Беседа 22

“Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you that Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them.” (Matt. 6:28–29) Exposition 6:28–34. Why, speaking about concern regarding clothing, Christ gives the example of the lily. - God's providence for man. – Why Christ assimilates providence to God the Father. – Faith in Providence frees you from useless worries and cowardice. – The search for heavenly blessings also gives earthly blessings. – Everything we do, we do with the help of God. -What does the expression "dovest days" mean? – Sincere desire makes every commandment easily fulfilled. “There is no sin that cannot be blotted out by repentance.” – God does not save a person against his will. – Strong prayer is always heard. – God cannot be the enemy of man. – Prayer is always timely and pleasing to God. 1. The Savior, having spoken about necessary food and shown that there is no need to worry about it, moves on to what is even less necessary to worry about, because clothing is not as necessary as food. Why, speaking about clothing, did He not use the same comparison, borrowed from birds, and does He not mention to us the peacock, swan and sheep? After all, many examples could be borrowed from here? This is because Christ wants to show from two sides the importance of the commandment He proposed - both from the point of view of the insignificance of what is clothed in such beauty, and from the side of the very beauty given to the lilies. That is why, having described the beauty of lilies, He later does not call them lilies, but “grass of the field” (Matthew 6:30). He is not even satisfied with this name, but on the other hand represents their insignificance, saying: “today there is”, and does not say: this hay is no longer there the next day, but humiliates it even more, saying: “thrown into the oven.” Also, He said not just: “dresses,” but: “thus he dresses.” Do you see how the Savior gradually strengthens His thought more and more? And He does this in order to have a stronger effect on His listeners. For the same reason, He added the words: “how much greater than you”? This is said with particular expressiveness and force. In a word: “you” He shows nothing more than the fact that the human race has been awarded great honor and special care by God. Christ seemed to say this: you, whom God gave a soul, for whom he formed a body, for whom he created everything visible, for whom he sent prophets, to whom he gave the law and did countless benefits, for whom he gave the Only Begotten Son (and through Him imparted countless gifts). After this, the Savior reproaches the listeners, saying: “they have little faith”! This is the quality of a person who advises. He not only convinces, but also convicts in order to further motivate people to obey His words. Thus, Christ forbids us not only to care about beautiful clothes, but also to be surprised when we see them on others. The decoration of flowers, the beauty of grass, and even the hay itself are more worthy of surprise than our expensive clothes. So, why are you proud of something in which grass is incomparably superior to you? Notice how the Savior shows from the very beginning that His commandment is easy, removing (every thought of unnecessary worries, just as before, when He spoke about food, that is, removing) from what the listeners were afraid of. Saying: “Look at the lilies of the field.” He added: “they do not labor.” This means that with this commandment He wants to free us from labor. So, it is not what constitutes labor when we do not take care of clothing, but when we do. And just as when Christ said: “They do not sow,” he forbade not sowing, but excessive care for food, so with these words: “They neither labor nor spin,” he forbids not the occupation itself, but excessive care for clothing. Solomon in all his greatness could not compare with the beauty of flowers, and not just just once, but throughout his entire reign (no one can say that Solomon dressed like this now, and at another time differently; no, there was not a single day when he was decorated as magnificently as flowers, which is what Christ indicates with the words: “in all his glory”). Moreover, Solomon could not compare with the beauty of his clothes not only with one or another color, but with all without exception (which is why the Savior said: “like any of them” - and the same difference is between clothes and colors as between truth and lies). So, if this king, the most famous of all who ever lived on earth, could not equal the flowers of the field, then can you ever surpass the beauty of flowers, or at least get somewhat closer to it? From here the Savior teaches us so that we should not even think about such decoration. Look at the end of it. The Savior, after having so praised the beauty of the lilies, says: “thrown into the oven.” So, if God provides so much for things that are worthless and bring the smallest benefit, then will He really not care about you, the best being of all beings? Why, you ask, did God create flowers so beautiful? In order to show His wisdom and His great power, so that we would know His glory from everywhere. Not only “the heavens preach the glory of God” (Psalm 18:2), but also the earth. And David, testifying to this, said: “Praise the Lord, O fruitful trees and all cedars” (Psalm 149:9). One glorifies its Creator with its fruitfulness, another with greatness, another with beauty. And this is a sign of the great wisdom and power of God when He clothes His latest creation in such beauty. (In fact, what could be even lower than what exists today and not tomorrow)? So, if God gives the hay something that it does not need at all (does fire, for example, need its beauty?), then how can He not give you what you need? If He adorned His very last creation in abundance, and this not out of any need, but for the sake of splendor, then all the more will He adorn you with everything necessary, the most precious being of all. 2. Since the Savior had already proven God’s providence for man, all that remained for Him now was to expose the listeners. And here His reproof is combined with meekness. He convicts His listeners not of unbelief, but of lack of faith: “if God so clothes the grass of the field,” He says, “then they have much more little faith than you.” Although He himself does all this, because “all things came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being” (John 1:3), however, He has not yet mentioned Himself anywhere. For the time being, to prove His power it was enough that He said with each commandment: “You have heard what was said to the ancients; but I tell you” (Matthew 5:21–22, etc.). So, do not be surprised if in subsequent words Christ either does not speak about Himself at all, or with humility: first of all, He cared only that His word be accepted by the listeners willingly, and in everything to show that He is not an opponent of any God, but is of the same mind and agrees with the Father. This is exactly what it does here. Throughout the entire conversation, He constantly mentions the Father, marveling at His wisdom, providence and care for everything, small and great. When He spoke about Jerusalem, He called It the city of the great King; when he mentioned heaven, he also called Him the throne of God. Discussing the construction of the world, He again attributes everything to God, saying: “For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). And in prayer he taught us to say: “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory” (Matthew 6:13). In the same way, here, discussing the providence of God, showing how God is an excellent artist even in small things, he says that He clothes the grass of the field. And, moreover, nowhere does he call Him His Father, but the Father of them (the listeners), in order to better convince with the idea of ​​such an honor for them, and so that they would no longer be indignant when He calls Him His Father. But if one should not care about unimportant and necessary things, then what forgiveness will be worthy of those who care about things of great value? Especially what kind of forgiveness will those who even deprive themselves of sleep in order to steal someone else’s be worthy of? “Do not worry and say: What shall we eat? or what to drink? or what to wear? because the pagans seek all these things” (Matthew 6:31–32). Do you see how He again, and much more strongly than before, convicts the listeners, and shows, moreover, that He does not command anything difficult and inconvenient to fulfill? Just as when He said: if you love those who love you, you do nothing great - and the pagans do the same (Matthew 5:46-47), - with this reminder of the pagans rousing His listeners to more - so now He presents the pagans in order to convict us and show that He demands from us the most necessary things. If we must surpass the scribes and Pharisees, then what will we be worthy of when we not only do not surpass them, but also remain in the weakness of the pagans and are jealous of their cowardice? Christ, however, did not stop at this reproof, but after touching, awakening, and greatly reproaching His listeners, on the other hand he consoles them, saying: “Your Father in heaven knows that you need all this” (Matthew 6:32). He did not say: God knows, but “the Father knows,” in order to thus arouse great hope in them. In fact, if God is a Father, and, moreover, an omniscient and caring Father, then He cannot despise sons who are in trouble, when even people, being fathers, do not do this. At the same time, Christ provides another proof. Which one? “That you need all this.” The meaning of these words of His is this: is this unnecessary so that God can neglect it? He does not even neglect what is superfluous, such as beauty in flowers; and here is what is necessary. Thus, what motivates you to care, then, in my opinion, should distract you from such care. If you say: I should take care of food and clothing because they are needed, then I, on the contrary, will say: just because they are necessary, you should not worry. Even if they were superfluous, then even then one should not despair, but with firm hope expect their alms; and since they are necessary, then there should be no doubt about it. What father would not want to provide what his children need? So and therefore God will certainly provide what is needed. He himself is the Creator of nature, and completely knows its needs. You cannot say that although God is the Father and what we require is necessary, He does not know that we need it. He who knows nature itself, who created and arranged it this way, obviously knows its needs better than you, who have a need for food and clothing: after all, He was pleased to give your nature such a need. He will not contradict Himself, depriving our nature of what is necessary and necessary, whereas He Himself created it with such needs. 3. So let us not worry; We will get nothing from our worries, except that they will entertain us. If God gives us everything we need, whether we care about it or not, and moreover, He gives us more quickly when we do not care, then what benefit does your fussiness bring you, except that you are punishing yourself? Does one who goes to a sumptuous dinner care about food? Does he who goes to the source stock up on drink? And we, having blessings better and more abundantly than how much water there is in streams and stews at suppers, that is, the providence of God, should not worry and be faint-hearted. In addition to the above, the Savior, in order to arouse in us undoubted trust in all things in the providence of God, provides further evidence, saying: “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Having removed from us every thought of unnecessary worries, Christ also mentioned heaven; This is why He came, to destroy the ancient, and to call us to a better fatherland; therefore He does everything to remove us from excesses and from addiction to earthly things. For this reason, he also mentioned the pagans, saying that “this is what the pagans are looking for,” who limit all their work to the present life, who do not talk at all about the future and do not think about heaven. But for you it should not be important, but something else. We were not created to eat, drink and dress, but to please God and receive future benefits. So, one should not care and pray intensely about earthly things. That is why the Savior said: “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” And he did not say: they will be given, but they will be added, so that you know that present blessings mean nothing in comparison with the greatness of future ones. That is why He does not command to ask for real blessings, but to ask for other blessings, and hope that they will join these. So, look for future benefits and you will receive present ones; do not look for the visible ones - and you will certainly receive them. And it is indecent for you to approach the Lord with a prayer for such benefits. Being obligated to apply all your care and all your care to ineffable blessings, you extremely dishonor yourself when you exhaust yourself with caring thoughts about fleeting blessings. But how, you say, didn’t Christ command to ask for bread? But He added: “urgent”, and again added to this: “today”. He inspires the same thing here; not just said: “don’t worry,” but: “don’t worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34). Thus, He simultaneously grants us freedom and turns our soul to more necessary objects. And if He commands us to pray, it is not because God needs our reminder, but so that we know that only with His help we accomplish everything we do, and so that by constant prayer we may become more pleasing to Him. Do you see how here too He assures His listeners that they will certainly receive real benefits? He who gives more will give less the sooner. It was not for this, He says, that I did not command you to worry and ask that you be in poverty and walk naked, but that you would have abundance in everything. And with this He could most of all attract listeners to Himself. Therefore, just as when giving alms, He forbids them to show themselves to people, convincing them mainly by the fact that through this they promise greater honor (namely, He said: “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly”), so here, turning them away from seeking real blessings, He especially rejects them with His promise to deliver them these blessings in greater abundance if they do not seek them. I, He says, forbid seeking, not so that you do not receive, but so that you receive in greater abundance, and receive as it is fitting for you to receive, with true benefit for you; so that by caring and painful concern for these blessings you do not become unworthy of both them and spiritual blessings, so that you do not bring unnecessary disaster upon yourself and lose what you want. “Do not worry about tomorrow: your worries are enough for each day,” that is, its poverty and sadness. Is it not enough for you to eat your bread by the sweat of your brow? Why do you expose yourself to other suffering that comes from your care, when you should be free from the first labors? 4. The Savior here does not call wickedness here, no, but malice, labor and misfortune; so in another place it is said: “Is there any evil in a city that the Lord would not allow” (Amos 3:6)? Here, evil does not mean robbery, covetousness, or anything else like that, but punishments sent from above. And it also says: “I make peace and bring about disasters” (Is. 45:7). And here we are not talking about malice, but about hunger and infection, which for many seem evil; many people usually call them that. So both the priests and the wise men of the five cities, when they harnessed the cows without calves to a chariot under the ark and let them go wherever they wanted, called evil both the punishments sent down from above, and the sorrow and sadness that arose from them (1 Sam. 6:9). So, the Savior means the same thing with malice here, saying: “one’s care is enough for every day,” because nothing torments the soul so much as care and care. In a similar way, Paul, inclining towards virginity, offered the following advice: “I want you to be without worries” (1 Cor. 7:32). When Christ says that “tomorrow will take care of its own things,” he says this not because the day takes care of itself, but since He spoke to the common people, then, wanting to make His words more expressive, he personifies the time, in accordance with general custom. Here He offers only advice, but, later on, puts this into law, saying: “Do not take with you gold, silver, or copper for your belts” (Matthew 10:9). First in deed, and then in word, He establishes a new, firm law, from which His word, having previously been confirmed by His very deeds, was easily accepted. And that He proved His teaching about dispassion for earthly things by His very deeds, then listen to what He says: “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). And he is not content with his own example alone, but also presents us with the same example in his disciples, when he inspired them not to care about earthly things, and did not allow them to need anything. But look, His care exceeds the tenderness of any father. I command this, He says, for no other reason than to free you from unnecessary worries, because if you take care of tomorrow today, then again tomorrow you will need to take care. So, why unnecessary? Why are you trying to burden the present day with more burdens than are given to it? Why do you lay on him the burden of the coming day? With such an addition you cannot alleviate the burdens of another day, but you will only show greed for unnecessary work. In order to touch His listeners more deeply, Christ personifies the time itself and presents it as if offended and crying out against the vain insult that they inflict on him. You have been given a day to take care of what belongs to him. Why do you entrust him with the care of another day? Is taking care of himself not enough of a burden for him? Why are you burdening him more appropriately? But when our Lawgiver and future Judge says this, then think what comforting hopes He gives us, when He Himself imagines our life to be so disastrous and difficult that even the care of one day can embitter and crush us. And yet, despite the multitude of such evidence, we care about earthly things, but do not care at all about heavenly blessings. By opposing His words, we have completely perverted the order. Look: He says: don’t look for the present at all, but we are constantly looking. Seek, He says, heavenly blessings - and we don’t even devote a minute to looking for them, but, as much as we care about worldly things, we are equally, or even incomparably more, careless about spiritual things. But this will not always be in vain, and we will not always succeed. Here we are neglectful for ten days, here for twenty, here for a hundred. But must we not sooner or later die and fall into the hands of the Judge? But does delay bring comfort? What consolation is it to expect punishment and torment every day? If you want to receive any consolation from this delay, then show correction, which is the fruit of repentance. If you think you will get some satisfaction from delaying punishment, then it is much more beneficial not to be punished. So, let us take advantage of this delay to completely rid ourselves of the upcoming evils. Not a single commandment is difficult or regrettable; on the contrary, each one is easy and easy to do, so that if we had a sincere desire, we could do everything, even if we were subject to countless sins. Manasseh dared to commit terrible crimes, because he stretched out his hands on the shrine, brought abominations into the church, filled the city with murders, and committed other unforgivable iniquities. And yet, after such great crimes, he made amends for everything. In what way? Repentance and good will. 5. No, truly there is not a single sin that would not be submitted and overcome by the power of repentance, or more justly, by the grace of Christ. As soon as we have time to turn, He already helps us. And if you want to be good, no one interferes - or better, although the devil tries to interfere, he cannot, when you yourself choose the best, and thus make God himself your protector. But if you do not want to and resist God, then how will He be your intercessor? He wants you to receive salvation not through coercion and violence, but through free will. If you, having a servant who hates you, turns away from you and often runs away from you, would not want to keep him, despite the fact that you have a need for his service, then all the more God, Who does everything not according to His own need, but for your salvation, will not want to forcibly keep you. On the contrary, as soon as you show affection, he will never want to leave you, no matter what the devil plans against you. So, we ourselves are the authors of our own destruction, because we do not approach God, we do not pray to Him, we do not call upon Him in the proper way. And if we do begin, we do it in a way that we don’t think we will receive—we do not do everything with proper faith, not with intense prayer, but carelessly and carelessly. Meanwhile, God wants us to ask Him, and if you ask, He shows you great mercy. He is the only Debtor who, when we ask Him, shows us mercy and gives us what we did not lend to Him. If He sees that the petitioner is persistent, He will also give what He did not receive from us. But if they ask Him carelessly, then He also hesitates - not because He is not inclined to give, but because He wants us to beg Him. That is why He presented you as an example of a friend who came at night and asked for bread, and a judge who does not fear God and is not ashamed of people. And he did not limit himself to these examples, but also testified to the same deeds, when he released the Phoenician woman with abundant donations. In her example, He showed that He gives to those who earnestly ask what should not be given. “It is not good,” He said, “to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Mark 7:27), - and, however, he gave it for her persistent request. And in the example of the Jews he showed that he does not give their property to the careless. Therefore, they not only received nothing, but also lost what belonged to them. Because they did not ask, they did not receive what belonged to them, but the Phoenician woman, because she asked earnestly, appropriated what belonged to herself, and the dog received what belonged to the children. How useful is persistent petition! Even if you were a dog, if you persistently ask, you will be preferred to a careless child. Where friendship fails, intense request achieves. So, don’t say that God is my enemy, that’s why he won’t listen to me. If you persistently beg Him, He will immediately answer you, if not because of your closeness to Him, at least for the sake of your persistent request. Neither enmity, nor timelessness, nor anything else will serve as an obstacle. Do not say: I am unworthy, and therefore I do not ask. And the Syrophoenician woman was like that. Do not say: I am a great sinner, and therefore I cannot ask an angry one; God does not look at dignity, but at disposition. If a widow bowed down to a leader who did not fear God and was not ashamed of people, then much more will unceasing prayer attract the Good One to her. Let you not be a friend of God, let you ask for the wrong, let you squander your father’s property and have been absent for a long time, let you come to Him deprived of honor and as the worst of all, let you appear to an angry and indignant person; just have the intention to pray and return to Him, you will receive everything, and you will immediately destroy anger and condemnation. But here, I pray, you say, and there is no success! This is because you pray not like a Syrophoenician woman, or a friend who came untimely, - not like a widow who constantly asks the judge, and a son who squandered his father’s property. If you had prayed the same way, you would have received it soon. Although God is irritated, He is the Father; although he is angry, he loves his children, and seeks only one thing - not to punish you for your offense, but to see you converted and begging Him. 6. Oh, that we too would be so inflamed as God’s compassion was warmed by his love for us! The fire of this love awaits only an opportunity, and if you apply a small spark to it, you will kindle a great flame that will benefit you. The Lord is not hurt because you are offended, but because you are impudent and raging like a drunken man. If we, being evil, are sick about children, despite the insults caused to us by them, will God, Who cannot be offended, be angry with you for annoying Him? If we, loving with natural love, grieve for our children, then all the more and quite naturally the child-loving one grieves for us. “Will a woman forget her suckling child, so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb? but even if she forgot, I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15). So, let us approach Him and say: “Yes, Lord! but the dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table” (Matthew 15:27)! Let us approach God in a timely and untimely manner; or rather, one can never approach Him prematurely. To begin untimely means not always to begin. To Him who always desires to give, it is always time to ask. Just as breathing is never untimely, so is asking; but, on the contrary, not asking is untimely. Just as we need breathing, so we need His help, and if we want, we can conveniently attract Him to us. And the prophet, showing and testifying that God is always ready to do good, said: “His appearance is like the dawn” (Hos. 6:3). No matter how many times we approach Him, we will see that He always expects requests from us. If we do not draw anything from the source of His mercies, then all the fault is ours. Reproaching the Jews, He said: “Your godliness is like the morning mist and like the dew that quickly disappears” (Hos. 6:4). These words have the following meaning: although I, for my part, have fulfilled everything, but just as the sultry sun at its very sunrise drives away both the cloud and the dew, so you, with your great malice, stop My ineffable generosity. However, here too providence acts together: as soon as God sees us as unworthy of good deeds, He restrains them so that they do not make us careless. If we turn at least a little, i.e. that is, as much as is necessary in order to find out that we have sinned - then very rich and abundant mercy pours out on us. And the more you accept from Him, the more He rejoices, and the more abundant He prepares new blessings for us. He considers our salvation and generous gifts to those who ask to be His wealth. This is what Paul says about this: “Rich to all who call on Him” (Rom. 10:12). But when we do not pray, then he becomes angry; when we do not ask, then we turn away. For this reason He became poor, in order to make us rich; He endured everything in order to encourage us to pray. So, let's not despair. But, having such motives, such good hopes, even if we sin every day, let us approach with petition, prayer and demand for remission of sins. Thus, we will be more indifferent to sin, and we will drive away the devil, and we will call on God’s mercy, and we will achieve future blessings through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: