Беседа 56

“Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matt. 16:28) Exposition 16:28–17:9. Why does Christ talk more about rewards than threaten punishments? – Why do Moses and Elijah appear at the transfiguration? – Greater perfection is required from Christ’s disciples than Moses and Elijah showed. – Peter’s love for Christ. – Equality of the Son with the Father. – Why Christ forbade the disclosure of His transfiguration before His suffering. - The glory of the future coming of Christ. – Virtue is easy, vice is painful. - Against usury. 1. Since Christ talked a lot about dangers, about His death and suffering, about the beating of His disciples, and bequeathed to them difficult deeds, which they had to undergo in this life, and, moreover, very quickly, while blessings - salvation, for example, the soul for those who destroy it, the coming of Christ in the glory of His Father, the retribution of rewards for deeds - remained for them in hope and expectation, now, wanting to enlighten their gaze and show, as much as possible for them, what the glory with which He will come will consist of, reveals this glory to them even in this life, so that they, and especially the grieving Peter, do not grieve about their death, as well as about the death of their Lord. And notice how He acts. Having spoken about Gehenna and the kingdom [precisely in the words: “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it”, and if anyone loses “it for My sake, he will find it”, and: “He will reward everyone according to his deeds” (John 12:25; Matt. 16:27) He meant both], having spoken about both, He places the kingdom before our very eyes, and removes Gehenna from sight. Why is this so? Because for more rude people it was necessary to talk about Gehenna; and since His disciples were experienced and knowledgeable, He convinces them with something that could give them great consolation. Moreover, it was more fitting for Jesus Christ to say so. However, He does not completely abandon Gehenna, but sometimes He presents it before His eyes, when, for example, He gives the image of Lazarus (Luke 16), or a moneylender, or a man who demanded a hundred denarii (Matthew 18), clothed in dirty clothes, and many others (Matthew 22). “And after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John” (Matthew 17:1). If another evangelist says: “after eight days” (Luke 9:28), then there is no contradiction here, on the contrary, there is agreement. One understood both the day on which Jesus spoke and the one on which He led His disciples up the mountain; and the other counts only those days that have passed between these days. Look how impartial Matthew is: he does not hide those who were preferred to him. John often does the same, describing with complete accuracy the excellent praise given to Peter. So, all these holy men were always alien to envy and vanity. So, having taken the chief apostles, “he led them up to a high mountain alone, and was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white like light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him” (Matthew 17:1-3). Why does Christ take only these disciples? Because they were superior to others: Peter with his strong love for Jesus, John with Jesus’ special love for him, and James with the answer that he gave together with his brother: we can drink the cup (Matthew 20:22), and not only with the answer, but also with deeds - both others and those with which he justified his words. And indeed, he was so hostile and hateful to the Jews that Herod, by killing him, thought to make a great gift to the Jews. Why doesn't Jesus raise them up right away? So that other students do not become embarrassed. That is why He does not even speak about the names of those who will ascend the mountain with Him. Otherwise, the other disciples would have greatly desired to follow Him in order to see the image of the future glory, and they would have mourned as if despised. Although Christ intended to show His glory in a sensual way, nevertheless, this too was desired for them. But why did He say this before? So that they, having heard about this earlier, would become more capable of contemplation, and so that the number of days, igniting in them a strong desire, would force them to approach with a vigilant and anxious mind. Why are Moses and Elijah here? There are many possible reasons for this. And, firstly, since some of the people revered Christ as Elijah, others as Jeremiah, others as one of the ancient prophets, then the main prophets appear, so that the difference between the servants and the Lord can be seen, and that Peter is rightly praised for confessing Christ as the Son of God. You can also indicate a second reason. The Jews often accused Christ of breaking the law and of blasphemy, as if He was stealing the glory of the Father, which did not belong to Him, and they said: “This Man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath” (John 9:16); and again: “We do not want to stone You for a good deed, but for blasphemy and because You, being a man, make Yourself God” (John. 10:33); therefore, in order to show that both accusations arose from envy, and He is free from both of them - that is, that He neither transgressed the law nor appropriated glory that did not belong to Him, calling Himself equal to the Father - He presents men who were glorified both by fulfilling the law and by zeal for the glory of God. If Moses gave the law, then the Jews could conclude that he would not have tolerated the contempt of this law, as they thought, and would not have served the violator of it, who was hostile to him. Likewise, Elijah, out of zeal for the glory of God, would not have stood before and obeyed Christ if He had been God’s adversary, and called Himself God and equal with the Father, without actually being such. 2. Along with those mentioned, another reason can be given. Which one? With this appearance, Jesus Christ wanted to teach the disciples that He has power over life and death, and is sovereign over heaven and earth. This is why both the deceased and those who have not yet experienced death appear here. The fifth reason (and this is really the fifth) was presented by the evangelist himself. It is to show the glory of the cross, to comfort Peter and the other disciples who were afraid of suffering, and to encourage their hearts. In fact, the two men who appeared were not silent, but spoke about the glory that he intended to reveal in Jerusalem, that is, about suffering and the cross, because suffering and the cross are always called glory. Further, the reason for the election of these men was their very virtue, which He primarily demanded from the disciples. Since Christ always taught: “if anyone wants to come after Me, take up his cross and follow Me,” He now brings to the center those who have died a thousand times for the glory of God and for the people entrusted to them. Truly, each of them, having lost his soul, found it; each one boldly spoke against the tyrants, one against Pharaoh, the other against Ahab, and, moreover, for ungrateful and disobedient people, who paid them for their salvation with ingratitude, plunging them into extreme dangers; everyone wanted to distract the people from idolatry. Both were simple people, and moreover, one was tongue-tied and thin-voiced, while the other led a harsh life. Both were distinguished by non-covetousness, because neither Moses had anything, nor Elijah had anything except mantle. And besides, all this was in the Old Testament, when there was not yet such an abundant gift of miracles. It is true that Moses divided the sea, but Peter walked on the waters, could move mountains, healed various bodily diseases, cast out cruel demons, performed great miracles with his very shadow, and converted the entire universe. Likewise, Elijah, although he raised a dead man, the disciples of Christ raised thousands, and moreover, when they had not yet been worthy to receive the Spirit into themselves. Christ talks with Moses and Elijah in order to encourage His disciples to imitate their love for their people, their constancy and firmness, so that they would be meek like Moses, zealous like Elijah, and equally protective. In fact, one of them endured famine for three years for the Jewish people, and the other says: “Forgive them their sin, and if not, then blot me out of Your book, in which You wrote” (Ex. 32:32). Christ reminded the disciples of all this with the appearance of Moses and Elijah. And in glory He brought them out, not only so that the disciples would be such, but also superior to them. That is why, when one day they said: “Let us say that fire should come down from heaven” (Luke 9:54), and mentioned Elijah, who had done the same, He said to them: “You do not know what kind of spirit you are,” convincing them by the superiority of the gift to endure insults. But let no one think that we condemn Elijah as imperfect; we don't say that. He was very perfect, but only in his time, when people's minds were still in infancy, and when they needed such guidance. Likewise, Moses was perfect; but more perfection is required from Christ’s disciples: “unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, then you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). And this is because the disciples were sent not to Egypt, but to the entire universe, which was in a worse state than Egypt, and they did not have to talk to Pharaoh, but to fight with the very chief of evil - the devil. Their feat was to bind him and plunder all his vessels; and this they did not by dividing the sea, but by cutting with the rod of Jesse the abyss of wickedness raised by the stormy waves. Imagine what did not frighten these men: death, poverty, disgrace, countless sufferings. All this was more terrible for them than the sea was then for the Jews. And yet, Christ convinced them to despise all this and walk with perfect safety, as if on a dry path. Preparing them for all this, He placed before them men who were glorified in the Old Testament. What about fiery Peter? “It is good for us to be here” (Matthew 17:4), he says. Since he heard that Christ must go to Jerusalem and suffer, then, fearing and trembling for Him, after the reproach made to him, he does not dare to proceed and repeat the same thing: “Be merciful to yourself” (Matthew 16:22), but out of fear he expresses the same thought in other, but not so clear words. Now, seeing the mountain and the solitary desert, he thought that the place itself brought safety, and not only hoped for the safety of the place, but also thought that Jesus would no longer go to Jerusalem. Peter wants Christ to stay here forever, which is why he reminds us of the tents. If, he thought, this happens, then we will not go to Jerusalem; and if we do not go, then Christ will not die, because there, Jesus said, the scribes will attack Him. But not daring to say this, but wanting it to be so, Peter said without any fear: “It’s good for us to be here!” Here are Moses and Elijah, Elijah - who brought down fire from heaven onto the mountain, Moses - who entered the darkness and talked with God; and no one will know that we are here. 3. Do you see how passionately Peter loves Christ? Do not think that the conviction he proposes was not thought out; but talk about how fiery he was and how love for Christ burned him. And that Peter did not say this out of fear for himself is clear from his words that he uttered when Christ predicted his future death and exodus - from the words: “I will give my soul for You; Even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You” (Mark 14:31). Notice how, for the sake of Christ, he was exposed to dangers, when he not only did not run away from the crowd of people who attacked Christ, but, drawing another sword, cut off the ear of the bishop’s servant. Thus, he did not care about himself, but trembled for his Teacher. Further, since his words were decisive, now he comes to his senses, and in order not to incur reproach again, he continues: “If you want, we will make three tabernacles here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”? What are you saying, Peter? Didn't you not long before distinguish Him from slaves, and now again you confuse Him with slaves? This is how imperfect the disciples were before the cross! Although Peter had a revelation from the Father, he did not withhold it constantly, but was embarrassed by fear - not only that which I spoke about, but also by the fear that was born in him at the very vision. Therefore, other evangelists, speaking about this and showing that the cause of the embarrassment with which he uttered these words was precisely that fear, said: Mark “did not know what to say; because they were in fear" (Mark 9:6); and Luke, having said: “let us make three tabernacles,” added: “not knowing what he said” (Luke 9:33). Moreover, showing that both Peter and the other disciples were struck with great fear, Luke says about them: “they were weighed down with sleep; but when they awoke, they saw His glory” (Luke 9:32). By sleep here the evangelist means the great aggravation that occurred in them from the vision. Just as excessive shine blinds the eyes, so they were amazed by the light of that time. This light appeared not at night, but during the day, and their weak vision was aggravated by the greatness of the brilliance. What next? Neither Christ himself says anything, nor Moses, nor Elijah; but the Father, greater than all and most worthy of faith, speaks from the cloud. Why from the cloud? This is how God always appears. “Clouds and darkness are all around Him” (Psalm 97:2); also: “he will sit on a light cloud” (Is. 19:1); also: “You make the clouds Your chariot” (Psalm 103:3); also: “a cloud took Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9); also: “One like the Son of man walked with the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13). Therefore, in order for the disciples to believe that this voice is the voice of God himself, a cloud appears, and a bright one at that. “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5)! When God utters threats, then he shows a dark cloud, as for example on Mount Sinai: “Moses entered into the middle of the cloud and ascended the mountain” (Exodus 24:18), “smoke rose from it like smoke from a furnace” (Exodus 19:18). In the same way, the prophet, speaking about threats, said: “darkness of waters, clouds of air” (Psalm 17:12). Here, since He intended not to frighten, but to teach, a bright cloud appears. And while Peter said: “Let us make three tabernacles,” He himself showed a canopy not made by hands. That is why there is smoking and stove smoke, here there is an indescribable light and a voice. Then, to show that he was not just talking about one of the three, but specifically about Christ, the other two, when the voice was heard, left, because if it had been said simply about one of them, then after the removal of the two, only Jesus would not have remained. Why did the cloud overshadow not only Christ, but everyone? If it had overshadowed Christ alone, then one would have thought that the voice came from Christ himself. Therefore, the evangelist, preventing this very thing, says that the voice was from the cloud, that is, from God. What does this voice say? “This is My beloved Son”! If Jesus is the beloved Son, then do not be afraid, Peter! You really needed to know His power and be confident in His resurrection. If you do not know, then at least be encouraged by the voice of the Father. If God is omnipotent, as He really is, then the Son is omnipotent. Therefore, do not be afraid of threatening dangers. If you still do not agree, then at least consider that He is the Son, and the beloved Son: “this is My beloved Son”! If He is beloved, then do not be afraid. Who will destroy the one he loves? So, don't be embarrassed; even though your love for Him was immeasurable, you do not love Him as much as He who gave birth to Him loves Him and is well pleased with Him. He loves Him not only because He begat Him, but also because He is equal to Him in everything, and has the same will with Him. Consequently, the reason for His love is twofold, or even threefold, that is: that He is His Son, that He is beloved, that all His good pleasure is in Him. What does it mean: “in whom I am well pleased”? The Father seems to say this: in Him is My rest and delight; and this is because He is completely equal with the Father in everything; His will is one with the will of the Father, and, being the Son, He is in everything one with the One who gave birth. “Listen to Him,” so if He wanted to be crucified on the cross, do not resist it. “And when the disciples heard, they fell on their faces and were very afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said: Arise and do not be afraid. Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus” (Matthew 17:6-8). 4. Why were they so amazed when they heard these words? And before such a voice was in the Jordan, in the presence of the people, but no one experienced anything like it; and after again, when there was thunder, as they said, no one experienced anything like this. Why did they prostrate themselves on the mountain? The reasons for this: the solitude and height of the place, deep silence, the transformation combined with horror, the extraordinary light and the outstretched cloud - all this plunged them into great awe. Amazing things surrounded them from everywhere, and they, in horror, fell and bowed. But so that fear, acting too long, does not deprive them of memory, Christ immediately dispels their horror and appears to their eyes alone; and commands them not to talk about the event to anyone until He rises from the dead. “And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus rebuked them, saying, Tell no one about this vision until the Son of Man rises from the dead” (Matthew 17:9). Indeed, the more wonderful things they began to tell about Him, the more difficult it would be for many to believe it. Moreover, the temptation about the cross increased even more. That is why He commands them to be silent, and not only commands them, but again reminds them of His sufferings, as if giving the reason why He commanded them to remain silent - specifically forbidding them not always to hide it, but only until He rises from the dead. Having kept silent about what was very unpleasant, He says only one comforting thing. What after that? Could they be tempted? No way. It was only necessary to pass the time to the cross; and afterward they were filled with the Spirit, and in the signs they found a voice to help them. Everything that they said afterwards was worthy of belief: deeds, louder than any trumpet, proclaimed His power, and events no longer aroused any temptation. Truly, nothing could be more blessed than the apostles, and especially the three of them, who were worthy to be with the Lord under the cover of one cloud. However, if we want, we can see Christ, not in the form in which they saw Him on the mountain, but in a much better form, because later He will not come in the same form. Then He, sparing the disciples, showed them as much glory as they could bear; afterward He will come in the glory of His Father, not with Moses and Elijah only, but with countless armies of angels, with archangels, with cherubim, with all their countless hordes; not one cloud will be over His head, but the whole sky will be concentrated above Him. Just as judges, when they carry out their judgment publicly, take away the curtains and show themselves to everyone, so exactly then everyone will see Christ seated, and all people will appear to Him, and He Himself will answer them with His own lips. To others he will say: “Come, you blessed of My Father: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food” (Matthew 25:34–35); to some he will say, “good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:21). And to others, defining otherwise, he will say: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41); to some: “a wicked and lazy servant” (Matthew 25:26). Others will be cut up and handed over to the torturers; He orders others to be tied with their hands and feet and thrown into utter darkness. And after the ax the furnace will receive them, into which everything thrown out of the net will be thrown. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun” (Matthew 13:43), and even more than the sun; if it is said so, it is not because their luminosity was exactly the same as that of the sun, but because we do not know another luminary more brilliant than the sun. Christ, through an object known to us, only wanted to depict the future glory of the saints. So exactly the Evangelist, when he says that Jesus shone like the sun on the mountain, says so for the same reason; and that the light was greater than what was compared (sunlight), this was proven by the disciples by falling on their faces. If this light had not been extraordinary, but had been similar to the sun, then they would not have fallen, but easily demolished it. So, the righteous at that time will be enlightened like the sun, and even more; sinners will experience extreme disasters. Then there will be no need for evidence, accusations, or witnesses. The One who judges is at the same time a witness, an accuser, and a judge. He knows everything clearly: “everything is naked and open before His eyes” (Heb. 4:13). No one will appear there rich or poor, strong or weak, wise or foolish, slave or free; all these differences will disappear, and only cases will be dealt with. If in the courts a person convicted of maladministration or murder, no matter who he is - prefect or consul, or the like, is deprived of all dignity and receives a worthy execution, then all the more so will it be there. 5. So, so that this does not happen to us, let us take off our unclean clothes, put on the weapons of light, and the glory of God will overshadow us. Which of the commandments is, in fact, difficult to fulfill, which is difficult? Listen to what the prophet says, and then you will know that they are easy. “Does a man torment his soul when he bends his head like a reed and spreads rags and ashes under him? This is the fast that I have chosen: loose the fetters of unrighteousness, untie the bands of the yoke” (Isa. 58:5-6). Notice the wisdom of the prophet! Having first offered and then rejected difficult means, he presents an easy path to salvation, showing that God does not require work, but obedience. Then, proving that virtue is easy and vice is painful, he depicts this in the simplest words. Vice, he says, is bondage and slavery, and virtue is liberation and permission from all this. “Break every yoke,” meaning by this receipts for debts and loans. “Let the oppressed go free,” that is, the poor, because the debtor, as soon as he sees the lender, is troubled in spirit and fears him more than the beast. “Bring the wandering poor into the house; When you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not hide from your half-blood” (Isaiah 58:7). In a previous conversation, when discussing rewards, we called them a source of wealth. Now let's see if there is anything difficult in the commandments that exceeds our nature? No, we will not find anything like that in them; We’ll even find the opposite. They are as easy as the vice is difficult. Indeed, what could be more difficult - to give loans, to worry about profits, to conclude deals, to demand guarantees, to fear and tremble for mortgages, for money lent on interest, for receipts, for profits, for keeping promises? Such is everything in life! The most apparently refined foresight in everything is unreliable and fragile. On the contrary, being merciful is easy and frees you from all worries. So, let us not profit from the misfortunes of others and trade in mercy. I know that for many it is unpleasant to listen to these words; but what is the benefit of remaining silent? If I remain silent and do not bother you with my words, then not only cannot I save you from punishment with this silence, but on the contrary, the punishment will increase even more, and not only for you, but even for me this silence will bring punishment. So, what is the use of flattering words when they do not actually help, but even harm? What is the profit in making people happy with words and saddening in reality, undead by hearing and subjecting the soul to punishment? So, one must grieve here so as not to be punished there. A terrible, my dear, terrible, and requiring great healing disease has crept into the church! Those who are not even commanded to accumulate wealth and through righteous labors, but are commanded to open their houses to the poor, they themselves benefit from the poverty of others, inventing a plausible image of theft, skillfully covering up covetousness. Don't talk to me about external laws. And the publican fulfills the external law, but despite this he is guilty of punishment. We will have to experience the same thing if we do not stop oppressing the poor in need and misfortune, and using this opportunity for shameful gain. You have money in order to alleviate poverty, and not in order to oppress it; and you, under the guise of generosity, only increase poverty and sell mercy for money. Sell, I don’t forbid it; but only for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. For this deed you will receive a considerable reward - but the reward is a hundredfold, immortal life. Why are you poor and needy? Why do you, coward, sell great things for a small price - for money that perishes, while this should be done for the sake of the kingdom that endures forever? Why, having left God, do you strive for human benefits? Why, running around the Rich One, do you bother the poor, and, leaving the generous Giver, do you enter into intercourse with the ungrateful? He himself wants to give, but this one has difficulty giving. This one gives barely a hundredth part, but the other gives more than a hundredfold - eternal life. This one with insult and curse, That one with love and favor. One arouses hatred in you, the other weaves crowns for you. One is just here with you, the other is both here and there. So, isn’t it extreme madness to not even know your own benefit? How many people have lost their money in pursuit of profits! How many people, for the sake of self-interest, have been exposed to danger! How many people have plunged themselves and others into extreme poverty from unheard-of covetousness! 6. Don’t tell me that the one who borrows rejoices and gives thanks for what was given to him; it comes from your cruelty. And Abraham, having given his wife to the barbarians, himself pretended that their evil intention was pleasant to him; however, he did this not out of good will, but out of fear of Pharaoh. The same is true for the poor man: since you do not consider him worthy of lending money to him, he is forced to thank you for your cruelty. It seems to me that even if you free someone from danger, you will demand a reward for it. No, you say, this won’t happen! What are you saying? When you save a great misfortune, you don’t want to take money for it, while for a small service you perform such inhumanity? Don't you see what kind of punishment such an act deserves? Don’t you know that this was also forbidden in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 15)? But what else do many people say: “I will take the interest and give it to the poor?” You say well, friend, but God does not like such offerings. Don't cheat with the law. It is better not to give to a beggar at all than to give what one has acquired through such means. By unjust bribery, you often make illegal the wealth that you have collected through honest labor, just as if someone forced a healthy womb to give birth to scorpions. And what am I saying about the law of God? Don't you yourself call it unclean? If you, self-interested people, think about it this way, then imagine what kind of judgment God will pronounce on you? If you want to know how earthly legislators thought about this, then in their opinion such actions were a sign of extreme shamelessness. Those who belonged in honor to the great council called the Senate were forbidden to dishonor themselves by such gains. They had a law that prohibited such profits. How can you not feel horror when you do not give the same honor to the heavenly state as the legislators give to the Roman Senate, and even consider heaven lower than earth? And you are not ashamed of such madness? After all, this is as senseless as if someone decided to sow without soil, rain and a plow. Those who would invent such an absurd image of agriculture should expect nothing from it except chaff doomed to fire. Aren't there many honest ways to acquire, for example: meadows, pastures, fields, cattle, handicrafts, care of property? Why are you mad and, when you sow for good luck, you get thorns? The fruits of the earth, you say, suffer a lot of damage, for example: from hail, drought, torrential rains. But everything is not the same as percentages. In fact, from those accidents only the fruits are suffered, but the capital, that is, the field, remains. Here, on the contrary, many often destroy their capital itself, and even before this misfortune they experience constant anxiety. The lender never enjoys what he has, never rejoices about it, and even then, as interest increases, he is not happy about the profit, on the contrary, he is sad that the growth has not yet been compared with the capital; and before this unjust growth is completely equalized, he tries to put it into circulation, turning interest itself into capital, and forcibly forcing the production of premature births of vipers. Those are the percentages! More than these poisonous animals, they torment and devour the souls of the unfortunate. Here is the “union of untruth”! Here are the “bonds of the yoke”! The man says: I give not so that you have anything, but so that you can return it with interest. But God, on the contrary, does not order that what is given be received back. “Lend,” He says, to those from whom you do not expect to receive (Luke 6:35); You demand even more than you gave, and force your debtor to consider as a debt even what you did not give. You think through this to increase your property; but instead you prepare for yourself an unquenchable fire. To prevent this from happening to us, let us cut off the unrighteous generation of profits, destroy lawless desires, dry up this destructive belly, and let us strive for the only true and great benefits. What are these benefits? Listen to what Paul says: “It is great gain to be godly and contented” (1 Tim. 6:6). Let us enrich ourselves with this only wealth, so that here we can enjoy peace and achieve future blessings, through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: