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Luke 12:1. Meanwhile, when thousands of people gathered so that they crowded each other, The Pharisees tried to catch the Lord at his word in order to turn the people away from Him, but the opposite happened. Even more people gathered: many “thousands” gathered, and everyone was so eager to get closer to Him that “they crowded each other.” So the truth is strong, but lies are powerless everywhere! He first began to say to His disciples: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Jesus, knowing the deceit of the Pharisees, seeing that they only seemed to be asking questions, but in fact were seeking under Him, spoke to His disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, no doubt in order to expose them and reveal the complete hypocrisy of their hearts. The Lord calls hypocrisy “leaven” because it is tart, full of ancient malice, changes and corrupts the way of thinking of those people to whom it affects. For nothing changes morals more than hypocrisy. Therefore, the disciples of Christ must avoid hypocrisy. For Christ, being the Truth (John 14:6), is obviously opposed to falsehood. And all hypocrisy, appearing different in appearance and being different in practice, is full of lies. Luke 12:2. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be known. Luke 12:3. Therefore, what you said in the darkness will be heard in the light; and what was spoken in the ear within the house will be proclaimed on the housetops. Although the Pharisees, he says, think to hide behind hypocrisy, counterfeiting their good morals, however, “there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. For all words and thoughts will be presented in all their nakedness at the final judgment (1 Cor. 4:5). And in real life, many secrets are usually revealed. Therefore, “what you said in the dark” and “what you spoke... inside the house” and in secret, “will be proclaimed” in the light and from the housetops. Apparently, He says this to the disciples, and meanwhile directs it against the Pharisees, hinting at their treachery, and although He apparently says this to the disciples, He expresses it to the Pharisees as if it were: Pharisees! What you planned in the darkness, in your dark hearts, wanting to catch Me, will be heard and recognized in the light, for “I am the light” (John 8:12), and you cannot hide from Me, but in Me - the Light - everything that your darkness is planning will be recognized. And what you decided among yourselves in your ear became known to Me as if it had been proclaimed from high rooftops. And you can also understand this in such a way that the light is the Gospel, and the high roofs are the high souls of the apostles. What the Pharisees planned was subsequently proclaimed and heard in the light of the Gospel, when the great Preacher, the Holy Spirit, stood on the high souls of the apostles. After the Lord exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, turned His disciples away from it, and meanwhile again struck the Pharisees with the words: “What you said in the darkness will be heard in the light,” He now turns to His friends with a speech about something more perfect. Having already pulled out thorns, he sows good seed. Luke 12:4. I say to you, My friends: What was said before did not apply to them, but to the Pharisees. So I tell you, My friends. For this word does not go to everyone, but to those who loved Him with all their souls and can say: “Who will separate us from the love of God?” (Rom. 8:35). This belief is fitting for such people. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and then are unable to do anything more; Luke 12:5. but I will tell you whom to fear: fear the one who, after killing, can throw you into Gehenna: I tell you, fear him. “Do not be afraid,” he says, “of those who kill the body” and cannot harm in any way. For the harm from those who harm the body does not consist in many things. The body will tolerate what is characteristic of it even if they do not harm. But one must be afraid of the one who punishes not only the body, but also the soul; he subjects an immortal being to endless torment, and, moreover, in fire. In this way, Christ teaches His friends spiritual courage, makes them witnesses and drives away human fear from them. People, he says, extend their malice only to the corruptible body, and the end of their machinations against us is carnal death. But when God executes, then he does not stop at the flesh alone, but the unfortunate soul itself is subjected to torment. Note from this that death leads sinners to execution: they are punished here too, being killed, and there they are thrown into Gehenna. Analyzing this saying, you will understand something else. Look, the Lord did not say: fear the one “who... after killing” “throws” into Gehenna, but: “who... can throw.” For dying sinners are not necessarily cast into Gehenna, but it is in the power of God to forgive, for example, for the sake of those offerings and alms that are given to the dead and which bring considerable benefit even to those who die in grave sins. So, God does not unconditionally cast into Gehenna after killing, but has the power to cast. Let us also continually be diligent in alms and prayers and with them propitiate the One who has the power to overthrow, but does not necessarily use this power, and can even forgive. Luke 12:6. Are not five small birds sold for two assars? and not one of them is forgotten by God. Many, he says, think that those who die for the truth are abandoned by God; but don't think so. You will die not because you will be abandoned by Me. For if God does not forget one of the sparrows that are sold cheaply, much less should your death be forgotten, My friends, as if I did not care about you. Luke 12:7. And even the hairs on your head are all numbered. So, do not be afraid: you are worth more than many small birds. On the contrary, I have such care for you that I know everything about you to the finest detail; for example, with Me “your hairs are also numbered.” So, if I allow you to fall into temptation; then, without a doubt, I will also give strength to endure (1 Cor. 10:13). And often, when I see someone weak, I will not allow him to fall into temptation. For, being careful and knowing everything, and having the smallest things in mind, I will arrange for everyone what is decent and useful. If you observe, you will find that in Scripture everything that is male is considered to be mature enough and generally worthy of divine reckoning (Ex. 18:21; Num. 26:62). By “head” we should understand the Christ-pleasing life of each of the believers, and by “hair” its most private deeds, by which the body is killed, which are counted by God and taken into account. For such deeds of yours are worthy of the sight of God. By the “five” sparrows, some mean the five senses, which, being redeemed by two assars, that is, at the cost of the Old and New Testaments, are not forgotten by God. For whoever moderates his feelings and subordinates them to reason, so that they are not useful for spiritual nutrition, is not forgotten by God. Luke 12:8. But I say to you: everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess it before the angels of God; Luke 12:9. and whoever rejects Me before men will be rejected before the angels of God. Now offers rewards for confessing faith. Since He said: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body,” and added that “your hairs are also numbered,” lest anyone say: Give me some kind of reward, for what will happen to me if You have numbered my hairs. He says (to him): do you want a reward? Listen. Whoever confesses (faith) in Me will be recognized by Me before God. He said: he confesses “in Me,” that is, with My assistance and My power, and I confess him “in him,” that is, with his assistance. For just as we first need God, since we cannot do anything without Him (John 15:5), so God needs us. For if He does not find worthy deeds in us, He does not accept us; otherwise He would be partial. So, we confess in “Him,” that is, with His assistance, and He “in us,” that is, with our assistance. For if we do not give Him a reason, He will not testify for us. But he who rejects is not rejected by the power of God, which is why He did not add: “By Me,” but said: whoever rejects “Me.” Since every saint abides in Christ, and Christ in him (John 15:5), then perhaps this is not why he said this: whoever (Me) confesses “in Me,” that is, while abiding, him I also confess, abiding in him. Luke 12:10. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; This means: whoever speaks blasphemy against Me, in appearance as a simple son of man, eating, drinking, dealing with tax collectors and harlots, whether he repents or does not repent of his blasphemy, he will be forgiven. For to such a person his unbelief is not considered a sin. For what did he see that was conducive to faith? On the contrary, what did he not see worthy of blasphemy? He saw a man treating harlots and spoke blasphemy against him, and therefore sin was not imputed to him. For naturally he might think, what kind of Son of God is he who deals with harlots? Therefore, the one who does this, and yet pretends to be the Son of God, he can revile and call him a deceiver. and whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. These words have such meaning. Whoever, seeing Divine signs and great and extraordinary deeds, does not believe and blasphemes the actions of the Holy Spirit, attributing them to Beelzebub, spewing “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” and saying that these signs are performed by the evil spirit, and not by God, unless he repents, will not be excused and forgiven. He who speaks blasphemy against the Son of Man is not charged with sin, and therefore he is forgiven even without repentance, but he who sees the works of the Spirit of God and blasphemes without repentance will not be forgiven, but will be counted as the greatest sin. Luke 12:11. When they bring you to the synagogues, to the rulers and powers, do not worry about how or what to answer or what to say. Our weakness is of two kinds: we run away from confessing faith either out of fear of punishment, or out of simplicity and inability to give an answer in our faith. The Lord healed the fear of punishment with the words: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.” Now He heals the fear that comes from simplicity. Since few “wise according to the flesh” (1 Cor. 1:26) believed, and most were simple, He says: do not be afraid, you uneducated and simpleton, and do not worry about how or what to answer when questioned by a ruler or what to say in another case - you will have a different way of speaking. Luke 12:12. for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should say. Therefore, what need is there to care if at that hour you will be taught by the Holy Spirit? So, on both sides, it strengthens us for the feat of confession, healing the fear of both bodily weakness and the fear of simplicity and ignorance. Luke 12:13. One of the people said to Him: Teacher! tell my brother to share the inheritance with me. Luke 12:14. He said to the man, “Who made Me a judge or a divider between you?” In order to teach us how little we should care about worldly things and be concerned with earthly things, the Lord sends away from Himself the one who asked His order about the division of the father’s inheritance, and therefore says: “Who made Me to judge or divide you?” . Since this man did not ask for what was useful and necessary for salvation, but asked Him to be a divider of earthly and temporary possessions, the Lord sends him away as restless and unwilling to learn anything necessary; however, he does it meekly, not menacingly. But by this act, without a doubt, He teaches all His listeners, both then and now, not to care about anything earthly and temporary, not to argue about it with the brothers, and even to give in to them if they want to be covetous (for he says: “from the one who took what you have, do not demand it back” (Luke 6:30)), and to seek what is useful and necessary for the salvation of the soul. Luke 12:15. At the same time he said to them: take heed, beware of covetousness, That’s why he added these words: “See, beware of covetousness,” he urged us to avoid covetousness as if it were some kind of devil’s pit. To whom did He say this: “See, beware of covetousness”? These two brothers. Since they had a dispute about inheritance and, probably, one of the two of them offended the other, He turns to them about covetousness. For it is a great evil. Therefore, the Apostle Paul calls it “idolatry” (Col. 3:5), perhaps because it is appropriate only for those who do not know God, or, what is more fair, because the idols of the pagans are “silver and gold” (Ps. 113:12). He who worships silver and gold is like an idolater, because he and others worship and pay veneration to the same substance. for a man's life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions. So, the excess must run. Why? Because “a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his property,” that is, the measure of this life is not commensurate with the abundance of his property. For if someone has a lot, it does not mean that he will live long. Longevity does not depend on a lot of wealth. The Lord says this to refute the thoughts of lovers of wealth. Lovers of wealth seem to care about wealth because they want to live, and they collect from everywhere because they intend to live long. Therefore, the Lord says: unfortunate and poor! Will your many possessions really add to your longevity? Why are you clearly suffering because of an unknown peace? For it is not yet known whether you will reach the old age for which you are collecting; otherwise it is obvious that now you are spending (your life) on acquiring property. Luke 12:16. And he told them a parable: A certain rich man had a good harvest in his field; Having said that a person’s life does not become longer because of the abundance of his possessions, (the Lord) also gives a parable to confirm His words. And look how He depicts to us the insatiable thoughts of a crazy rich man. God created His intention and showed special compassion. For not in one place, but throughout “the rich man’s field there was a good harvest”; and he was so sterile in mercy that, before he received it, he withheld it. Luke 12:17. and he reasoned with himself: what should I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruits Look at the pleasures of the rich man. "What should I do?" Are these not the same words that the poor man pronounces? What should I do? I have nothing to eat, nothing to wear. Consider, perhaps, the words of the rich man: “What should I do? I... have nowhere... to gather the fruits” of many. It's good to have peace of mind! And the poor man says: what should I do? I don’t have... And the rich man says: what should I do? I don’t have... What do we get from collecting so much? We do not take advantage of calm, and obviously from worries; unless we accumulate a multitude of sins for ourselves. Luke 12:18. And he said, “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, And if next summer there is an even greater harvest in the field, will you break it down and build it again? And what is the need to break down and build? The wombs of the poor - these are your granaries. They can contain a lot, they are indestructible and imperishable, for they are heavenly and divine, just as he who feeds the poor feeds God. and I will gather there all my bread and all my goods, This is another rich man's madness. “My bread and all my goods.” He does not consider them a gift from God, for, otherwise, he would be positioned in relation to them as God’s steward, but considers them the fruit of his own labors. Therefore, appropriating them for himself, he says: “my bread and... my goods.” “I,” he says, “have no accomplice, I will not share with anyone. All this good is not God’s, but mine, so I will be the only one to enjoy it, and I will not accept God as a participant in enjoying it. This is clearly crazy. Let's look further. Luke 12:19. and I will say to my soul: soul! you have a lot of good things lying around for many years: He assigns himself a long life, as if he received long life from the land he cultivates. Is this really your work? Is this really your good? rest, eat, drink, be merry. Wonderful blessings of the soul! Eating and drinking is good for the foolish soul. However, since you yourself have such a soul, you rightly offer it such benefits. But the good of the rational soul is to understand, reason, and enjoy the Law of God and good thoughts. For you, madman, food and drink are not enough; do you offer your soul the next shameful and stingy pleasure? For it is obvious that the Lord used the word “rejoice” to designate the passion of debauchery, which usually follows satiety with food and drink (Phil. 3:19; Eph. 5:18). Luke 12:20. But God said to him: crazy! this night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared? It is said this way: “But God told him” not because God spoke with the rich man, but these words have such a meaning that when the rich man thought so proudly within himself, then “God told him” (for this is what the parable implies). God calls the rich man crazy because in his soul he believed the most insane advice, as we have shown. For every person is foolish and vain, just as David says: “man is vain,” and the reason for this is that “he gathers and does not know who will get it” (Ps. 38:7). For how is he not mad who does not know that the measure of life is in the hands of God alone and that no one can determine life for himself? Pay attention to the word: “they will take”. Terrible Angels, like cruel tax collectors, “will take from you... your soul” against your will, since you, out of love for life, have appropriated the blessings here. The soul of a righteous man is not taken away, but he gives it over to God and the Father of spirits with joy and gladness and does not feel any discomfort when laying down his body, for his body has, as it were, a light weight. But the sinner, having embodied the soul, making it body and earth, makes it extremely difficult to separate it. That is why it is said that the soul will be “taken” from him, as if from some stubborn debtor, delivered into the hands of cruel collectors. Accept this too. The Lord did not say: I will take your soul, but “they will take it.” For “the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God” (Wis. 3:1). And truly from such a person “at night” they will take the soul, for he does not have the illuminating light of knowledge of God, but is in the night of wealth and, darkened by it, is captured by death. Luke 12:21. This is what happens to those who store up treasures for themselves and do not become rich in God. Thus, “whoever collects treasures for himself” is rightly called insane and does not have time to carry out his intentions, but at the very time of drawing up plans he is decisively expelled from among the living. But if he had collected for the poor and for God, this would not have been done to him. Therefore, we will try to “grow rich in God,” that is, trust in Him, consider Him our wealth and repository of wealth. Let us not say: the goods are “mine”, but the goods of God. If God’s goods are good, then let us not alienate God from His goods. To grow rich in God means to believe that if I give and exhaust everything (my own), then even then I will not lack anything necessary. For the treasury of my goods is God: I open and take what is needed. Luke 12:22. And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I say to you, Little by little the Lord ascends to the teaching of supreme perfection. Notice the order. He taught us to beware of covetousness and added the parable of the rich man to prove that he who desires a lot is foolish. Extending the teaching further, He does not allow us to worry about the necessary. Just as the devil, starting with small sins, plunges us into large ones, which is why he is called in Job (Job 4:11) “a mighty lion,” so, on the contrary, the Lord, destroying his deeds, first teaches us to avoid great sins, and then shows the beginning of them. Having commanded us to beware of covetousness, he comes to the root of it, that is, worries, in order to cut off the root, and says: “Therefore I say to you.” - Do not worry about your soul, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will wear: Since,” he says, “the one who assigns himself a long life and, deluded by this, desires more, is insane, as was the aforementioned rich man, therefore I tell you: “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat.” I said this not because the rational soul eats, but because the soul, apparently, is kept in connection with the body only under the condition that we eat food. And otherwise: the body, although dead, dresses, but no longer eats. Since eating is characteristic of the animate body, He rightly attributed the use of food to the soul. Or: isn’t nourishing power called soul? So, the nourishing part of the unreasonable soul does not worry about what you eat, nor about your body, what you wear. Behind this represents the foundation. Luke 12:23. the soul is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. The One who gave more, namely the soul, will not also give food? He who gave the body will not also give the clothing? Then he proves it with the example of ravens. Luke 12:24. Look at the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; They have neither storehouses nor granaries, and God feeds them; How much better are you than the birds? He points to birds in order to make us more remorseful. He could have cited the example of the holy prophets, such as Elijah and Moses, but for greater shame he points to birds. Then he presents another basis. Luke 12:25. And which of you, by caring, can add even one cubit to his height? Luke 12:26. So, if you can’t do even the slightest thing, why are you worrying about the rest? Tell me, please, what profit do you get from your worries? Are you adding even the slightest bit to your height? No, on the contrary, you even exhaust your body, because care dries out. If you can’t add even the slightest thing, why are you worrying about the rest? It is obvious that as God gives growth, so he will give other things. Luke 12:27. Look at the lilies, how they grow: they do not toil, they do not spin; but I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them. Luke 12:28. If God clothes the grass in the field, which is there today and thrown into the oven tomorrow, then how much more so than you, you of little faith! And the Lord set the example of lilies for our greater understanding. For if God dresses the lilies in such a way that the glory of Solomon could never compare with any of them, and moreover, since beauty is not necessary for the lilies, will He not much more dress us, His most honest creation, when, moreover, clothing is necessary for our body? Why, they will say, do you command us not to cultivate the land? I did not say: do not till the land, but do not worry. I do not forbid you to do it, but I forbid you to worry, that is, to have hope in yourself. And whoever does and trusts in God lives carefree. It is clear that He eradicates care because it removes it from God. Luke 12:29. So, do not look for what you should eat or what you should drink, and do not worry, Luke 12:30. because all this is what the people of this world are looking for; Then he says: “Do not look for what you will eat or what you will drink, and do not worry.” Worry (in Church Slavonic - exaltation) calls, without a doubt, nothing more than entertainment and the fickle direction of the mind, thinking about this or that, jumping from one to another and always dreaming of something higher. Doesn't that mean chasing meteors? The Lord forbids such and such care, as it removes us from God, or frivolity, saying that “the people of this world seek all this.” For care does not stop at what is necessary, but, as I said, it always seeks something higher, which is why it is called upward movement. For example, we don't have bread. We first worry about where to get it from, but we don’t stop there, but want to get bread from excellent wheat; then we want wine, and a flowery and fragrant one at that; then we want something fried, and made from hazel grouse or pheasants. Do you see what care and frivolity are like? Therefore, the Lord decisively suppresses it, for this is what the pagans are looking for. but your Father knows that you have need; Then he presents another reason, namely: that our Father knows what we need, and presents not one, but many reasons. He says: He is the “Father”, and if the Father, then how can he not give? Moreover, He “knows” because He does not know. Yes, and you “have a need,” for this is not superfluous, but necessary. So, if He is the Father and you have a need, and He knows, then how can He not give? Luke 12:31. Seek above all else the Kingdom of God, and all this will be added to you. Therefore, first of all, “seek the Kingdom of God,” and reject concern for the things of life, as they remove you from Him, and then all this will be given to you. Do you see what God is like? If you seek little, you do what is displeasing to Him, for you offend His generosity; if you seek great things, you will receive them, and little things will be given to you. For if He sees that you are busy seeking His Kingdom, then He will, of course, provide for you in your needs. Don’t we even act this way in our affairs? And we care more about those who have completely given themselves over to our care, and we are so prudent towards them, as if they themselves did not look after themselves? How much more will the Lord do this? So, the Lord puts an end to caring about the things of this life in order to convince us to seek His Kingdom: for with caring about the things of this life this is impossible. Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock! The Lord calls those who want to be His disciples a “small flock,” either because there are very few saints in this world due to the required arbitrary poverty and lack of covetousness, or because there are fewer of them than the Angels, whose hosts are innumerable and incomparably exceed the number of us. And that there are many more Angels, this is clear from the parable in which the Lord said that the shepherd rejoices over one lost and found again than over ninety-nine who are not lost (Luke 15:7). For from this it is clear that just as the one is related to the ninety-nine, so the human race is related to the angelic world. for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. “Do not be afraid,” he says, “little flock,” that is, do not doubt that God will provide for you, even if you yourself do not care about yourself. Why? Because “the Father... has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.” If He gives the Kingdom, then much more will He give earthly objects. Luke 12:33. Sell ​​your property and give alms. So, do not think that if you do not internalize poverty, then there will be no Provider for you, but sell your property, give alms and make the treasure inexhaustible. Prepare for yourselves sheaths that do not wear out, a never-failing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys, Then he convinces us with indisputable conclusions. Here, he says, moths eat, but in the sky they don’t. So, isn't it crazy to put treasure in a place where it gets damaged? Then, since moths do not eat gold, He added: “where a thief does not approach.” For if the moth does not eat the gold, then the thief steals it. Luke 12:34. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Then, since not everyone is robbed, He adds an even greater and completely irrefutable reason. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Let it be, he says, that even a moth will not eat, and a thief will not approach, but the very enslavement of the heart to a treasure buried in the ground and the casting into the ground of a god-like being of what soul is worthy of punishment? Isn't the punishment more severe for the one who has intelligence? Where your treasure is, there your heart will be. If the treasure is in the earth, then the heart is in it; if the treasure is in heaven, then the heart is sorrow. Who would not choose better to be a mountain than underground, to be an Angel than a mole living in underground holes? Luke 12:35. Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning. The Lord, having made His disciple free from superfluity, abolished him from all worldly cares and arrogance and thus made him light, makes him a servant. For whoever wants to serve must be light and efficient. Therefore, he says: “Let your loins be girded,” that is, you are always ready for the works of your master, and “the lamps are burning,” that is, do not live in darkness and without reasoning, but let the light of reason show you everything that should and should not be done. So, this world is night. Those who are girded at the loins lead an active life. For such is the attire of the workers. They also need burning lamps. For in an active life, the gift of reasoning is also necessary, that is, so that the actor can recognize not only what he should do, but also how he should do it. For many did good, but did not do it well. Although such were girded around the loins, since they acted, they did not have burning lamps, that is, they did not have rational reasoning, but fell either into pride or into another abyss of madness. Consider also that first our loins are girded, then the lamps are lit. For first comes activity, then contemplation, which is the illumination of our mind. For the lamp, our mind, is then called burning when the light of God shines in it. So, let us carefully practice virtue, so that we may have both our lamps burning, that is, the inner word and the spoken word, the inner word illuminating everything in the soul, and the spoken word shining on the tongue. For the inner lamp enlightens us, and the teaching and spoken word gives light to others. Luke 12:36. And you be like people who wait for their master to return from marriage, so that when he comes and knocks, they will immediately open the door for him. And we must be “like people waiting for their... master... to return from marriage.” Who else is this Master if not Christ Jesus? He, having taken human nature as a bride and united it with Himself, created marriage, clinging to her as one flesh. And He does not create just one marriage, but many, for in heaven He daily reproaches the souls of the saints, whom Paul or someone like Paul presents to him as pure virgins (2 Cor. 11:2). He returns from the heavenly marriage, perhaps openly before everyone, at the end of the universe, when He comes from heaven in the glory of the Father, or perhaps, invisibly and unexpectedly appearing at any time, at the death of each in particular. So, blessed is the one whom He finds girded at the loins, that is, ready to serve God with the active part of Christian wisdom, and having a burning lamp of word and reasoning, not only doing good, but doing it well and, moreover, having received contemplation as if it were some kind of lamp. For through the girding around our loins, the lamp of contemplation becomes burning, and even two lamps, the internal and the external. Luke 12:37. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, finds awake; Truly I tell you, he will gird himself and make them sit down, and he will come and serve them. For such a servant, the Lord himself becomes the servant. For it is said: “And he will seat them, and, approaching, will serve them.” God girds himself because he does not pour out all the fullness of blessings to us, but withholds it. For who can contain God as He is? This is also seen in the Seraphim, who are covered from the superiority of the Divine light (Isa. 6:2). He places good slaves on the bed, that is, He calms everyone down in everything. For just as he who lies on a bed calms the whole body, so at the future coming all the saints will be calmed in all respects. Here they find no rest for the body, but there, together with their souls and their bodies, spiritual and divine, having inherited incorruption, they will enjoy perfect peace, and God will be all in all of them (1 Cor. 15:28). The Lord “will serve” the worthy (slaves), giving them equal. As they served Him, so He will serve them, offering them abundant meals and giving them the enjoyment of spiritual gifts. Luke 12:38. And if he comes in the second watch, and in the third watch, and finds them like this, then blessed are those servants. By “second and third watches” you can mean different times of our lives. I'll explain with an example. Just as the one who does not sleep “in the second and... third watch” is considered the most vigilant, for these hours of the night especially give people sleep, and the first sleep: so understand, perhaps, that in various states of our life there are times that, if we find ourselves awake during them, make us blissful. Has anyone stolen your property? Have your children died? Has anyone slandered you? If in such circumstances you found yourself vigilant before God and the Master and did not allow yourself to do anything contrary to His commandments, then He truly found you vigilant “in the second and... third watch,” that is, during difficult times in which careless souls fall and fall asleep in the sleep of death. Luke 12:39. You know that if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief would come, he would have been awake and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. So, it is necessary to stay awake. For we are like the owner of the house. If he is awake, then the thief cannot steal anything from his property; if he is sleepy, then the thief will take everything and leave. Some here mean the devil by the thief, the soul by the house, and the man by the owner of the house. However, such an understanding does not seem to fit the connection of speech. Here the coming of the Lord is likened to a thief, because of its unexpectedness, just as one of the apostles says: “The day of the Lord is like a thief in the night” (2 Pet. 3:10). Luke 12:40. Be ready, too, for at an hour you do not think, the Son of Man will come. And here, look how the Lord explains who a thief is. “Be, then,” he says, “you too are ready, for at an hour when you do not think, the Son of Man will come.” Some say that those who are vigilant in the first watch are those who are more attentive than others, those who are vigilant in the second watch are those who are inferior to them, and those who are vigilant in the third watch are those who are inferior to them. And others the guards explained about different ages: the first - about youth, the second - about courage, and the third - about old age. So, blessed is he who, at any age, is found vigilant and not careless regarding virtue. Luke 12:41. Then Peter said to Him: Lord! Are you speaking this parable to us, or to everyone? Peter, as caring for everyone and out of brotherly love, zealous for the benefit of the listeners and as having already received the Church into his trust, asked (the Lord): “Is He speaking this parable to everyone?” The Lord does not clearly answer his question, but secretly shows that although the parable told is general and applies to all believers, no matter who they are, it also applies to you - the apostles and in general those honored with teaching or leadership. Listen. Luke 12:42. The Lord said: Who is a faithful and prudent steward? The above parable, he says, is decent for many, but now he speaks about those who are worthy of leadership: I am perplexed who will turn out to have both, that is, fidelity and prudence. For such are rare and difficult to find. Just as in the management of an ordinary estate, if someone is faithful to his master, but is unreasonable, he squanders the master’s property, because he does not know how to manage it as he should, when it is necessary to give, he does not give, but loses much more, and in the same way, if someone is prudent and resourceful, but unfaithful, he can be a thief, and the less catchable, the more prudent he is, so in divine objects, fidelity and prudence are needed together. For I know many who, apparently, are zealous for virtue, and fear God, and have faith, but, since they could not prudently manage church affairs, they damaged not only their property, but also their souls. For example, if someone falls into a spiritual crime, but the leader is not prudent, but has only faith, that is, unconscious virtue, then the fallen person may suffer harm either from excessive severity, or from his inappropriate meekness, and will not be healed, but will be crushed. whom the master appointed over his servants to distribute to them in due season a measure of bread? So, whoever is found faithful and prudent will be placed “over the servants” of the Lord, that is, over all His servants, so that to each “in due time... to distribute... a certain measure of bread,” that is, either a dogmatic teaching that feeds souls, or a model of activity and an outline of how one should live. Luke 12:43. Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, finds doing this. Luke 12:44. Truly I say to you, he will put him over all his possessions. If he is found doing this, then he will be blessed, and the Lord will “set him... over all his possessions,” not only over slaves, but also over everything, honoring him with the highest degree, so that earthly and heavenly things will be subject to him, as were, for example, Joshua and Elijah. One of them commanded the sun, and the other - the clouds of heaven (Joshua 10:12; 1 Kings 17:1). And all saints in general, as friends of God, enjoy the property of their Friend. And friends usually have everything in common (Acts 4:32). And everyone who, in a serene life, practices active virtue and subjugates the slave passions - anger and lust, giving each of them in due time a certain amount of food, anger, for example, hatred of those who hate the Lord and irritation against His enemies (Ps. 138, 21), lust - concern only for what is necessary for the flesh, and complete aspiration - towards God, everyone is blessed: he will achieve contemplation, and will be placed over all the possessions (that exist) of the Lord; he will be honored with a contemplative mind to contemplate and observe everything, not only what does not exist in itself, but also what in the proper sense exists, that is, eternal. Luke 12:45. If that servant says in his heart: My master will not come soon, and begins to beat the servants and maidservants, eat and drink and get drunk, - Woe to those slaves who, having received the gift of spiritual leadership, destroy the economy entrusted to them, drink and become intoxicated, will you understand this about sensual drunkenness (for this also happens to bad priests of churches who squander the property of the poor), or will you understand by drunkenness the corruption of the mind in teaching and the disposal of property. Such leaders beat servants and maids, that is, by seducing the weakest members of the church, they kill their conscience. For the weak and cowardly, seeing that I, the bishop, am leading a bad life, is tempted by this and killed by his conscience, takes blows in the heart and becomes even weaker. And all this happens to the wicked servant because he said in his heart: “My master will not come soon.” For this kind of behavior comes from carelessness and lack of reflection about the hour of death. If we kept in mind that the Lord is coming, that the end of the world and the end of our life are at the door, then we would sin less. Luke 12:46. then the master of that servant will come on a day on which he does not expect, and at an hour on which he does not think, and will cut him in pieces, Note the punishment too. “He will cut him,” he says, “that is, he will deprive him of the gift of teaching. So that someone does not think that this gift will help him get rid of severe punishment, He says: how will the gift help him when he does not have it at that time? For to be cut in half means to be deprived of grace. Such a one, being flesh and not spirit, will then be worthy of regret, since, according to the Apostle, we then live in the Spirit when the Spirit of God lives in us (Rom. 8:9). and will subject him to the same fate as the infidels. And whoever is found walking not according to the spirit, but according to the flesh and not participating in spiritual life, will be placed along with the infidel, since he will be condemned with the infidel world, as having received no benefit from an imaginary faith. For there was no true faith in him. If he had true faith, he would have been a faithful steward. And now, since he drank and got drunk, and squandered what belonged to his master, it is obvious that he did not have true loyalty, which is required of stewards. Therefore, it is fair that part of it rests with the unbelievers. For, deprived of talent and exposed, he turns out to be damaged, and not completely whole. Luke 12:47. The servant who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, and did not do according to his will, will be beaten a lot; Here the Lord presents us with something more important and terrible. Such a person, he says, will not only lose his talent and not find in it an aid to release from punishment, but the greatness of his dignity will make him guilty of even greater condemnation. For the more a sinner knows, the more he deserves punishment. Luke 12:48. but whoever did not know and did something worthy of punishment will receive less punishment. And from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, from him will be required more. The following speech reveals this even more clearly. “To whom,” he says, “a lot has been given,” from him “much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, or from him will be required more.” Through this, the Lord shows that the punishment deserved by the teachers will be greater. Teachers are given and entrusted: “given,” for example, the gift of working miracles, healing illnesses, and “entrusting” them with the gift of speech and teaching. The Lord said: “they will require more,” not with the word “given,” but with the word “entrusted.” For when the word is given, action is truly required, and more is demanded from the teacher. He should not remain careless, but must increase his talent for words. So, you should understand the words “and from everyone to whom it was given” as follows: to whom much was given on interest. For the object given for preservation here He called growth. Others ask: let it be that he who knows the will of the master and does not act according to it is justly punished; but why is the one who did not know punished? Because he, too, could have found out, but he didn’t want to, and through carelessness he himself became guilty of ignorance. So, he deserves punishment for not knowing voluntarily. Let us be afraid, brothers! For if one who was completely ignorant is worthy of punishment, then what excuse will justify those who sin with knowledge, especially if they were teachers? Truly, condemning them is very difficult. Luke 12:49. I have come to bring down fire to the earth, For the word is fire, consuming every material and unclean thought and destroying idols, no matter what substance they are made of. Of course, there is also jealousy for good, kindling in each of us. Or maybe the zeal generated by the Word of God does not differ from the first. The Lord wants our hearts to be kindled with this fire. For we must have a fiery zeal for good. and how I wish it were already on fire! “And how I wish” otherwise: and how strongly I wish “that it would already be kindled!” . He accelerates the kindling of this fire, just as Paul says: “Be fervent in spirit” (Rom. 12:11), and in another place: “I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God” (2 Cor. 11:2). Luke 12:50. I must be baptized with baptism; and how I languish until this is accomplished! He calls His death “Baptism.” Since this fire could not ignite except after His death, for preaching and zeal increased from there, he adds a speech about death, calling it baptism. Strongly desiring it, he says: “and how I languish,” that is, how much I care and “languish until this is accomplished!” For I thirst for death for the salvation of all. The Lord came to bring down fire not only on the earth on which His teaching and faith spread, but also on the soul of everyone, which (in itself) is a thorny and barren land, but by the Word of God it is kindled as if by fire and becomes capable of receiving Divine seeds and spiritually fruitful. For when the grace of God invisibly touches someone’s soul, it seems that it burns with such love for God that it is impossible to say. So exactly, Cleopas and his companion, invisibly ignited by the fire of God’s grace, said: “Didn’t our heart burn within us” (Luke 24:32). Anyone who has experienced such a state will understand our words. And many often experience this when reading the Divine Scripture or the lives of the holy fathers, then when convinced and taught by someone, their souls are inflamed to do good, and some burn to the end, while others immediately cool down. Luke 12:51. Do you think that I came to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division; Christ “is our peace” (Eph. 2:14), but he says: “he did not come to give peace.” This means His words are mysterious. So, we say that not every world is blameless and good, but it is often dangerous and removes us from Divine love, for example, when we make peace and agreement to refute the truth. Christ did not come to give such peace, but, on the contrary, wants us to be divided against each other because of goodness, which is what happened during the persecution. For in one house the pagan father was divided against the believing son, and the mother against the daughter, and vice versa. Luke 12:52. for from now on five in one house will be divided, three against two, and two against three: Luke 12:53. the father will be against the son, and the son against the father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. How did He say that “five in one house will be divided,” and when counting He mentioned “six” persons? We answer: one person is taken twice, namely: daughter and daughter-in-law are one and the same person. In relation to her mother she is called a daughter, and in relation to her mother-in-law she is called a daughter-in-law. So, “three” - father, mother and mother-in-law - will become divided “against two” - son and daughter. For the daughter, as we said, being one person, but accepting a double relationship, namely: in relation to the mother and to the mother-in-law, therefore appears to be two persons. By father and mother and mother-in-law, perhaps, we mean simply everything that is old, and by son and daughter, everything that is new. In this case, the Lord wants His new Divine commandments and teachings to overcome all our old ones - sinful morals and teachings. Understand this too. The father is the mind, and the son is the intellect. Between them in a single house, that is, in a person, there was a division. I'll say it more clearly. The mind of Dionysius the Areopagite was illuminated and accepted the sermon. But his mind, which accepted faith without evidence, was opposed by the pagan mind, trying to prove and forcing him to follow dialectical methods. Do you see the division between father and son, fighting against each other for the sake of Christ and the preaching? You can call a mother and mother-in-law a thought, and a daughter and daughter-in-law a feeling. And between them there is a struggle for the sake of Christ. Thought has enmity against feeling, when thought convinces one to honor the imperishable over the transitory, the invisible over the visible, and has many strong proofs for this. It happens that from the side of feeling the struggle is directed against thought. For the feeling, guided in faith by miracles and visible signs, is not convinced by the arguments of thought, and does not want to follow pagan evidence, which encourages those who listen to them not to believe that God became man or that the Virgin gave birth. So crazy are the conclusions of the pagans who idolize nature. Meanwhile, feeling through visible miracles leads to knowledge of God better than any proof. So, not all peace and harmony are good, but it happens that enmity and division seem to some to be a divine matter. Therefore, let no one be in friendship with the evil ones, but at least the father and mother turned out to be opponents of the Law of Christ, and with them, as enemies of the truth, one must be at enmity. Luke 12:54. He also said to the people: when you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately say: it will rain, and so it happens; Luke 12:55. and when the south wind blows, say: there will be heat, and it does happen. Luke 12:56. Hypocrites! You know how to recognize the face of the earth and the sky, how can you not recognize this time? Luke 12:57. Why don’t you judge for yourself what should happen? Since the Lord spoke about the sermon and called it fire and sword, it is very likely that the listeners, not understanding the meaning of His words, were confused. Therefore He says; just as you recognize changes in the air by certain signs, so you should have recognized My coming from what I say and what I do. My words, like my deeds, show in Me your adversary. For you are tax collectors and kidnappers, but I do not have “where... to lay my head...” (Luke 9:58). Therefore, just as you foretell rain by a cloud and a hot day by the south wind, so you should have recognized the time of My coming and guessed that I did not come to give peace, but rain and confusion. For I myself am a cloud, and I come from the west, that is, human nature, which was formerly humbled and was in thick darkness from sin. I came and brought down fire, and made it a hot day. For I am the south - a warm wind and opposite to the coldness of the north. Therefore I came from Bethlehem, which lies to the south. Luke 12:58. When you go with your rival to the authorities, then try to free yourself from him on the road, Having said this, the Lord teaches them the doctrine of praiseworthy peace. Having indicated the praiseworthy division, he also shows the blameless world. He precisely says: when your opponent drags you to trial, then on the road, try in every possible way to deal with him. Or in other words: “try to free yourself”, of course, in the sense that even if you had nothing, take out a loan at interest and “try to free yourself” so that you can get rid of him. so that he does not bring you to the judge, and the judge does not hand you over to the torturer, and the torturer does not throw you into prison. Luke 12:59. I tell you: you won’t leave there until you give back your last half. The Lord says this in order to bring those who are in the flesh into fear and encourage them to peace. He knows that the fear of loss and punishment most of all humbles those who have become grounded, which is why he says this. They understand this speech about the devil. For he is our rival. Therefore, while we are still “on the road,” that is, in this life, we must try, through the exercise of virtue, to “free ourselves from him” and have nothing in common with him, so that at the future judgment he does not betray us to the Judge. For the very deeds that we committed here will bring us to trial, and the Judge will hand us over to the torturer, that is, to some tormenting and evil force, and will punish us until we receive what is due for our last sins and fulfill the measure of punishment. And since the punishment will never be fulfilled, we will suffer forever. For if we are in prison until we pay the last half ruble, and we will never be able to pay it, then it is obvious that the punishment will be eternal.