Беседа 43

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said: Teacher! We would like to see a sign from You. But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and no sign will be given to him except the sign of the prophet Jonah." (Matt. 12:38–39) Explanation 12:38–45. Why did the Pharisees ask for a sign? – The disasters that befell the Jews are a sign of the power of Christ. - The reality of the death of Christ. – The justice of the punishments suffered by the Jews after the death of Christ. - He who has been freed from evils, but has not become more prudent, is subject to a more severe punishment. – Intense suffering is not alleviated by the sight of others suffering. – The benefits of being reminded of Gehenna. - An exhortation to improve life. The conditions of social and family life do not serve as an obstacle to virtue. 1. Could there be anything - I don’t say more wicked, but crazier than this? After so many signs, the Pharisees say as if none of them had happened: “We would like to see a sign from You”! Why do they say this? In order to catch Jesus again. Since He had already stopped their mouths many times with His words and bridled their shameless tongue, now they turn again to deeds. Marveling at this, the evangelist again repeats the word “then.” “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said: Teacher! We would like to see a sign from You." Then: when is this? When you should have bowed your head, when you should have been filled with wonder, when there was nothing left to do but be amazed and yield. And even then they do not lag behind their wickedness. And look how their words are filled with caresses and pretense. They hoped to lure Him into their nets. Just before they reviled Him, but now they flatter Him; They just called Him mad, and now they call Him the Teacher, but both speak with evil intentions, although their words are completely different from each other. That is why the Savior now rebukes them very strictly. When they rudely asked Him questions and reviled Him, He answered them meekly; and when they began to flatter him, He addresses them with all severity and utters defamatory words against them, showing that He is higher than both passions, and that just as then they could not anger Him, so now they cannot soften Him with their flattery. After this, delve into the nature of His reproaches: in them you will see not a curse, but a revelation of the evil nature of the Pharisees. What does He say? “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign.” The meaning of these words is this: why should you be surprised that you do this to Me, Whom you still do not know, when you did the same to My Father, whose power you have seen from so many experiences? How many times have you abandoned Him and fled to the demons, attracting these evil friends to you, for which the prophet Ezekiel repeatedly reproached you! The Savior, saying this, made it clear that He was of the same mind with the Father, and that they acted in the same way as before; and at the same time he discovered their innermost thoughts and convicted them that they were hypocritically and like enemies asking Him for a sign. That is why he calls them “an evil generation” because they were always ungrateful to their benefactors and, accepting benefits, became even worse - which is a sign of extreme evil. And He called them an “adulterous generation,” pointing to both their past and present unbelief, and in this he offered new confirmation that He is equal to the Father, since it is precisely unbelief in Him that makes a person an adulterer. Then, having reproached them, what does he say next? “And no sign will be given to him except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Here He already begins the word about His resurrection and, in confirmation of it, points to the foreshadowing. Well, you say, wasn’t another sign given to the Pharisees? Not given when they asked for it. The Savior knew their blindness, and therefore worked miracles not to convince them, but in order to correct other people. It is possible to understand these words in this sense; or one can see in them the meaning that the Pharisees will no longer receive a sign similar to the one mentioned. The sign was given to them when it was in their own punishment that they recognized the power of the Lord. So, here He secretly points out this future punishment, and, threatening them, seems to say: I have shown you a thousand blessings; but none of them attracted you to Me, and you did not want to honor My power with reverence. So, you will recognize My power from the deeds of the opposite, when you see your city destroyed to the ground, when you see the walls destroyed and the church turned into ruins, when you are deprived of your former freedom and civil order, and you will again wander everywhere like fugitives and homeless people. All this was fulfilled after the sufferings on the cross. So this is what will be sent to you instead of great signs! And in fact, is not this the greatest sign that the disasters endured by the Jews are still the same and unchanged, and with all attempts no one could alleviate the punishment once imposed on them? However, the Savior does not speak directly about this here, leaving the clearest revelation to the subsequent time. And now He reveals the word about His resurrection, the truth of which they will be convinced of by the very disasters that they will subsequently have to endure. “For just as,” he says, “Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40). He did not clearly say that He would rise again, because they would have laughed at that; but he foretold this in secret, however, so that they could believe that he knew this even before. And they precisely understood the meaning of His prophecy, as can be seen from their words to Pilate: “That deceiver, while still alive, said: After three days I will rise again” (Matthew 27:63): meanwhile, the disciples of Christ, being less knowledgeable than them, did not understand this; That is why the Pharisees brought condemnation upon themselves. 2. Notice with what precision the Savior expresses even His hidden prophecy. He does not say: in the earth, but: “in the heart of the earth,” in order to clearly indicate His presence in the tomb, and so that no one would think that His death was only one ghostly phenomenon. For the same purpose, He also intended three days, so that no one would doubt about His death, so that not only the cross and obviousness to everyone, but also the very number of days should serve as proof of it. All subsequent time was to testify to the resurrection; Meanwhile, many would not have believed the cross if there had not been many signs testifying to Him; and if they had not believed the cross, they would not have believed the resurrection. That is why the Savior calls death on the cross a sign. If He had not been crucified on the cross, the sign would not have been given. That is why He also presents a prototype, for greater assurance of the truth. Tell me, in fact, was Jonah’s stay in the belly of the whale just a dream? No, you can't say that. And, therefore, Christ’s presence in the heart of the earth could not be a dream. It is impossible for the foreshadowing to take place truly, while the truth itself remains a dream. That is why we proclaim the death of Christ in everything: in the holy mysteries, in baptism, and in all other sacred actions. That is why the Apostle Paul loudly cries out: “I do not want to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). From this it is clear that those infected with Marcion’s false teaching are the children of the devil, because they blot out that truth, for the affirmation of which Christ did everything and for the destruction of which the devil used all his efforts - I mean the cross and suffering. For this and in another place the Lord foretold: “Destroy this church, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19), and again: “the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them” (Luke 5:35); and here he said: “no sign will be given to him except the sign of the prophet Jonah,” showing by this that He would suffer for them, but they would not gain any benefit from it, which He clearly expressed in subsequent words. And, despite the fact that He knew about this, He still deigned to die for them. So great was His love! And lest anyone think that the same thing will happen to the Jews as with the Ninevites, and that, like these foreigners whom the Lord converted, presenting before their eyes the imminent destruction of their city, they will repent and turn after the resurrection of Christ - let us listen to what the Savior says next. He proclaims the completely opposite: that the Jews will not only not derive any beneficial fruits from His resurrection, but will also suffer incurable disasters. He makes this clear by presenting an example of one possessed by an unclean spirit. But first, He justifies Himself, proving that He is not to blame for the misfortunes to which they will be subjected, and that they will suffer a just punishment. In the example of the demon-possessed, He foretells that those who are possessed will suffer misfortune and desolation. And now he shows that they will suffer all these misfortunes fairly. This is what He did in the Old Testament. Thus, having set out to destroy Sodom, he justified himself in advance in a conversation with Abraham, showing him the complete desolation and impoverishment of virtue in those cities, if there were not even ten men living chastely there (Gen. 18:32). In the same way, he allowed Lot to see the anger against the strangers and the frantic lust of the Sodomites, and then he brought fire down on their city (Gen. 19:24). This is what He did during the flood, justifying Himself with His very works before Noah. This is how He showed His truth to Ezekiel when he presented before his eyes in Babylon all the evil that was happening in Jerusalem (Ezek. 5). So he deigned to justify himself before Jeremiah, when, having told him: “don’t pray,” he added: “don’t you see what they are doing” (Jer. 7:16–17)? He does the same in all similar cases. He does the same here. What exactly is He saying? “The Ninevites will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented from the preaching of Jonah; and behold, here is a greater number than Jonah” (Matthew 12:41)! Jonah is a slave, and I am the Master; he came out of the belly of the whale, and I rose from death; He preached destruction, but I came to preach the kingdom. And the people of Nineveh believed him without any sign, and I showed many signs; they heard nothing but the menacing words of the prophet, but I showed you all the treasures of the highest wisdom. Jonah appeared in Nineveh as a servant of God; and I am the Lord and Lord of all, and I came not with threats, not with a demand for an account, but with forgiveness. The inhabitants of Nineveh were pagans, and so many prophets spoke to you. No one prophesied about Jonah, but everyone prophesied about Me, and My deeds completely agree with the prophecies. He fled from the face of the Lord, thought to get away from ridicule; and I, knowing in advance that I would be crucified and mocked, came into the world. He did not want to endure humiliation in order to see the Ninevites saved; but I suffered death, and a most shameful death, and after that I still send others to preach. He was a stranger and stranger among the Ninevites, unknown to anyone; and I am your kinsman in the flesh, descended from the same ancestors from whom you also come. But besides these indisputable advantages, anyone who thinks about it more diligently will discover many others. 3. Not limiting himself to pointing to the Ninevites, the Savior presents another example, saying: “the queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, here is greater than Solomon” (Matthew 12:42)! This example is even more convincing than the previous one. Jonah went to the Ninevites; and the queen of the south did not want to wait for Solomon to visit her, but she came to him herself and decided to do so, not restrained by the fact that she was a woman, or by the fact that she came from another tribe, or by the distance; she decided not to be forced either by threats or by the fear of death, but solely out of love for wise instructions. “And behold, there is more Solomon here”! Solomon, without leaving the palace, received his wife who came to him; but I myself have come to those who do not have me. Solomon received the queen who came from the ends of the earth; but I myself go through cities and villages. Solomon talked to her about trees and plants, and she could not get much benefit from these conversations; and I offer conversations about unspeakable things, about the most terrible mysteries. Thus, having condemned the Pharisees and undeniably proved that they sin unforgivably, that their disobedience does not come from the weakness of the Teacher, but from their own evil nature, proving this by the example of the Ninevites, and the queen of the south, and other various arguments, the Savior finally speaks about the punishment that is about to befall them, and speaks in secret, however, so that His parable should have aroused in them a great fear. “When,” he says, “the unclean spirit leaves a person, it walks through waterless places, looking for rest, and does not find it; Then he says: I will return to my house from where I came. And, having arrived, he finds it unoccupied, swept and put away; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and live there; and for that person the last thing is worse than the first. So it will be with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:43–45). With these words, Christ shows that not only in the next century, but also here, the Pharisees will be subjected to the most severe punishments. Before that, He said: “The Ninevites will rise up in judgment with this generation.” The Pharisees, hearing this, could have thought that the time of judgment would not come soon, and therefore could become even more careless. And therefore, in order to prevent them from any reason for negligence, the Savior now presents to them the terrible disasters that await them in this life. The prophet Hosea threatened them with similar disasters, saying: “They will be like a foolish prophet, a man carried by the spirit” 15 (Hos. 9:7), that is, they will be like false prophets driven into frenzy and rage by evil spirits. By the name of the astonished prophet here we mean a false prophet, as the fortunetellers were. The Savior also points to this terrible state, and therefore says that they will suffer the greatest punishments. Do you see how He in every way encourages them to listen attentively to His words, presenting before their eyes both the present and the future, and the praiseworthy examples of the Ninevites and the queen, and the terrible examples of the destruction of the Tyrians and Sodomites? The prophets also did this when they cited the example of the sons of Rechab, or the bride who does not forget about her jewelry and belt, or when they said that the ox knows its owner, and the donkey knows its manger. In the same way, the Savior, having shown through comparison with others the full severity of the evil behavior of the Pharisees, finally speaks here about their punishment. What do His words mean? If those possessed by demons, He says, get rid of their illness and then neglect themselves, then by this they attract ghosts to themselves, which are even more fierce than before: you are in the same state. And before you were possessed by a demon, when you worshiped idols, when you sacrificed your sons to demons and thereby showed strong rage in yourself; but, despite this, I still did not leave you: I cast out that demon from you through the prophets, and then I came myself, wanting to cleanse you even more. If, after all this, you do not want to listen to Me, if you decide to commit even greater villainy (because slaughtering the Lord himself is a much greater and graver crime than killing the prophets), then you will suffer incomparably more than your fathers, who suffered in Babylon and in Egypt and under Antiochus I. And in fact, the disasters that befell the Jews under Vespasian and Titus were incomparably more terrible former ones. That is why the Lord said: “Then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will it be” (Matthew 24:21). But not only this alone is revealed from the example of the demoniac, but also that they will be completely alien to all virtue and will be even more susceptible to the action of demons than before. Then, although they sinned, there were still righteous people among them, the Providence of God and the grace of the Holy Spirit were still present, caring for them, correcting them and doing everything that was characteristic of it; and now they will be completely deprived of God’s care, so that extreme impoverishment of virtue, and an extraordinary increase in misfortune, and the unbridled dominion of demons over them will be their lot. You yourself know how in our time, when Julian went on a rampage, surpassing all the wicked in his wickedness, the Jews became close to the Greeks, and how zealously they adopted all their customs. Now they behave, apparently, somewhat more moderately and quietly, but this is only because they are afraid of kings: without this fear, they will embark on greater furies than before, because in other evil deeds they far surpass their ancestors, they practice sorcery and magic with the greatest jealousy and do not know the limits in satisfying lust. And in public life, despite the fact that they are tied with a strong bridle, how many times have they rebelled and rebelled against the kings! This brought upon themselves grave disasters. 4. Where are the sign seekers now? Let them hear that what is most needed is a heart sensitive to goodness. And if it does not exist, then the signs will be of no use. Behold, the Ninevites believed without signs; and the Jews, who saw so many miracles, became only worse, turned themselves into the dwelling of countless demons and brought upon themselves thousands of troubles. This is how it should be according to the court of truth. Whoever, once freed from evil, does not become more prudent, will be subject to punishments that are much more painful than before. This is why the Savior said: he finds no peace, to show that the slander of demons will certainly and necessarily fall on those who did not take advantage of their deliverance. Indeed, such people should become more prudent for two reasons: the first of them is the thought of the severity of previous suffering; the second is the feeling of the preciousness of deliverance. To these reasons we can add a third – threats that make us fear that something worse might happen. But the Jews were not moved by any of these impulses, and did not become better. However, what has now been said about the Jews does not apply to them alone, but also to us, if we, having been enlightened and freed from former evil, again cling to the former vices. For the sins we committed after enlightenment, we will suffer a more severe punishment. That is why Christ said to the paralytic: “Behold, you have recovered; Sin no more, lest anything worse happen to you” (John 5:14). And this was said to a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. You ask: what could have happened to him even worse than this? A much more cruel and unbearable punishment could have befallen him. God forbid that we actually experience all the suffering that we may be subjected to! God has many punishments: “As great is His mercy, so great is His reproof” (Joshua Sir. 16:13). That is why He especially accuses Jerusalem, which he had pardoned, saying through the prophet Ezekiel: “I saw you in your blood,” “I washed you and anointed you with oil,” “and your glory spread through the nations because of your beauty,” “you committed fornication with your neighbors” (Ezek. 16:6, 9, 14, 26). And therefore he threatens the city that has sinned with the most severe punishments. We, heeding this, will think not only about punishment, but also about the boundless patience of God. Indeed, how many times have we fallen into the same sins, and He still tolerates us! But let us not be careless, but on the contrary, let us be filled with fear. If Pharaoh had come to his senses with the first execution, he would not have suffered the subsequent ones and would not have drowned along with his entire army in the depths of the sea. I mention this because I know many people who even now, like Pharaoh, say: I do not know God, and do not allow those under their control to move away from clay and bricks. God commands that even threats be mitigated; and among us there are so many who don’t even want to make hard work easier! But for that they are no longer destined to cross the Red Sea. They are prepared for a sea of ​​fire, with which the Red Sea cannot be compared either in size or quality - a sea incomparably vast and furious, the waves of which are all made of fire, and extraordinary and terrible fire. There is a great abyss there, blazing with fierce flames. There you will see fire running everywhere, like some kind of ferocious beast. If the local sensual, material fire, jumping out like a beast from the Chaldean oven, attacked those who were sitting outside it, then what will not hellish fire do to those who fall into it? Listen to what the prophets say about the day of judgment: “The day of the Lord is fierce, with wrath and burning fury” (Is. 13:9). Then you will not find either an intercessor or a deliverer; then you will not see the meek and quiet face of Christ. But just as those exiled to the mines are given over to the power of unmerciful people, and cannot see any of their family and friends, but only see their overseers, so it will be then, and not yet so, but incomparably worse. Here you can still resort to the king and beg him, and thus remove the chains from the condemned man; and there it is no longer possible. No one is released from hell, and those prisoners there burn forever in fire and endure such torment that it is impossible to describe. If no word can express the fierce suffering that the people who are burned here endure, then the suffering of those tortured there is even more indescribable. Here, at least, all suffering ends in a few minutes, but there the scorched sinner burns forever, but is not consumed. What should we do if we get there? I'm saying this to myself. But if you, teacher, someone tells me, talk about yourself like that; then I have nothing to worry about anymore. Why be surprised that I will be punished? Oh no! I pray you, let no one think of seeking such consolation. There is not the slightest joy in this. Tell me: was not the devil an incorporeal force? Wasn't he better than people? And yet he fell. Well, can anyone find any consolation in the fact that he will suffer with the devil? No way. What once happened to all the Egyptians? Didn’t they see that their leaders were being executed, and crying was heard in every house? Could they, seeing this, console themselves and take a break from grief? Not at all, as can be seen from their actions later, when they, as if driven by some fiery scourge, all appeared before the king and forced him to release the Jewish people. How difficult it is to consider it a consolation that they are being punished along with everyone else, and to say: like everyone else, so am I! What can we say about Gehenna? Just imagine those who are possessed by a disease in their legs, and point out to them, while they are tormented by a feeling of severe pain, to a thousand other people who suffer even more than they do. They will not understand you, because severe pain does not give the slightest freedom to think, so that you can think about others and find consolation in this. So, let's not feed ourselves such empty hopes. It is possible to derive consolation from the misfortunes suffered by one's neighbors only when one's own suffering is quite bearable; but when the torment goes beyond its boundaries, when the whole inside is boiling, when the soul can no longer recognize itself, then where will it draw consolation? 5. So, all these words are just laughter and fables of foolish children. The consolation that you speak of takes place only in mild sorrow, only in tolerable sadness, when we hear that another suffers the same thing; and even then not always. If even in tolerable sadness it sometimes remains completely powerless, then even more so in that inexpressible illness and melancholy that is revealed by the gnashing of teeth. I know that it is difficult and unpleasant for you to hear such words from me; but what should I do? I would not like to talk about this; I would be glad to recognize virtue in myself and in all of you. But when almost all of us live in sins, then God grant that I can generate true sadness in you, and touch the very heart of my listeners! Then I would be calm and stop talking about it. And now I am afraid that some of you will neglect my words, and for neglect and inattention you will be subjected to greater punishment. If some slave, hearing the master’s threats, neglected them, then, of course, the angry master would not leave him unpunished, but would impose the most severe punishment on him for this. So, I beg you, let us be brokenhearted when we hear the word about hell. Truly, there is nothing sweeter than this conversation, for the very same reason that there is nothing bitterer than Gehenna itself. But how, you ask, can a conversation about Gehenna be sweet? Precisely because it is not sweet to fall into Gehenna; and reminders of it, which seem unbearable, protect us from this disaster. In addition, they give us another pleasure, accustom our spirit to concentration, make us more reverent, lift our minds to grief, open our thoughts, drive away the evil host of lusts that besiege us, and thus heal our soul. Now, after reminding us of the punishment, let me say something about the shame that awaits us, because just as the Jews will be condemned by the Ninevites on the day of judgment, so we will be condemned then by many who are despised by us now. So, let us consider what kind of ridicule we will be subjected to, what kind of condemnation; let us think about it, and let us now make a beginning, and enter the door of repentance. I say this to myself, first of all I exhort myself to this; No one should be angry, as if I wanted to condemn anyone. Let's take the narrow path. How long shall we indulge in effeminacy? How long to be lazy? Have we not yet lived contentedly in carelessness, in laughter, postponing conversion from day to day? Or will everything again remain the same: a rich table, and satiety, and luxury, and greed for money, and covetousness, and the desire to build? But what will be the end? Death. What's the end? Dust and ashes, coffin and worms. So, let's start a new life, make the earth heaven; Let us show the pagans what blessings they are deprived of. Looking at our well-ordered life, they will see the image of the kingdom of heaven. When they see how modest we are, how free we are from anger, from evil lusts, from envy, from covetousness, and how faithfully we fulfill all our duties, they will say: if Christians here become angels, then what will they be like when they move from here? If here, being strangers, they shed such light, then what will they be like when they reach their homeland? Thus, the pagans, looking at us, will become better, and the word of piety will spread as widely as in the time of the apostles. In fact, if the twelve apostles converted entire cities and countries, then think, what success will our labors be crowned when we all, zealously striving for a good life, through this very thing become teachers? The pagan is not so much attracted to the resurrected dead as to the wise man. From the first he will be amazed, and from the last he will benefit. That was and is past; and a wise life abides constantly, and always promotes the good cultivation of his soul. Let us therefore take care of ourselves, so that we may also win the unbelievers. I am not offering you anything that is impossible to implement; I’m not saying: don’t get married; I’m not saying: leave the city and withdraw from public affairs; but I exhort you, while remaining with them, to be adorned with virtue. I would even wish that those living in cities were more distinguished by a good life than those who retired to the mountains. Why? Because a very great benefit would come from this. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a concealment (Matthew 5:15). That is why I would like all the lamps to be placed on candlesticks, so that great light would spill from them. Let us kindle the fire of this light and make sure that those sitting in darkness get rid of error. Don’t tell me: I have a wife and children, I run a house, and I cannot do this. If you had none of this, but remained careless, you would not receive any benefit from it; and if you are careful in all this, you will be enriched in virtue. Only one thing is required - the affirmation of the spirit in good dispositions: then neither age, nor poverty, nor wealth, nor a multitude of affairs and nothing else can be an obstacle to us. After all, both old people and young people, and married people, and those obliged to raise children, and artisans, and warriors managed to fulfill everything commanded. Daniel was a youth, Joseph was a slave, Aquila was a craftsman, a porphyry seller ran a whole establishment; one was a prison guard, another a centurion, like Cornelius, another had poor health, like Timothy, another even fled from his master, like Onesimus: and yet none of them was restrained by any obstacle, but they all led a glorious life, both men and women, and youths, and elders, and slaves, and freemen, and warriors, and commoners. So, let’s not hide behind useless and empty apologies, but let’s affirm a good intention in ourselves. Then, whatever our title, we will, without a doubt, preserve virtue, and we will be worthy of future blessings by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power and honor, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Translation from the Septuagint. – I.N. You might be interested in: