot” (Matthew 10:10), for if they had worn them, they would have been rejected by everyone, and sandals (Mark 6:9), so that in this way they could receive a reward for their instructions. But although they were from the common people, he exalted them and likened them to Moses, who carried with him the bones of the righteous. 137 and they received and had with them the Body that justifies all bodies 138 And if Moses, by the three names of the house of Abraham, 139 reconciled God with the descendants who broke the law, how much more will they, by the three names of the Godhead, purify all the people who make up the family of Adam. “Whatever house you enter, greet the house first” (cf. Matt. 10:12), so that the Lord Himself will enter and dwell there, as he settled with Mary (Lazarus’s sister), and (so that) then they, as His disciples, would be received there. This greeting is the sacrament of His faith on earth, by which enmity is restrained, war is curbed, people mutually recognize each other. The application of this greeting was hidden under the veil of error, although the mystery of the resurrection of the dead 140 had already been foreshadowed, the likeness of which is expressed even by inanimate things, when (for example) light comes and the dawn appears, driving away the night. From that time on, people began to say greetings to each other and accept what was said, so that this calling (the wish for peace) (Matthew 10:12-13) would heal the speaker (the greeting) and bring blessing to the recipient (him). And whoever accepts only the words of this greeting, does not have the feeling it expresses in his members, as if the light spreads and is repelled by it, like the rays of the sun by the earth. This greeting is preached by name, hidden in power, comprehended by knowledge, established by sacrament, and is completely sufficient for all people. Therefore, it was sent by the Lord with the disciples as a herald, so that, clothed with the swift voice of the apostles, who were his planters, he would establish peace and prepare the way before their face. This greeting was sown in every house in order to divide and separate its members, and penetrated into all listeners in order to single out children related to it, gather around them and stay with them; discover those that were of the opposite nature and, after sowing, move away from them. This greeting, flowing from the apostles, did not dry up among their brothers, so that it would be clear that the treasure of the Lord who sent it does not become scarce. And in those who accepted him it did not change, in order to testify that his gifts (the essence) are the givers of truth and faith. For this greeting remained with the one who gave it and with those who received it, without diminishing or moving away. This greeting made it clear that the Father, by His nature, is with everyone, and showed in everyone that the Son was sent from the Father, and that He is entirely with everyone, and has His end with the Father. Since the Son is the image of the Father, he did not stop preaching and did not tire of teaching, until the omens were fulfilled in the very deeds, the images received their end in truth, the shadows were clothed with the body itself, and all the sacraments through their implementation in truth were completed, completed and exhausted. Therefore, we impart the word of Christ into the listeners who can receive it as leaven, under the influence of which they are divided, but also united; namely: they are separated and separated from the rough mass of the world, but united with Christ, Who organizes the communion of the Church. He who has a great crown must also have a great feat. Although this (usually) happens, the glory of (our) victory cannot be compared with the insignificance of the struggle. Let us beware that insidious error does not penetrate us and clothe itself with our weapons, because it changes its appearance to all colors and dissolves its cup with every kind of drink. We Christians are mysteriously the Jews, circumcised in the spirit, blessed with regeneration, and enjoying full health through the Blood of Christ and healing. “Shake the dust from your feet” (Matthew 10:14) to show that the Lord will subject them to punishment, since even the dust that sticks to them on the way is thrown onto them, so that from here they will know that those who pass along their path will return to them (as judges). He who accepts the dust shaken by the righteous, if he does not convert, becomes worthy of vengeance for the righteous who are defiled by their dust, and not by their dirt. “It will be more joyful for the land of Sodom” (Matthew 10:15), that is, since the Angels who appeared in Sodom did not perform a sign, but through the city of Sodom itself they gave a sign to the whole world. These (those who did not receive the apostles) saw signs, as it is written: “the blind see” (cf. Matt. 11:5), but in Sodom the Angels made blind those who (them) saw (Gen. 19:11). So, it will be more joyful for the city of Sodom, which has committed every evil of this kind. Further, the city that does not receive His disciples will be given a sentence more severe than those (Sodomites), because Sodom sinned against the Angels; this same city, which does not accept disciples, rejects the Lord Himself: “he who rejects you rejects Me” (Luke 10:16). “Therefore be... simple as doves... and... wise as serpents” (cf. Matthew 10:16). What he says (further): “Beware of... people” (Matthew 10:17) - this means (beware) not of those people who will betray you, but of those who “come to you in... the clothing... of sheep, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). “Whatever city you enter and they do not receive you,... flee from here to another city, and if they drive you out of it,... flee again to another city” (cf. Matt. 10:23). This did not apply to all people, but he said about some disciples, because (at that time) a new sermon was beginning, and their number was small. So that they would not unite against them and destroy the memory of them from the earth and (thus) not would have prevented the planting of His gospel among the nations and His teaching and instruction in the creatures, for this reason he said: “If you are driven out of one country, then flee to another” (cf. Matt. 10:23). If the apostles had not fled at the time when Stephen was stoned (Acts 7:57-60), then they themselves, of course, would not have escaped the torment. His commandment for all generations, then who would dare to subject themselves to martyrdom for His sake? Further, in order to show that he did not spare the apostles from martyrdom, once again - understand this well - he encouraged them so that they would not be afraid or grieve if something similar to what He showed them in Himself happened to them when He did not run away from those who were supposed to lead Him to the Cross, and clearly told them about this in the following words: “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). And he said: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul” (cf. Matt. 10:28). And so we see that those who were told: “flee all of you” (cf. Matt. 10:23), one after another offer themselves as sacrifices of praise, as a testimony to all nations. Or: since he gave them great power when he chose them, for such (power) was necessary at that time, so that they would not become proud of this power, he taught them humility, saying: “If they drive you out of one city, flee to another” (cf. Matt. 10:23). Likewise, the Lord, while he was with them, did not allow them what they asked for, saying: “Do you want us to speak, and fire will come down... and destroy them?” (cf. Luke 9:54). And since the disciples thought to themselves, for he said: “Do not go to... the Samaritans and the pagans” (cf. Matt. 10:5), and added: “You from one city, run to another” (cf. Matt. 10:23): “What will we do if there are no cities?” - Therefore, he strengthened their spirit, saying: “Truly I tell you, you will not have time to go around this city before I come to you” (cf. Matt. 10:23). Since he wanted to come after (His) resurrection, he said: “You will not have time to go around the whole city before I come to you.” Namely, he sent them to the cities that He Himself wanted to come to. Or (the words): “you will not have time to get around them” (cf. Matt. 10:23) - mean that after His three-day resurrection, which is His appearance, His power will come to them. And if you understand well, (with these words) he told them that (first) they would be expelled from many cities, and then (already) He would appear to them; however, in reality he did not do so, but by His appearance he unexpectedly brought help to their cowardice 141, for after the resurrection he appeared to them, strengthened them and renewed them with a breath (John 20:21-23). “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light” (Matt. 10:27), that is, what I tell you in secret, proclaim with a loud voice, which he explains, saying: “Whatever you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops” (Matt. 10:27). Or: by saying “in the dark” he meant the (Jewish) people, and by saying “in the light” he meant the (pagan) peoples. And he says: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body” (cf. Matt. 10:28), in order to teach that people have power only over the body; God also (rules) over souls, so that He can send them to Gehenna. And if they object: “How are souls destroyed in Gehenna, when corruption and death have no power over them?” - and if they ask: “How does the body perish there, when, without a doubt, there is a worm and gnashing of teeth there?” - then in this passage of Scripture a clear answer is given (to this): because not only the immortal soul does not die, but also the body, for it also endures without perishing 142 . The words: “who destroys the body” (cf. Matt. 10:28) are spoken about temporary death. After all, if the body really perished, then it would not be in Gehenna, because Gehenna torments living bodies, and kills not decayed bodies. Since many are afraid of corruption and, due to temporary death, are crushed in spirit, the Lord wanted to inspire and teach them with this word that they should be more afraid of the One who destroys soul and body in Gehenna. So, souls do not die so that they are (at the same time) destroyed by death, just as God does not take away His gifts, which are given (to Him) without repentance, and the sure promise of the resurrection of the body will never be in vain. “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 10:28), because the soul does not die; for if she were subject to death, then we should be afraid. In this (same) state of affairs (we) should not fear for our body, which is being destroyed, since not the soul, but God (only) can cause the destruction of the body. This means that just as God forms a body that is destroyed, so He also creates the soul; and He who created body and soul out of nothing can also revive them (after death) after they have begun to exist. For the immortal soul cannot give life to dead bodies, but only God is the One who does this. Do not be afraid, he says, those who destroy this life of yours cannot destroy your same life. He said this because the disciples heard and could hear from the Sadducees and others that there would be no resurrection (of the dead). “Two... small birds are sold for assarium” (Matthew 10:29). Two, not one. I wanted to show the insignificance of a small bird. For what has a high price is sold alone, and what is cheap is sold together, like grass. “And not one of them will fall to the ground without the will of your Father” (Matthew 10:29). If small birds, which are insignificant in value and represent, as it were, a shadow, are not caught, then he did not say: “without the will of God,” but: “without the will of your Father,” which is the Father’s providence for insignificant things, doesn’t it serve for us as an excellent proof of the greater care and love that He has for us? “Confession of this... before the Father” (cf. Matt. 10:32), as if to say: “Come, ye blessed of My Father” (Matthew 25:34). And what he says: “I will renounce him” (cf. Matt. 10:33), - (the same thing), as there; “I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12), not because they were in any way hidden from Him, but because He does not recognize them as His own. Understand how well he knew them, for he rejects them and does not accept them. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to earth” (Matthew 10:34). Where is it that they say to everyone: “Christ came to... reconcile what is in heaven and what is on earth?” (cf. Col. 1:20). Of course, the Lord proclaimed peace, just as the apostle says: “He made peace for us” (cf. Eph. 2:14), and in another place: “those who received Him, peace be upon them” (cf. Gal. 6:16). But, on the other hand, He did not bring peace due to the fact that through Him the faithful were separated from the unfaithful. “I came to separate a man from his father,” etc. (Matthew 10:35). They are divided, he says, by thought, because they do not think correctly about faith, since One worships God in one way, and another in another way. The Sword (Matthew 10:34) 143 says to cut off harmful love from souls and send an arrow of His sweet love at them. “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it” (cf. Matt. 10:39). How can we understand this when both saving and loss are announced about the same soul? It is the one who confesses (the Lord) before the persecutors who loses his soul, but finds (it) with the Lord. He says: “He who loses his life for My sake will save it” (Matthew 10:39). So, whoever loses his soul for Christ’s sake must necessarily save it with Christ; for God, for whose sake the soul is lost, takes care to preserve (it), since His hand is a hand that reaches out to everything, and His arm is stronger than anything, so that it can snatch it (the soul) from everywhere. He made His love, with which it embraces all people, lesser and more guilty of all, so that the love of people, with which they embrace the Lord of all, could be presented as superior to all. “Whoever does not love... Me... more than his own life,” etc. (cf. Matt. 10:37). “Mary came... and sat at the feet of Jesus” (cf. Luke 10:39), that is, she sat, as it were, on solid ground at His feet, which also gave forgiveness of sins to his sinner wife. Since she obtained for herself an adornment to enter the Kingdom of the Only Begotten, she “chose only the good part,” namely: the Good Christ, so that “forever,” as it is said, “will not be taken away from her” (cf. Luke 10:42). Martha's love was more fussy than Mary's, because when Christ first came, Martha served Him. The flock that the apostles were to shepherd. Joseph, son of Jacob (Gen. 50:24–26). That is names of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. "Resurrection of the dead" instead of "redemption", of which it is the beginning and the end. The thought of St. Ephraim, apparently, is that before the commandment of the Lord, the greeting with peace, due to error, was not used in human society. According to Saint Ephraim, a long time had to pass between the persecution of the apostles and the appearance of Christ, which was actually shortened by the mercy of the Lord. Souls perish in Gehenna just as bodies perish in it, that is, they suffer. That is: “I came to bring.” You might be interested in: