Беседа 45

“And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables? He answered them: because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them.” (Matthew 13:10–11) Exposition 13:10–23. Prudence of the disciples. – Grace does not destroy freedom. – The Jews themselves were the reason that they did not understand the teachings of Christ. – Christ wanted their conversion and salvation. – Sin is not a matter of nature or necessity. – Variety of ways of salvation. - An exhortation to almsgiving and compassion for the poor. 1. It is surprising that the disciples, despite their strong desire to know why Jesus Christ speaks to the people in parables, hesitate when to ask this question. They do not do this in front of everyone, as Matthew showed when he said: “And they came.” And that my explanation is not a guess, this is revealed more clearly by Mark when he says that the disciples came to Him when He was alone (Mark 7:17). This is what both the brothers and His Mother should have done: not to call Him out of the house and not to expose themselves. Notice also the great love of the disciples - how much they care about others, and first seek their benefit, and then their own. “Why,” they say, “do you speak to them in parables?” They did not say: Why do you speak to us in parables? And in other cases, they often reveal their love for everyone, for example, when they say: “Let the people go” (Luke 9:12), and also: “Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this word, they were offended” (Matthew 15:12)? What does Christ answer them? “To you,” He says, “it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given.” He said this, not pointing to any necessity, or to the simple and random election of some, but showing that those who listen themselves [are] the cause of all evil, and at the same time wanting to reveal that understanding the mysteries of the kingdom is a gift of grace sent from above. However, although this is a gift, freedom is not destroyed by this, as can be seen from the following words. And so that some do not give in to despair, and others to carelessness, hearing that it has been given to them to understand the mysteries of the kingdom, see how He shows both that this initially depends on us: “For whoever has,” He says, “to him will be given and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Matthew 13:12, 25:29). Although these words are rather obscure, they contain an undeniable truth. They mean that whoever himself desires and tries to acquire the gifts of grace, to him God will grant everything; and whoever does not have this desire and diligence will not benefit from what he has, and God will not give him His gifts. “Even what he has will be taken away from him,” he says. This does not mean that God takes away from him, but that he does not honor him with His gifts. This is what we do too. When we see that someone is listening to us absent-mindedly, and despite all our convictions remains inattentive, we finally stop speaking, because if we insist, then his carelessness will increase even more. On the contrary, whoever listens to our teaching with zeal, we engage him in conversation and tell him a lot. And it is rightly said: “and what he has,” because such a person does not have this either. Further, He explains His words, showing what it means: “to the one who has, more will be given,” thus saying: “But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” “Therefore,” He continues, “I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see” (Matthew 13:13). But if they did not see, you say, then they had to open their eyes. Yes, if this blindness were from nature, then it should have been revealed; but since this blindness was arbitrary and depended on freedom, He did not simply say: “they do not see,” but: “seeing they do not see,” that is, that their blindness comes from their own corruption. They saw that He was casting out demons, and they said: “He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons” (Luke 11:15). They heard that He was leading them to God and was acting in everything in accordance with the divine will, and they said: “This Man is not from God” (John 9:16). Thus, they themselves acted contrary to what they saw and what they heard. For this, says Christ, I will take away both their sight and hearing. They not only do not receive any benefit from this, but on the contrary, they are subjected to even greater condemnation - because they not only did not believe in Him, but also reviled, and accused, and plotted against Him. He is, however, silent about this last point because He does not want to be harsh in his accusations. At first He did not speak to them in parables, but simply and clearly. But since they began to be reluctant to listen to Him, He finally began to speak to them in parables. Further: lest anyone consider His words merely a reproach and say that He reproaches and slanderes them out of enmity, Christ cites the words of the prophet confirming the same thing: “The prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled over them,” He says, “which says: You will hear with your ears and will not understand, and with your eyes you will look and will not see” (Matthew 13:14). Do you notice that the prophet denounces them with the same precision in expressions? And he did not say: “You will not see,” but “You will look with your eyes and will not see”; He did not say: “You will not hear,” but: “You will hear by hearing and will not understand.” So, they themselves were the cause of what they did not understand, blocking their ears, closing their eyes and hardening their hearts. Not only did they not hear, but they “hear with difficulty” (Matthew 13:15). And they did this, says the Lord, “and let them not turn so that I would heal them,” thereby showing their obstinacy in evil and deliberate aversion from Him. 2. He says this to attract them, to excite them, and to show them that if they are converted, He will heal them. Just as we say: he didn’t want to see me, and that’s great; and if he had honored me with his visit, I would have immediately shown him mercy, showing by this a means for reconciliation - so precisely here the Lord says: “And let them not turn, that I may heal them,” showing that they can both turn and be saved if they repent, and that He does everything not for his own glory, but for their salvation. If He did not want them to listen to Him and be saved, then He should have remained silent and not taught them in parables. But now, by the very thing that he speaks to them in parables, he excites them. “Do I want the death of the wicked?” - says the Lord God. Is it not that he should turn from his ways and live? God, it is said, does not desire the death of the sinner, but “that he should turn from his ways and live” (Ezek. 18:23). That sin does not come from nature, not from necessity and compulsion, listen to what Christ says to the apostles: “Blessed are your eyes for seeing, and your ears for hearing” (Matt. 13:16), meaning by this sight and hearing are not sensory, but mental. And the apostles were Jews, and were brought up in the same law, and however, the prophecy did not harm them in the least, because the root of good was well strengthened in them, that is, reason and will. Now, do you see that the words “it is given to you to know” do not mean necessity? Otherwise, why would they be called blessed if this good deed did not depend on them? Do not say that He taught unclearly. And the Jews, like the disciples, could come and ask Him. But they did not want to do this out of their negligence and carelessness. And what am I saying: they didn’t want to? They even acted contrary to Him: not only did they not believe, not only did they not listen, but they were also at enmity against Him and turned away from His teaching, for which the Lord accuses them in the words of the prophet: “they hear with difficulty.” But the disciples were not like that; That is why they were awarded the title of blessed. Christ also strengthens His disciples in another way, saying: “Truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, but did not see, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear” (Matt. 13:17), - that is, My appearance, miracles, voice and teaching. Here He places His disciples above not only the corrupt Jews, but also the righteous themselves - they and these latter, he says, are more blessed. Why? Because the disciples see not only what the Jews did not see, but also what the righteous wanted to see. The latter contemplated only by faith, but the disciples saw it face to face, and much more clearly. Do you see how Christ again connects the Old Testament with the New, showing that the Old Testament righteous not only knew the future, but also strongly desired it? But they could not desire it if they worshiped some god that was alien and contrary to the true one. “Listen,” He says, “[the meaning of] the parable of the sower”; and then he says what we said earlier about carelessness and diligence, about fear and courage, about wealth and lack of covetousness, showing what harm comes from the former and what benefit from the latter. Then he shows the different types of virtues. In His mercy, He not only showed the way and did not say that he would be alienated who did not bear fruit a hundredfold; He says, the one who bears fruit sixty times, and even the one who bears thirty, will be saved. This is why He said it, to make the path to salvation easier for us. So, you can’t bear the difficult state of virginity? Get married and live chastely. Can't give up your wealth completely? Give a portion of your wealth. Is it difficult and a burden for you? Share your possessions with Christ. Don't you want to give Him everything? Give at least half, or a third. If He is your brother and joint heir in heaven, then make Him a joint heir here too. Giving to him means giving to yourself. Do you not hear what the prophet says: “Do not hide from your half-blood” (Isaiah 58:7)? If one should not despise one’s relatives, then much less one should not despise the Lord, Who, along with the right of power, also has the right of kinship with you and many other rights. He made you a participant in His benefits, not only without receiving anything from you, but also by warning you with this indescribable benefit. So, isn’t it great madness to receive such gifts and, at the same time, be insensitive and not reciprocate for the benefit, and, moreover, less for more? He made you heir to heaven, but you do not want to sacrifice earthly things for Him. He reconciled you to God, despite the fact that you not only did nothing good, but even were an enemy, and you do not want to repay your friend and benefactor, whereas, not to mention the kingdom and everything else, you are obliged to give Him gratitude for the very thing that you can give. When slaves invite their masters to a feast, they do so not to please them, but to receive pleasure from them themselves. Meanwhile, here, on the contrary, it was not the servant who invited his master, but the Lord who called the servant to His meal. Don't you want to invite Him after that? He Himself was the first to bring you into His house, and you don’t want to do this now? He covered your nakedness, and even after that you do not want to give Him shelter as a stranger? He first quenched your thirst from His vessel, and you do not want to give Him even a drop of cold water? He filled you with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but you don’t want to quench His bodily thirst? He gave you the Spirit when you were worthy of punishment, and you despise Him when He thirsts, and this despite the fact that you should use His gifts? 3. Do you really consider it of little importance to hold the cup that will be brought to your lips and from which Christ will drink? Don't you know that only the priest has the right to offer the cup of blood? But I don’t look at this strictly, says Christ, but I accept it from you too. Even if you were a layman, I will not reject you and will not demand what I myself have given you. I do not demand blood, but icy water. Imagine who you are offering the drink to; imagine - and tremble. Think that you yourself become a priest of Christ when with your hands you offer not the body, not the bread, not the blood, but a cup of cold water. He has clothed you with the robe of salvation, and He has clothed you himself; and you do the same, although through a slave. He has glorified you in heaven; and you, at least, protect Him from fear, nakedness and ignominy. He has honored you with cohabitation with the angels; and you only accept Him under your roof - at least give Him shelter, as if it were your servant. I do not neglect this shelter, says Christ, although I myself have opened the whole heaven for you. I freed you from the most difficult captivity, but I do not demand the same from you and do not say: free Me; It is enough for My consolation if you just pay attention to Me when I am in chains. I raised you from the dead, and I do not require that you do the same; but I say: visit Me only during My illness. So, what kind of hellish torment are we not worthy of if, despite such great benefits poured out on us, and despite such easy demands from us, we do not fulfill the latter? Being more insensitive than a stone, we will, in all fairness, go into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Tell me: what insensitivity is on our part when we, having received such great gifts and having such great things in mind, remain slaves to wealth, which we will soon, perhaps, have to part with against our will? While others sacrificed their lives and shed their blood, you do not want to sacrifice even your excesses for the heavenly kingdom and such great glory. What kind of forgiveness will you deserve, what kind of justification will you receive if, when sowing a field, you willingly entrust all the seeds to the earth and, giving loans to people, do not regret anything, but remain so cruel and inhuman towards the poor, towards the poor, in whose person you feed the Lord Himself? So, knowing what we have received, what we hope to receive, and what is required on our part, and reflecting on all this, let us show every zeal for spiritual matters. Let us be lenient and merciful, so that we do not suffer severe punishment. If we use so many and great gifts, if so little is required on our part, and, moreover, if what is required is something that we must part with here involuntarily, if we are so strongly attached to temporary things, then will not all this serve to accuse us? Each of these circumstances in itself can condemn us. Where is the hope of salvation if all this comes together? So, in order not to fall into complete condemnation, let us be compassionate towards the poor. Through this we will become worthy of blessings both here and there, of which may we all be worthy by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: