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Luke 1:1. As many have already begun to compose narratives Who were the many who started? False apostles. For indeed many composed gospels, such as, for example, the gospel of the Egyptians and the gospel with the inscription “of the twelve.” They just started, not finished. Since they began without the grace of God, that is why they did not finish. So, Luke said it well: “Many began.” Truly a few, namely Matthew and Mark, not only began, but also finished, for they had the Spirit doing what was perfect. about events that are completely known between us, For what pertains to Christ is not only known from unfounded tradition, but is true, completely true and completely demonstrative. How, tell me, Luke, is this proven? Luke 1:2. as those who from the very beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word conveyed to us, From this it is clear that Luke was a disciple not from the beginning, but later in time. For others were disciples of the Word from the very beginning, for example Peter and the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 4:18-22). It was they who conveyed to Luke what he himself had not seen or heard. Luke 1:3. then I decided, after a thorough examination of everything from the beginning, to describe to you in order, venerable Theophilus, Luke 1:4. that you may know the solid foundation of the doctrine in which you have been instructed. I understand this in two ways, firstly, this way: before, Theophilus, I taught you without scripture, and now, by conveying the Gospel to you in scripture, I strengthen your mind so that it does not forget what was taught without scripture; secondly, this way: we people often have the custom, when someone speaks to us without writing, to suspect him that perhaps he is telling a lie, but when he writes his words, we believe that he would not have written if he had not been boldly confident in the truth of his words. So the evangelist says: for this reason I wrote the Gospel to you, so that you would contain with greater confidence what you were taught without scripture, having more confidence in me now that I am so confident in what was taught without scripture that I have set it out in scripture. He didn’t say: so that you “know”, but “learn”, that is, so that you receive twice as much knowledge and at the same time bold confidence that I am not lying. Luke 1:5. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, He mentioned the reign of Herod, on the one hand, out of a desire to narrate the story following the example of the prophets, for they begin like this: in the days of Ahaz and Hezekiah and so-and-so the following happened (Isa. 1:1; Hos. 1:1; Am. 1:1)), and on the other hand, since he intends to talk about Christ, he mentioned Herod in order to show that under Herod Christ truly came. Since this Herod was there when, according to the prophecy of Jacob (Gen. 49:10), there were no princes among the Jews, this is where it is proven that Christ came. It also achieves some other goal: speaking about time, it shows the truth of the Gospel, for it gives those who wish the opportunity to rejoice and from time to time learn the truth of the Gospel. there was a priest from the Abiev order named Zechariah, It is decent to start from Zechariah and the birth of John. Since he intends to talk about the Nativity of Christ, and John is the Forerunner of Christ, therefore, before the Nativity of Christ, he decently talks about the birth of John, which itself is not without a miracle. Since the Virgin was about to give birth, grace arranged for the old woman to give birth not according to the law of nature, although with her husband. What do the words mean: “from the chain of Avius”? Some understand that there were two priests who successively performed the divine service, one named Abijah, and the other Zechariah, and since Abijah celebrated the divine service, after his turn Zechariah served. But that doesn't seem to be the case. For Solomon, having finished the church, established daily orders, that is, weeks: in one week, for example, he appointed the sons of Korah, in another - Asaph, in the next - Abijah, in another - another (2 Chron. 8, 14; 1 Chron. 24). Therefore, when he says that Zechariah was “from the order of Abijah,” one must understand that he was in the week of Abijah, and not that he accepted ministry after the week of Abijah; for then he would have said: after the succession of Abiev; and now, when he said: “from the order of Abiah,” he represents that he was from the order and week of Abia. and his wife was from the family of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And wanting to show that John, on both sides (father and mother), was legitimately from the priestly family, he says: “and his wife was from the clan of Aaron,” for it was not allowed to take a wife from another tribe, but from the same one (Num. 36:6-9). Elizabeth, according to interpretation, means “the rest of God,” and Zechariah means “memory of the Lord.” Luke 1:6. Both of them were righteous before God, walking according to all the commandments and statutes of the Lord blamelessly. Often some are righteous, but not before God, but apparently before people. Zechariah and Elizabeth “were righteous before God.” The commandments are, for example: “Do not commit adultery”, “Do not steal” (Ex. 20:14-15), and the statutes (“justifications”) are, for example: “Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death” (Ex. 21:17): for this is righteous. But know that a commandment can also be called justification, since it makes a person righteous and even more so is God’s justification. For on that day God will judge us, having the commandments as if by some written justification, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin” (John 15:22), and again: “the word that I spoke will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48). Why is “blameless” added to the words “walking according to all the commandments”? Listen. Often some act according to the Law of God, but they do everything in order to appear to people (Matthew 23:5). These are not blameless. But Zechariah kept the commandments, and kept them immaculately, and not in order to please people by fulfilling them. Luke 1:7. They had no children, for Elizabeth was barren, and both were already advanced in years. The wives of the righteous and the righteous themselves were often childless, so that you would know that the Law requires many children, not carnal, but spiritual. “Both were already advanced in years” both in body and in spirit, for in their souls they had grown old, that is, they had made great progress, putting “ascension into the heart” (Ps. 83:6) and having life as day and not night (Rom. 13:12-13), acting decently as in the light. Luke 1:8. One day, when he was serving before God in the order of his turn, Only the pure perform sacred acts before God, but God turns His face away from the unclean. Luke 1:9. by lot, as was usual among the priests, he got to enter the church of the Lord for incense, Luke 1:10. and the whole multitude of people prayed outside during the incense, - When did it come to his turn to confess? Without a doubt, on the day of atonement, when one high priest entered into the Holy of Holies, so that we would learn that just as this high priest, having entered the Holy of Holies, received the fruit, so the Lord Jesus, the one and great truly Bishop, having entered the Holy of Holies, that is, with the flesh into heaven, received the fruit of His appearance in the flesh - our adoption to God and salvation. Luke 1:11. then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. The angel does not appear to everyone, but to a pure heart, as Zechariah was. The altar (in Church Slavonic - altar) was called incense because there was another altar - burnt offerings. Luke 1:12. Zechariah, seeing him, was embarrassed, and fear attacked him. Luke 1:13. The angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John; Luke 1:14. and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, Zechariah is embarrassed; for an extraordinary vision outrages even the saints. But Angel stops the outrage. For everywhere by this, divine and demonic visions are recognized: if the thought is at first confused, but then, with the dispersal of fear, soon completely calms down, then the vision is truly from God; if fear and indignation become more intense, then the vision is from demons. Why did the Angel say: “Your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,” for Zechariah prayed not for a son, but for the sins of the people? Some say: since Zechariah prayed for the sins of the people, and had to give birth to a son crying: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), then the Angel appropriately says to him: your prayer for the remission of the sins of the people has been heard, for you will give birth to a son through whom there will be remission of sins. Others understand it this way: Zechariah! Your prayer has been heard, and God has forgiven the people’s sins. Then he seemed to say: where can you see this? The angel says: here I give you a sign: “Elizabeth will bear you a son”; and from the fact that Elizabeth gives birth, you must also be convinced of the remission of sins of the people. Luke 1:15. for he will be great before the Lord; The angel announces that John will be “great,” but “before the Lord,” for many are called great before men, but are not so before God, for example, hypocrites. But John is great in soul, just as everyone who is tempted is small in soul. For no one who is great is tempted, but the small and the faint-hearted, just as the Lord says: “Whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble” (Matthew 18:6). Just as John’s parents were righteous “before God,” so their son was great “before the Lord.” will not drink wine or strong drink, “Strikey” is the name given to everything that, not being made from grapes, can produce intoxication. and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb; He was filled with the “Holy Spirit” while he was still in his mother’s womb. When the Mother of the Lord came to Elizabeth, the baby, rejoicing at the coming of the Lord, “jumped” (Luke 1:41). Luke 1:16. and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; Luke 1:17. and will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to restore the hearts of the fathers to the children, “To return the hearts of the fathers to the children,” that is, to turn the Jews to the apostles, for the Jews were fathers, and the apostles were their children. He turned the hearts of the Jews to the apostles with the teaching and testimony of Christ; and he who bears witness to Christ makes His disciples completely trustworthy. John did not convert everyone, but “many”; and the Lord enlightened everyone. He came “in the spirit of... Elijah,” because just as grace acted in Elijah, so did it in John, and just as Elijah is the forerunner of the second coming, so John is the forerunner of the first. And in the “power of Elijah,” because the coming of both, Elijah and John, has the same power, namely: it leads to Christ. And in another sense, John came in the strength and spirit of Elijah, because he too was a hermit, abstinent and accuser, like Elijah. and the disobedient way of thinking of the righteous, that is, the teaching of the apostles; the wisdom of the apostles is the grace of the Spirit in them, by which they were guided. that is, people capable of accepting preaching. I'll say something similar. When some prophet came to preach, not everyone believed, but those who were capable, that is, those who had prepared themselves for it, for just as if someone comes into a house at night, not everyone receives him, but those who are awake and waiting for him and prepared to receive him, so John prepared people for the Lord, not those who were disobedient, but those who were capable, that is, those who were prepared to receive Christ. Luke 1:18. And Zechariah said to the angel: By what means do I know this? for I am old, and my wife is advanced in years. Although Zechariah was righteous and holy, however, taking into account the extraordinary nature of the birth of his son, he did not easily believe. Luke 1:19. The angel answered him: I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and was sent to speak with you and bring this good news to you; Why does the Angel tell him about his dignity: “I am Gabriel,” who stands before God, not a seducing demon, but God’s Angel. Luke 1:20. and behold, you will remain silent and will not be able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true in due time. So, because you do not believe, you will be deaf and unable to speak. He is rightly subjected to both - deafness and dumbness, for as a disobedient he is punished with deafness, and as a contradictor - with silence. In addition, he foreshadowed what happened to the Jews. For just as he, old and barren and disbelieving, gave birth to a son greater than the prophets, so the Jewish church and hierarchy, although old and barren and unfaithful and disobedient, nevertheless gave birth in the flesh to the Word of God, the Lord of the prophets, with whose birth those who were previously disobedient moved to faith and confession. Luke 1:21. Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he was delaying in the church. Do you see how the Jews waited and remained until the high priest came out? And we, Christians, have only just entered the church, and we already think that something bad will happen to us if we don’t leave. Luke 1:22. He, having gone out, could not speak to them; and they understood that he had seen a vision in the church; and he communicated with them by signs, and remained mute. Zechariah made signs to the people, who were probably asking about the reason for the silence; but since he could not speak, he explained it with signs. Luke 1:23. And when his days of service were ended, he returned to his home. Consider also that Zechariah did not go to his home until the days of his ministry were over, but remained in the church. For the mountainous country is indeed far from Jerusalem. Yes, the priest, if he had a house in Jerusalem itself, was not allowed to leave the church courtyard during his turn. And, alas, how we neglect divine services! The fact that Zechariah could not speak, but used signs, indicates the unreasonable life of the Jews. For, having killed the Word, they cannot give an account either of their deeds or of their speeches. Even if you ask them about something prophetic, they will not open their lips and cannot give you either a word or an answer. Luke 1:24. After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid herself for five months and said: Luke 1:25. Thus did the Lord do for me in these days, in which he looked upon me, to remove from me the reproach of men. Elizabeth, being chaste, was ashamed and, having conceived in old age, “hidden herself for five months” until Mary also conceived. When this (Mary) conceived, and the baby “leaped... in her (Elizabeth’s) womb,” she no longer hid and even behaved boldly, like the mother of such a son, who even before his birth was honored with the dignity of a prophet. Luke 1:26. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, In the “sixth” month, counting from the time of John’s conception. Luke 1:27. to a virgin betrothed to a husband named Joseph, from the house of David; The name of the Virgin is: Mary. He says that the Virgin was betrothed to a husband “from the house of David” to show that she also came from the same family of David; for there was a law that both halves (of a marriage) should be from the same family and from the same tribe (Num. 36:6-9). Luke 1:28. The angel, coming to Her, said: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women. Since the Lord said to Eve: “In illness you will give birth to children” (Gen. 3:16), now this illness is resolved by the joy that the Angel brings to the Virgin, saying: “Rejoice, Full of Grace!” Because Eve was cursed, Mary now hears: “Blessed are you.” Luke 1:29. She, seeing him, was embarrassed by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this would be. Mary thought about the greeting, what it was: isn’t it vile and vicious, like a man’s address to a girl, or divine, since the greeting also mentions God: “The Lord is with you”? Luke 1:30. And the Angel said to Her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found favor with God; The angel, firstly, calms Her heart from fear, so that She accepts the divine answer in an unperturbed position; for in a state of confusion she could not properly listen to what was about to come true - then, as if to explain the above word “Graceful One,” she says: “You have found grace from God.” For to be favored means to receive grace from God, that is, to please God. But this happiness is common, for many others have received grace from God, but the greeting offered to Mary does not go to anyone. Luke 1:31. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. “And now you will conceive” - no other virgin has ever received this advantage. He said: “in the womb”; This shows that the Lord essentially became incarnate from the very falsehood of the Virgin. He who came to save our race is rightly called “Jesus,” for this name translated into Greek means “salvation from God.” Jesus, according to the interpretation, means the Savior, because salvation is also called “iao”. Luke 1:32. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; John was also great, but he was not yet the son of the Most High, but the Savior was great in His teaching and “Son of the Most High” also in teaching, for He taught as one who had authority, and by performing wondrous miracles. The visible Man is called the “Son of the Most High”: for since there was one Face, then truly Man, the Son of the Virgin, was the Son of the Most High. The Word was the Son of the Most High even before the ages, but was not called so and was not known; when he became incarnate and appeared in the flesh, then he was called the Son of the Most High, Visible and Worker of miracles. When you hear about the “throne of David,” do not think about the sensual kingdom, but think about the Divine, with whom He reigned over all nations through the Divine preaching. Luke 1:33. and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. “The House of Jacob” are those who believed both from the Jews and from other nations, for such are Jacob and Israel. How is it said that He sat on the throne of David? Listen. David was the youngest among his brothers; and the Lord was despised and reproached as one who loved to eat and drink wine, and the Son of a carpenter, and in dishonor even among His brothers, the sons of Joseph. “For neither His brothers,” it is said, “believed in Him” (John 7:5). David, despite his charity, was persecuted; and the Lord, who works miracles, was slandered and stoned. David conquered and reigned with meekness; and the Lord reigned, accepting the cross out of meekness. So, do you see in what sense it is said that He sat on the throne of David? Just as David accepted a sensual kingdom, so the Lord accepted a spiritual reign, which “will have no end.” For there will be no end to the reign of Christ, that is, the knowledge of God and Christianity. For even in persecution we shine with the grace of Christ. Luke 1:34. Mary said to the Angel: How will this be when I don’t know my husband? The virgin said: “How will this be?” not because she didn’t seem to believe it, but because she, being wise and reasonable, wanted to know the image of the present event, for nothing like this had happened before and nothing like it would happen after this. Therefore, the Angel forgives Her and does not condemn Her like Zechariah, but also explains the image of the event. Zechariah is rightly condemned: he had many examples, since many barren children gave birth, but the Virgin did not have a single example. Luke 1:35. The angel answered Her: The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. “The Holy Spirit,” he says, “will come upon You,” making Your womb fruitful and creating flesh for the consubstantial Word. “And the power of the Most High, the Son of God, for Christ is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:24), will overshadow you,” that is, it will cover you, surround you on all sides. For just as a bird completely overshadows its chicks, covering them with its wings, so the power of God completely embraced the Virgin; this means “to overshadow.” Perhaps someone else will say: just as a painter first sketches a shadow, then paints it completely, so the Lord, creating flesh for Himself and composing the image of man, first shaded the flesh in the womb of the Mother, mixing it from the blood of the Ever-Virgin, and then formed it. But this is doubtful. For some say that when the Lord overshadowed the Virgin’s womb, the child immediately became a perfect child, while others do not accept this. Listen to what he says: “for this reason the Holy One is being born,” that is, growing in your womb gradually, and not suddenly appearing in perfect form. Hence the mouth of Nestorius is blocked. For he said that it was not the Son of God, who dwelt in the womb of the Virgin, who became incarnate, but a simple man, born of Mary, who subsequently began to have God as his companion. Let him hear that what was born in the womb was precisely the Son of God; there was not another Son of God carried in the womb, but one and the same Son of the Virgin and the Son of God. Look how he also pointed to the Holy Trinity, naming the Holy Spirit, the power - the Son, the Most High - the Father. Luke 1:36. Here is Elizabeth, your relative, who is called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already in her sixth month, Luke 1:37. for with God no word will be powerless. Perhaps others wonder how Elizabeth was related to the Virgin, when the Virgin was from the tribe of Judah, and Elizabeth was from the daughters of Aaron, for the Law required that marriages be from the same tribe, and therefore the kinship was between those who came from the same tribe. To this we can also say that since the captivity the clans have mixed, or better yet, the following: Aaron had Elizabeth, the daughter of Amminadab, as his wife, and this one was from the tribe of Judah. You see, the Mother of God was a relative of Elizabeth from the very beginning, from Aaron. Since Aaron’s wife came from the tribe of Judah, from which the Mother of God was, and Elizabeth was from the daughters of Aaron, therefore, Elizabeth is a relative of the Mother of God. For her foremother, Aaron's wife, was from the tribe of Judah. Look at the succession of kinship: Aaron’s wife is Elizabeth, and Zechariah’s wife is Elizabeth, as descended from her. But let's see what Virgo says. Luke 1:38. Then Mary said: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. I am the painter's board; let the painter paint what he wants; let the Lord do what He pleases. Obviously, what was said before: “how will it be” was not an expression of disbelief, but of a desire to recognize the image; for if she had not believed, she would not have said: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.” Know also that Gabriel means the man of God, Mary means the mistress, and Nazareth means sanctification. Therefore, when God had to become a man, Gabriel was decently sent, which means: man of God; and the greeting is performed in a holy place, that is, in Nazareth, for where God is, there is nothing unclean. Luke 1:39. And Mary arose in those days, and went with haste into the hill country, to the city of Judah, The Virgin, having heard from the Angel that Elizabeth had conceived, hurried to her, partly rejoicing at the well-being of her relative, and partly, as a very prudent woman, wanting to finally be sure whether the one who appeared to her was telling the truth, so that, according to the justice of what was said about Elizabeth, she would not doubt what concerns Her herself. For although She hoped, she was still afraid, lest she would somehow be deceived, and this not out of unbelief, but out of a desire to know the matter more precisely. Zechariah lived in a mountainous country; That’s why Virgo hurries there. Luke 1:40. and she went into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:41. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, And John, having received some special gift before other people, plays in the womb, which is why he is “more of a prophet” (Matthew 11:9), for they prophesied after their birth, and he was awarded such a gift while still in the womb. Look: the Virgin “greeted Elizabeth,” that is, she began speaking to her. Luke 1:42. and she cried with a loud voice and said: Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb! So, the voice of the Virgin was the voice of God embodied in Her, and therefore He honored the Forerunner with grace while still in the womb and made him a prophet, for the prophetic words of Elizabeth to Mary were not the words of Elizabeth, but of a baby; and the lips of Elizabeth only served him, just as the lips of Mary served the One who was in Her womb - the Son of God. For Elizabeth was then filled with the Spirit, when the child leaped in the womb; if the baby had not jumped, she would not have prophesied. Just as they say about prophets that they first came to a supernatural state and were inspired, and then prophesied, so, perhaps, John, as if inspired, first leaped, then prophesied through the mouth of his mother. What did he prophesy? “Blessed are You among women.” Then, since many holy wives gave birth to unworthy children, for example, Rebekah Esau says: “and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” It can also be understood differently: “Blessed are You among women.” Then, as if someone asked: why? - expresses the reason: for “blessed is the fruit of your womb,” that is, for “the fruit of your womb” is God, since God alone is blessed, just as David says: “Blessed is he who comes” (Ps. 117:26). For in Scripture it is usual to use the conjunction “and” instead of the conjunction “for”; for example: “Give us help from sorrow: and human salvation is vain” (Ps. 59:13) instead of “for human salvation is vain”; and again: “Behold, you are angry, and we have sinned” (Is. 64:5) instead of “for we have sinned.” He calls the Lord “the fruit of the womb” of the Mother of God, because the conception took place without a husband. Other babies are the birth of fathers, but Christ is the fruit of one womb of the Mother of God, for She alone bore Him. Luke 1:43. And where does it come from for me that the Mother of my Lord came to me? Luke 1:44. For when the voice of Your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped joyfully in my womb. Luke 1:45. And blessed is she who believed, because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled. Just as later, when Christ came to be baptized, John rebuked Him out of reverence, saying: “I am not worthy” (Matthew 3:14, 11), so now he speaks through his mother: “Where does this come from for me, that the Mother of my Lord came to me,” calling the womb-bearing Mother before She gave birth to the Lord. It is not customary for other wives to be called mothers before they give birth, for fear of an unsuccessful birth, that is, eruption; but there was no such suspicion regarding Virgo. Maria! And before You gave birth, You are a Mother, and you are blessed, because you believed that what the Lord said to You would be fulfilled. Luke 1:46. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, Luke 1:47. and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior, Luke 1:48. that He looked upon the humility of His Servant, for from now on all generations will please Me; Luke 1:49. that the Mighty One has done great things for Me, and holy is His name; Luke 1:50. and His mercy throughout all generations is upon those who fear Him; The Virgin, being completely confident in the truth of what was predicted to Her, glorifies God, attributing the miracle not to Herself, but to Him; for He,” he says, “looked upon Me, the humble one, and it was not I who looked upon Him; He showed Me mercy, and it was not I who sought Him. And “from now on all generations will please Me,” not only Elizabeth, but also the generations of believers. Why please? Is it really for My virtue? No! But because God showed greatness to Me. She called Him “Mighty” so that everyone would believe Her words, taking into account that the Lord is strong to do this. “His Name” was called “holy” to show that the Pure One, being conceived in the womb of a woman, is not at all defiled, but remains Holy. “His mercy” is not for Me alone, but also for all who fear Him; for those who do not fear Him, but are completely unworthy, do not receive mercy. Having said that the mercy of God is “for all generations,” she indicated that those who fear God receive mercy both in the present generation, that is, in the present age, and in the future generation, that is, in the endless age; for here too “I receive a hundredfold,” and there even more (Matthew 19:29). Pay attention: first the soul magnifies the Lord, then the spirit rejoices. Or what is the same: he who walks worthy of God magnifies God. You are called a Christian - do not belittle the dignity and name of Christ through unworthy deeds, but magnify it through the performance of great and heavenly deeds, then your spirit will rejoice, that is, the spiritual gift that you received through great deeds will leap and prosper, and will not shrink and, so to speak, die. Know also that Scripture, apparently, simply calls spirit and soul one and the same thing, but in fact it distinguishes. For it calls a spiritual man one who lives by nature and is guided by human thoughts, for example, in case of hunger he eats, hates the enemy and generally does not seem to rise above nature in any way; and he calls the one spiritual who overcomes the laws of nature and does not philosophize about anything human. This is the difference in Scripture between soul and spirit (1 Cor. 2:14-15; Gal. 6:8). Perhaps doctors distinguish them differently, but we need to listen to Scripture, and let doctors be mistaken. Luke 1:51. He showed the strength of His arm; He scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; Muscle of the Father - Son; So, God and the Father in His Son revealed power and strength over nature, for during the incarnation of the Son, nature was conquered: the Virgin gave birth, God became man, and man became God. The Lord “scattered the arrogant” demons, expelling them from human souls and sending some into the abyss, and others into pigs. We can also talk about the Jews, whom he scattered throughout every country and who are still scattered today. Luke 1:52. dethroned the mighty from their thrones, that is, demons who ruled over people and had thrones in human souls, resting in them. But the Pharisees are also strong as thieves of what belongs to the poor and as teachers, they have thrones from which they have been deposed. people or pagans whom sin has humbled; He exalted them, giving them sonship. Luke 1:53. He filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich with nothing; Just like the “hungry”, the same ones, that is, the pagans (for they did not have the scriptures, the law or the commandments), “he filled with good things” from the Scriptures, and the Jews, “rich” in the law and commandments, he sent outside Jerusalem, above and below, deprived of all good. For the Jews now have nothing, although they seem to have it. Luke 1:54. He received His servant Israel, remembering mercy, Luke 1:55. as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever. “He received Israel his servant.” It is said either about the sensual Israelites, for many tens of thousands of them believed, and the promise of God to Abraham was fulfilled, saying to him: “and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3); or it is said about spiritual Israel, for everyone who sees God is called Israel, since this name means: he who sees God; So, he accepted these who saw God, raising them to heavenly inheritance. Luke 1:56. Mary stayed with her for about three months and returned to her home. Mary “stayed with Elizabeth for about three months,” then returned. Since Elizabeth was about to give birth, the Virgin leaves for the sake of the multitude who are going to gather for the birth, for it is indecent for the Virgin to be in such circumstances. And from the fact that the Virgin returned when the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, it is clear that the Angel came to Mary in the sixth month from the conception of the Forerunner; Yes, Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months; It's almost nine months now. The Virgin stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, perhaps because she was amazed by the miracle and needed some consolation, which she could find while staying with Elizabeth; but when the birth approached, she withdrew. Luke 1:57. The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. It should be noted that it is not said about sinners - “the time has come to give birth,” but only there it is said where the one who is born is righteous. For the generations of sinners are usually imperfect and incomplete, and it would be better for them if they were not born. Luke 1:58. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy over her, and they rejoiced with her. Luke 1:59. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the baby and wanted to name him, after his father’s name, Zechariah. Why was the name given after circumcision? Because first you need to receive a seal from God, and then a human name. Otherwise: circumcision means the rejection of carnal properties, for no one is worthy to be called a warrior of God and to be inscribed by name in the book of heaven before he rejects and cuts off carnal properties. Luke 1:60. To this his mother said: no, but call him John. Elizabeth said about the name that his name was John, like a prophetess. Or maybe John himself appointed a name for himself; for he communicated the gift of prophecy to his mother. Luke 1:61. And they said to her: There is no one in your family who is called by this name. Luke 1:62. And they asked his father by signs what he would like to call him. Luke 1:63. He demanded a tablet and wrote: John is his name. And everyone was surprised. Luke 1:64. And immediately his mouth and his tongue loosened, and he began to speak, blessing God. Zechariah, not being able to tell them signs, asks for a tablet; and when he completely agreed with his wife regarding the name of the child, “everyone was surprised,” for this name was not in their kinship, and no one could say that both of them had agreed on this ahead of time. John means the grace of God; Therefore, the father immediately received grace and prophesied first about Christ, and then about his son. Luke 1:65. And there was fear on all those living around them; and they told about all this throughout the entire hill country of Judea. Luke 1:66. All who heard it laid it on their hearts and said: What will happen to this child? And the hand of the Lord was with him. Luke 1:67. And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying: Luke 1:68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that He hath visited His people and brought deliverance to them, At Zechariah’s miraculous pronouncement, fear fell upon everyone; for just as when silence was imposed on him, the people were amazed, so now, when he began to speak again, they were amazed, so that by these two miracles everyone could understand that he was born higher than many. All this was done according to special consideration, so that those who have a testimony for Christ would be accepted with complete confidence and so that everyone would be convinced from the very birth of John that he is higher than many. Zechariah blesses God, who has looked upon the Israelites. He really came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but many of them did not want to accept grace, which is why He looked towards the true Israelites, that is, those who believed. Luke 1:69. and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, Luke 1:70. as He declared by the mouth of His holy prophets who have been from the ages, Luke 1:71. that will save us from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us; “He raised up the horn of salvation,” that is, the power and kingdom of salvation. For “horn” means either power, since horned animals have power in their horns, or kingdom, for kings were anointed from the horn. Christ is the Power and Kingdom of the Father; So, for us the “horn of salvation” has risen - Christ. For He apparently rested when He paid no attention to many sins and was patient with idolatry; but when He became incarnate in the last times, He rebelled and crushed all the demons that hated us, and no longer continues to rest and endure. He erected it “in the house of David,” that is, in Bethlehem; for there He was born. Bethlehem, of course, is the city of David, as the prophets said. For they all spoke about the incarnation, and Micah also mentioned the house of David, that is, Bethlehem, saying: “And you, Bethlehem... are no less than the provinces of Judah, for out of you will come a Leader” (Micah 5:2, quoted in Matthew 2:6). Luke 1:72. He will show mercy to our fathers and remember His holy covenant, “He showed mercy” not only with the living, but also “with our fathers,” for the grace of Christ extended to them, although they had already died. Namely: He gave us the living hope of resurrection, and we will be resurrected; but not only we will be awarded this benefit, but also those who have died before. For all nature received this benefit. And otherwise: “he showed mercy to the fathers” in that he fulfilled their expectations, for what they hoped for, they saw fulfilled in Christ. And seeing their children in bliss from so many blessings, fathers rejoice and, participating in the joy, accept mercy, as if done for themselves. Luke 1:73. the oath which He swore to Abraham our father to give us, What covenant did he mention and what oath was given to Abraham? Without a doubt, about this: “By blessing I will bless you and by multiplying I will multiply your seed” (Gen. 22:17). Abraham has truly multiplied now that all nations have become his sons through faith; for as he believed, so they also became his sons through faith. Luke 1:74. without fear *, after being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Often others are delivered, but with fear and much labor and struggle; and Christ was crucified for us without any labor on our part and finally delivered us without fear, that is, without danger. Luke 1:75. to serve Him in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives. Why did He deliver us? Isn't it so that we can live in pleasure? No, but so that we serve Him, and not a day, not two, but every day, and serve not only with carnal worship and service, but “in holiness and truth” (“in holiness and righteousness”). Reverence is righteousness in relation to God, and truth is justice in relation to people. For example, whoever keeps himself at a distance from sacred objects and does not impiously touch divine things, but maintains perfect respect for what is venerable, is reverend; He who honors his parents is equally reverent, for they too are household gods. And whoever is neither covetous, nor a predator, nor a thief, nor an adulterer, nor a fornicator, he is righteous. Thus, one must serve God with “reverence,” that is, reverence for divine objects, and “righteousness,” that is, a praiseworthy way of life in human relations, serve before Him, and not before people, like people-pleasers and hypocrites. Luke 1:76. And you, little child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, It seems strange that Zechariah speaks such words to a child, for it is not typical to talk to a baby who does not yet understand anything. We can say to this that this child had an extraordinary birth, for at the coming of Mary she played and prophesied in the womb, but there is nothing incredible if even after birth she understood the words of her father. “You will go before,” he says, “before the face of the Lord,” leaving me soon. For Zechariah knew that a little later he would lose John, since he was about to retire into the wilderness. Why “previously”? Then, to “prepare His ways.” And the paths are the souls to which the Lord comes. So, the Forerunner prepared souls so that the Lord could walk in them. How did he prepare them? By communicating to people the knowledge of salvation. Luke 1:77. to make His people aware of His salvation in the forgiveness of their sins, Salvation is the Lord Jesus. So, John taught people the knowledge of salvation, that is, of Christ, for John testified about Jesus. Knowledge consisted in the remission of sins, for the Lord would not otherwise have been recognized as God if he had not forgiven the sins of the people. For it is characteristic of God to forgive sins. Luke 1:78. according to the gracious mercy of our God, by whom the East visited us from above, But He forgave us our sins out of the compassion of mercy, and not because of our deeds; for we have not done anything good, but He, called the East, looked down on us from above. For He is the Sun of righteousness and shone for us who were in darkness, that is, in sin. Two evils dominated human nature: ignorance of God, which the pagans were in, and sin, which the Jews had, although they knew God. Luke 1:79. to enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet on the path of peace. So, He appeared to human nature in order to enlighten both “those sitting in darkness,” that is, in ignorance and atheism, and those sitting in the “shadow of death,” that is, in sin. And sin is the shadow of death in the sense, I think, that like a shadow follows the body, so where there is death, there is sin. For example, from the fact that Adam died, it is clear that there was sin. Likewise, you will find the death of Christ not without sin, for Christ died, but for our sins. Therefore, sin, always accompanied by death, is rightly called the shadow of death. There is something else that can be said to this, and I think we said it when explaining the Gospel of Matthew. But is it enough to just shine upon the darkened? No; we still need to direct our feet to the path of peace, that is, righteousness. For just as sin is enmity with God, so righteousness is peace. So, the path of peace is a righteous way of life, to which Christ, who has risen from above, directed the steps of our souls. Luke 1:80. The child grew and became stronger in spirit, The boy “grew in body and strengthened the axis in spirit,” for spiritual talent also increased with the body; and the more the child grew, the more the powers of the spirit were revealed, since the instrument (body) was able to accommodate them. and he was in the wilderness until the day of his appearing to Israel. Why was John in the desert? In order for him to live outside the malice of many and, without being ashamed (falsely) of anyone, to denounce anyone with boldness - for if he were in the world, then, perhaps, from cohabitation and communication with people he would have lost his purity; - and at the same time so that, when he preaches about Christ, he will enjoy complete trust, as a hermit and superior in life to others. He hid in the deserts until then, when God deigned to reveal him to the people of Israel. according to church - “without fear”