Глава пятая

1 Thessalonians 5:1. There is no need to write to you about times and seasons, brethren, It is unnecessary and useless to know the “times and seasons” of the end (Acts 1:7). The Lord did not even reveal this to the apostles when they approached and asked Him. But Paul, from the “unspeakable words” (2 Cor. 12:4), perhaps could have known about this. 1 Thessalonians 5:2. for you yourselves know with certainty that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. By the Day of the Lord we must understand both the general death and the private death of each, for this latter too is unknown when it will come for everyone. And this is good for us for many reasons. Firstly, because if a person knew his last hour, he would continually commit every sin, and then, towards the end of his life, he would approach the font. Secondly, because many, if they knew that they would die tomorrow, would cause countless disasters to their enemies, either simply out of despair, or out of a desire to be satisfied with the blood of their enemies - which does not happen now, thanks to the fact that they are held back by the fear of death and the love of life. Moreover, people who are attached to life might die of sadness if they knew the fateful hour of their death. Finally, even the righteous, exposed to dangers, would not deserve such a reward; because it would seem that since they know that they will die not now, but after so many years, that is why they do not spare themselves. Now, when it is unknown whether they will endure danger, and yet they do not spare themselves, their virtue is undoubted. Just like the three Jewish youths, this is why they deserve more surprise because they, not knowing for sure whether they would be saved from the fire, still did not worship the idol (Dan. 3:24). So, our death is like a thief in the night. You know this, O Thessalonians, from what the Lord has said; “You do not know at what hour your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). 8 1 Thessalonians 5:3. For when they say, “Peace and safety,” then destruction will suddenly befall them, just as labor pain befalls a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. Since those who insulted the Thessalonians spent their lives in pleasure, the apostle now consoles the believers, saying: do not think that they will escape punishment. Destruction will come to them too, an unexpected death, heavy and containing many sorrows, like the torment of a woman giving birth. But if Elijah and the Antichrist come, why does Paul now say that destruction will suddenly overtake them? Because the Antichrist and Elijah are a sign of a common death; the coming of Christ is not yet; it will be sudden and unknown when. Pay attention to the comparison with the pangs of birth. For even there the woman knows that she will give birth, but when exactly, she still does not know. That is why many women, not foreseeing anything, gave birth after seven months, and on the road. And just as they, playing and laughing, are suddenly subjected to unspeakable torment, so the souls of those who now spend their lives in amusements, when that day comes, will in no way escape torment. 1 Thessalonians 5:4. But you, brothers, are not in darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief. That is, you do not lead a dark and unclean life. So what? Surely death would not come unexpectedly for them, even if they were not unclean? It will come unexpectedly, but will not bring them any sorrow. For even a thief cannot do any harm to those who are awake and have the light, even if he manages to enter them; on the contrary, he completely robs those who are in darkness and sleeps and leaves. 1 Thessalonians 5:5. For you are all sons of light and sons of day: Just as those who do what is worthy of Gehenna are called sons of Gehenna, and those who are disobedient are called sons of disobedience, so those who do the deeds of light are called sons of light and day. We are not the sons of the night or darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:6. So let us not sleep, like others, but let us stay awake and be sober. That is, let us not neglect good deeds. Increased wakefulness is sobriety. For one can stay awake, but not be sober; Therefore, the apostle seems to be saying: let us do good works soberly and carefully. 1 Thessalonians 5:7. For those who sleep sleep at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Let us, being sons of the day, be sober, Here the apostle calls those who remain in evil as sleeping, as those who are motionless towards virtue and immersed in dreamy delights. Such, indeed, are the affairs of real life, not at all different from sleepy dreams. Further, intoxication refers not only to intoxication from wine, but also from all passions, as it takes a person out of his ordinary state and darkens the sovereign soul, that is, the mind. So, you should not be like that, for you are not the sons of night and darkness, but the sons of the day through baptism and acceptance of the yoke of the commandments of God. putting on the armor of faith and love It is not enough to be awake and sober; one must also be armed. For whoever is alert and sober, but does not have weapons, may be immediately overcome by robbers. Having said: “in the armor of faith and love,” the apostle pointed to dogmas and righteous life, which, in fact, means “to be sober.” And you should not just have it, but like armor. For nothing can quickly cut through the armor; on the contrary, it forms something of a stronghold for the chest, and not one of the fiery arrows of the devil will touch us. and a helmet of hope of salvation, Just as a helmet, covering the most important part of us - the head, saves and preserves it, so hope protects the mind and saves it, not allowing anything from the outside to fall into it. Pay attention to what he indicated elsewhere (1 Cor. 13:13) “faith, hope and love,” these three, which he now commands to acquire. 1 Thessalonians 5:9. because God has not appointed us to receive wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:10. died for us, so that whether we wake or sleep, we might live together with Him. Therefore, he says, we must acquire this weapon, because God did not put us in wrath, that is, he did not determine that we should bear His wrath, but in order to gain us for Himself and save us, by giving His Son to die for us. So, we must expect in dangers everything useful and great. For if we believe that He did not spare His Son for us, then let us hope that He will deliver us all the sooner from these dangers. Let us have this example before us and love both Him and our neighbors. For this purpose, he says, Christ died, so that whether we are “awake”, that is, we live, “or sleep,” that is, we die, “we live with Him.” The apostle understood a different dream above and understands a different one here. What he says here has the following meaning: do not be afraid of bodily dangers, do not be afraid of death, even if we die, we will live, for He lives who loved us so much that He died for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:11. Therefore encourage one another and edify one another, just as you are doing. Do you see? So why do you make the excuse: “I’m not a teacher”? “Encourage,” he says, “one another,” since teachers do not have the opportunity to teach everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:12. We ask you, brothers, to respect your workers, Since he said: “Admonish one another,” so that they would not conclude that he himself is elevating them to the dignity of teachers, and so that they would not rebel against teachers, he says: Even though I have entrusted you with edifying one another, I still urge you to treat them with honor. For teachers are forced to endure many difficulties, which honor for them, of course, will somewhat alleviate. and those who preside over you in the Lord and admonish you, If you honor those who intercede for you before man, then how much more should you express full gratitude to those who intercede for you before God? “In the Lord,” that is, he does not appear in worldly things, but in spiritual things, which are in the Lord, - he prays for you, revives you through baptism, watches over you, admonishes and heals you, - at midnight, if you call, he goes. You see how he speaks for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:13. and honor them primarily with love for their work; Not just, he said, love, but “primarily” as children of their parents. For whoever loves Christ will love His servant, no matter what he may be, because through him he has been vouchsafed the terrible Mysteries. If you took an honest wife, do you not respect and love the one who brought her to you? You have received the Kingdom of Heaven, and you abhor the one who delivered it. Listen to Paul: “for their cause,” he says, love them. be at peace with each other. He also writes: “with them,” that is, with the teachers. For he knew the possibility of arousing displeasure against them. Since they reprove and keep them from evil, they are hated. Therefore, one must “be at peace” with them, and not in appearance, but in oneself. 1 Thessalonians 5:14. We also beseech you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, Here the apostle is speaking to teachers. Do not reprimand with severity, he says, or with arrogance, but with meekness “admonish.” For, having come to despair, a person becomes more impudent when he is severely reprimanded. “Disorderly” are those who act contrary to what is determined by God. God assigned each one his own rank; he who transgresses it is a disorderly person. The drunkard, the scolder, the covetous, and all those who sin live disorderly lives. The one who cannot bear temptation is cowardly. He is precisely the one sown on the rock (Matthew 13:5). Thus, he also needs support. That is, support the weak in the faith, as he says elsewhere: “Accept the weak in the faith” (Rom. 14:1). be patient with everyone. And to the disorderly, and the cowardly, and the weak. For this is the most decent means for a teacher, capable of converting everyone, even the rudest. 1 Thessalonians 5:15. See to it that no one repays evil for evil; If one should not repay evil for evil, then even more so - evil for good, or begin to do evil and harm someone who has not harmed in any way. but always seek the good of each other and everyone. It is not enough not to repay evil for evil; one must, he says, repay oneself with good to the one who caused evil. This is precisely what the apostle teaches when he says: “seek what is good.” That is, try hard to do good, both in relation to each other, that is, to the faithful, and in relation to everyone, that is, to the unfaithful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Always be happy. At least you fell into temptation. Look: after he said that one should not repay evil for evil, he then commands us to rejoice. If a person is brought up in such a way that he does not take revenge on anyone for himself, on the contrary, he even does good to the person who caused sadness, then where can the sting of sorrow penetrate into him? 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Thank you for everything: The Apostle showed the way to constant joy, to unceasing prayer and thanksgiving. For he who is accustomed to turning to God and thanks Him for everything that has served him well will obviously have constant joy. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. How will you always give thanks? If you realize that this is the will of God, that you should always be grateful to Him, as an everlasting benefactor in Christ Jesus, that is, through the assistance of the Lord Jesus. For He Himself also helps us to be grateful: He taught us to do what we learned from the Gospel. 1 Thessalonians 5:19. Don't quench the spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:20. Do not disparage prophecies. Since present life is night, God gave us a clear lamp - the Holy Spirit. But some made this lamp brighter, like all the saints; and others were quenched, like the five virgins who left him without oil, like the Corinthian fornicator who poured uncleanness into him. Therefore he said: “Do not quench the spirit,” that is, the gift. Lock the doors, that is, the senses, so that the spirit of wickedness does not enter and the lamp does not go out. Bring no earthly worries, and the lamp will remain unquenchable. Or this way you can understand: they had prophets of God and false prophets. Since it was unknown who the true prophet was, they turned away from everyone. Therefore, the apostle says to them: “Do not quench the Spirit,” that is, the gift in the true prophets, by turning away, as from false prophets, and do not despise the prophecies from the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Test everything 9, hold on to the good. So what? Should we really accept false prophets? No, he says. But test everything, that is, examine both the false and the true with testing, and then accept the prophecies that turn out to be good, that is, read them as true and take them into account. 1 Thessalonians 5:22. Refrain from all kinds of evil. Not only from this or that, but simply from everyone, both from the false prophet and from sin. 1 Thessalonians 5:23. May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, The apostle also adds to the instruction a prayer that they may have security on both sides. What does it mean: “in its entirety”? That is, body and soul, as can be seen further. and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved in their entirety without blemish at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Spirit, that is, the gift of the Holy Spirit, which we received through baptism. If we keep His lamp bright and unquenchable, we will enter the chamber of the Bridegroom; both soul and body will then be blameless if the spirit shines within us. Gregory of Nyssa says: since man consists of every kind of soul - the physical, sensory and rational soul, the apostle used the word “spirit” to designate the rational part; “soul” - the sensory part; “body” - the physical life in us. So, he prays that all of them will remain blameless in everything, pleasing to God in everything. 1 Thessalonians 5:24. He who calls you is faithful, and He who will do this. Look at the humility! After he said a prayer for them, he says: do not think that you will be saved by my prayers, but by the goodness of God who called you. For if He called for salvation, and He is faithful, that is, true, then He will certainly do according to His will and save. 1 Thessalonians 5:25. Brethren! pray for us. Pay attention to humility: Paul also asked for their prayers. 1 Thessalonians 5:26. Greet all brothers with a holy kiss. Since he, being absent, could not greet them with the kiss of his own lips, he wants to greet them through others, just as we say: kiss so-and-so for me. And since there is also an evil kiss, like the kiss of Judas, he says: “with a holy kiss.” 1 Thessalonians 5:27. I conjure you by the Lord to read this message to all the holy brethren. Not so much for the sake of instruction, but for the sake of talking to them through the message: proof of ardent love. He conjures so that if they do not respect him, then at least for the sake of the oath they would fulfill what was commanded to them. Spells were so terrible for ancient Christians! But, alas, they are not like that now, they are not like that for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:28. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with you. Amen. All blessings, he says, He has given to us. So, try to attract the most abundant grace for yourself by living worthy of what has already been given to you. May this grace protect us from every wrong path; may we live to the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. To him belongs all glory forever. Amen. Blzh. Theophylact reads “you don’t know at what time the thief” (κλέπτης) “will come.” In Greek text of the bl. Theophylact πάντα δε δοκιμάζετε instead of δοκιμάζοντες. You might be interested in: