Беседа 57

“And His disciples asked Him, “How then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” (Matthew 17:10) Exposition 17:10–21. The double coming of Christ. – Elijah is the forerunner of the second coming. - Why is John called Elijah? – A miracle can be performed both by the faith of the mediator, and by the power of the miracle worker alone. - Lack of faith of the father of a demon-possessed youth. – Why are people possessed by demons called lunatics? – The apostles were not always equally perfect. – To drive out demons, fasting combined with prayer is necessary. - Luxury and drunkenness are the source of all evil. – It is not wine that should be condemned, but drunkenness. - The harmful consequences of drunkenness. So, the disciples did not learn about this from the Scriptures, but the scribes revealed it to them, and rumors about this spread among the common people, as well as about Christ. That is why the Samaritan woman said: “The Messiah will come...; when He comes, He will tell us everything” (John 4:25); and the scribes asked John: “Are you Elijah?... A Prophet” (John 1:21)? So, among the Jews, as I said, there was a rumor about the coming of Christ and Elijah, but they interpreted it incorrectly. Scripture speaks of two comings of Christ, one past and one to come. And Paul, pointing to both comings, said: “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live chastely, righteously and godly in this present age.” Here is one coming; listen to how he talks about other things. Having said these words, he added: “Waiting for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:11-13). The prophets also mention both; they say that the forerunner of one of them, namely the second, will be Elijah, and the first was John, whom Christ calls Elijah - not because he was Elijah, but because he performed His ministry. Just as Elijah will be the forerunner of the second coming, so John was the forerunner of the first. But the scribes, merging both and corrupting the people, mentioned to the people only the second coming and said that if this is Christ, then Elijah must precede Him with his coming. That is why the disciples say: “How come the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” For the same reason, the Pharisees sent to John and asked: “What then? Are you Elijah? without mentioning the first coming at all. What answer did Christ give? Elijah will definitely come then, before My second coming; but even now Elijah came, calling John by this name. This Elijah has come. But if you ask about the Tishbite, he will come; That’s why he said: “Elijah must come first and arrange everything.” What is everything? What the prophet Malachi said: “I will send you Elijah the prophet... And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children... so that when I come I will not smite the earth with a curse” (Mal. 4:5–6). See the accuracy of the prophetic saying! When Christ called John Elijah, he named him because of the similarity of his ministry. And lest you think that the same thing is said by the prophet, the latter added his homeland, calling him a Thesbite; but John was not a Thesbite. At the same time, he also indicates another sign, saying: “So that when I come, I do not strike the earth with a curse,” meaning by this His second terrible coming. In the first, He did not come to strike the earth: “He came,” he says, “not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47). So, the said words of the prophet show that the Tishbite will come before that coming when there will be judgment. He also shows the reason for his coming. What is this reason? So that when he comes, he convinces the Jews to believe in Christ and so that when Christ comes, they will not all completely perish. That is why Christ, bringing this to their memory, said: “he must come first and arrange everything,” that is, he will correct the unbelief of the Jews of that time. That is why the prophet said very precisely; he did not say: “turn... the hearts of the children to their fathers,” but: “fathers to the children.” Since the fathers of the apostles were Jews, it is said: he will turn the hearts of the fathers, that is, the disposition of the Jewish people, to the teaching of the sons, that is, the apostles. “I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wanted; so the Son of Man will suffer from them. Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist” (Matthew 17:12–13). Although neither the scribes nor the scriptures spoke about this, but since the apostles became more discerning and more attentive to the words, they soon understood. How did the disciples know about this? Previously they were told: “He is Elijah, who must come” (Matthew 11:14), but here it is said that he has already come; and again: “Elijah must come first and arrange everything.” But do not be embarrassed and do not consider it a mistake when in one place it is said, “must come,” and in another: “has come.” All this is fair. When Christ says: “Elijah must come first and arrange everything,” he means Elijah himself and the future conversion of the Jews; and when he says: “He is Elijah, who must come,” then he calls John Elijah in the manner of his ministry. Likewise, the prophets called every pious king David, and the Jews princes of Sodom and sons of the Ethiopians, and precisely because of their way of life. Just as Elijah will be the forerunner of the second coming, so John was the forerunner of the first. 2. But not for this reason alone, Christ calls him Elijah everywhere, but also in order to show that He speaks completely in accordance with the Old Testament, that this coming took place according to prophecy. That’s why he adds: “he came, and they didn’t recognize him, but they did to him as they wanted.” What does it mean, everything “as they wanted”? They threw him into prison, had a fight, killed him, and brought his head on a platter. “Even so the Son of Man will suffer from them.” Do you see how timely He again reminds them of suffering? He had already consoled them with John's suffering; and not only this, but also because he soon begins to perform great miracles. When He speaks about suffering, He immediately works miracles; and, as you can see, He acted like this both before and after these words, and in general on every occasion. Then “he began to reveal... that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things... and be killed” (Matthew 16:21). When? Then, as they confessed that He was the Christ and the Son of God. And on the mountain he reminded them of suffering, when he showed them a wonderful vision, and when the prophets spoke about His glory. Having finished the story about John, He added: “Even so the Son of Man will suffer from them”; and a little later, when he cast out a demon that the disciples could not cast out, “While they were in Galilee,” says the evangelist, “Jesus said to them: The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and on the third day he will rise again” (Matthew 17:22–23). He did this in order to reduce the excessiveness of sorrow by the greatness of miracles, and in order to somehow console them. So here too, reminding them of the death of John, he gave them great consolation. If anyone asks: why didn’t He send Elijah even now, when so many good deeds testify to His coming? - we answer: because even now those who recognize Christ as Elijah did not believe in Him; and it is clearly said: some honor You as Elijah, others as Jeremiah (Matthew 16:14). But there was no other difference between John and Elijah except in time. How, you ask, will they believe then? He will arrange everything not only by the glory of his name, but also by the fact that the glory of Christ will have time to spread greatly and will be clearer than the sun for everyone. Therefore, when he comes, after a high opinion of Him and expectations have already spread, and begins to preach Jesus, his gospel will be received willingly. When Christ says: “they did not recognize him,” he apparently excuses His enemies and consoles his disciples. In addition, He consoles these latter by pointing out His innocent suffering, and covers up the sorrows with two signs: those that happened on the mountain and those that are about to happen. Having heard this, they do not ask Him when Elijah will come - either because they were oppressed by grief over suffering, or because they were afraid. It often happened that as soon as they noticed that He did not want to talk about something clearly, they stopped being curious. When, while in Galilee, He said: “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him,” then they, the evangelist adds, “were very sad,” which the two evangelists explain in this way: Mark - “they did not understand these words, but were afraid to ask Him” (Mark 9:32); Luke - “it was hidden from them, so that they did not comprehend it, but they were afraid to ask Him about this word” (Luke 9:45). “When they came to the people, a man came up to Him and, kneeling before Him, said: Lord! have mercy on my son; He [goes berserk] during the new moon and suffers greatly, for he often throws himself into fire and often into water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not heal him” (Matthew 17:14–16). Scripture testifies that this man was very weak in faith. This can be seen from many things: from the fact that Christ said: “all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23); from the fact that the one who came to Him said: “Help my unbelief”; even from the fact that Christ forbade the evil spirit to ever enter him, and, finally, from the fact that this man said to Christ: “if you can.” But if unbelief, you say, was the reason that the evil spirit did not come out, then why does Christ accuse the disciples? He showed by this that by faith they could heal the sick without intermediaries. Often the faith of the mediator is sufficient to get what he wants even from smaller brothers; Likewise, the power of a miracle worker is often sufficient to perform a miracle, even if those who come do not have faith. Both of these cases are confirmed by Scripture. By their faith, Cornelius's household attracted the grace of the Spirit, and Elisha raised the dead man when no one believed, because those who abandoned the dead man abandoned him not out of faith, but out of timidity, abandoned him at random and, fearing danger, ran away, and the abandoned man himself was dead, but from the power of the holy body alone, this dead man rose. From this it is obvious that the disciples were weak, but not all; the pillars were not there. 3. But you can see the foolishness of this man from another circumstance. Here he is before the people complaining to Jesus about his disciples: “He brought him,” he says, “to your disciples, and they could not heal him” (Matthew 17:16). However, Christ, rejecting the accusation from them in the eyes of the people, accuses him more: “Oh, unfaithful and corrupt generation! How long will I be with you” (Matthew 17:17)? In order not to confuse him, He turns not to him alone, but to all the Jews. Probably, many of those present were tempted and began to think badly about the students. When he says: “As long as I am with you,” he shows again that for Him death is desired and relocation from here is an object of desire, and that it is hard for Him not to crucify, but to live with them. However, He is not limited to accusations, but what does He say? “Bring him here to Me,” and He Himself asks the father how many years his son has been suffering, thereby protecting his disciples, and arousing in him good hope and confidence that his son will be freed from his illness. If he allows him to be tormented, it is not for show: when the people began to come running, He rebuked the spirit; but he does this for the father himself, so that when he sees the demon’s confusion from just one word of Jesus, at least after that he will believe the miracle that is about to happen. When he said: “from childhood,” and: “if you can,... help us,” then the Savior says, “all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:20–22), again reproaching him. When the leper said: “If you want, you can cleanse me,” testifying to His power, then the Lord, praising him and confirming what was said, answers: “I want, be cleansed” (Luke 5:12–13). On the contrary, when this one did not say anything that would be worthy of His power, but only said: “If you can,... help us,” then see how Christ corrects his error. What does he say? “If you can believe as much as possible, all things are possible to him who believes,” that is: I have so much power that I can make others miracle workers; and therefore, when you believe as you should, you yourself can heal your son and many others. Having said this, Christ healed the one possessed by the spirit. You should see not only from this His charitable providence, but also from the very time from which He allowed the demon to move into the boy - because if it were not for the special Providence at this time, the sick man would have died long ago. Scripture says that the spirit cast him into both fire and water; if he dared to do such things, he would have killed him altogether if, in the midst of such fury, God had not tamed his spirit. It was the same with those naked ones who wandered through empty places and beat themselves against stones. If this demoniac is called a lunatic, then do not be embarrassed; that's what his father called him. Why does the evangelist say that Christ healed many lunatics? He calls them that in accordance with the opinion of the people. The demon slanders the elements, and torments those possessed, and relaxes them according to the course of the moon; but this does not mean that the moon acts - no, the spirit itself resorts to such cunning, slandering the element. Hence, an erroneous opinion has been established among the unreasonable, and, going into deception, they call demons by this name. But it's not fair. “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast him out” (Matthew 17:19)? It seems to me that they were afraid that they had lost the grace given to them; they received power over unclean spirits: that is why they asked Christ, having come to Him secretly, not because they were ashamed (since the deed had already been completed and they were convicted, then there was no reason for them to be ashamed of verbal confession), but because they intended to ask Him about an important and secret subject. What about Christ? “Because of your unbelief,” he says, “...if you have faith the size of a mustard seed and say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). You say: where did they move the mountain? I will say that they did much more, raising thousands of the dead. Truly, it is not so much strength that is required to move a mountain as it is to drive death out of the body. They say, however, that the saints who lived after them and who were much smaller than them also moved mountains when need required it. From here it is obvious that the apostles could have moved it if it had only been necessary, but since there was no need then, one should not blame them. Yes, and the Lord did not say: you will certainly move it, but: you can move it. And if they did not move the mountains, it was not because they could not (otherwise how could they perform more important miracles), but because they did not want to; but they didn’t want to because there was no need; or maybe this happened, but is not mentioned anywhere, since not all miracles are described. Moreover, they were not so perfect then. Why? Didn’t they really have such faith? Didn't have; they were not always equally perfect. So Peter is sometimes called blessed, sometimes he is reproached; so others receive from Christ the reproach of ignorance when they did not understand the words about kvass. Perhaps in the present case the apostles discovered a weakness of faith, since before the cross they were not entirely perfect. Speaking here about faith, Christ means miracle-working faith, and wanting to show its indescribable power, he points to mustard, which, although very small in appearance, has very great power. So, to prove that even the smallest sincere faith has great power, he points to mustard; without stopping there, he then also mentions the mountains and, going further, adds: “nothing will be impossible for you.” 4. Marvel here, too, at their wisdom and the power of the Spirit: at their wisdom, because they did not hide their weakness; the power of the Spirit, because in a short time He raised up those who had no faith and were as small as a mustard seed, so much so that rivers and springs of faith flowed into them. “This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21), He adds. Here He means demons in general, and not just lunatics. Do you see how he already speaks to the apostles about fasting? Don’t tell me about the rare cases that some cast out demons even without fasting. Although they say about some that they cast out demons without fasting, it cannot be that a person living among pleasures will get rid of such an illness: no, someone suffering from such an illness has a special need for fasting. You will say: if faith is needed, why else is fasting needed? Because in addition to faith, fasting also gives a lot of strength; he teaches great wisdom, makes a person an angel, and strengthens him against incorporeal forces. However, not on its own; – prayer is also needed, and it must precede. And look what benefits come from these two virtues. He who prays as he should, and also fasts, requires little; but whoever demands little will not be a lover of money; and whoever is not a lover of money loves to give alms. He who fasts becomes light and inspired, and prays with a cheerful spirit, quenches evil lusts, appeases God and humbles his arrogant spirit. That is why the apostles almost always fasted. He who prays with fasting has two wings, lighter than the wind itself. Such a one does not sleep, does not talk much, does not yawn or relax in prayer, as happens to many, but he is faster than fire and higher than the earth; That is why such a person is especially an enemy and warrior against demons, since there is no stronger person who sincerely prays. If a wife could bow down a cruel boss who neither feared God nor was ashamed of people, then how much more can he bow down to God who constantly stands before Him, tames his belly and rejects pleasures. If your body is weak to fast incessantly, then it is not weak for prayer and for neglecting the pleasures of the womb. If you cannot fast, then at least you can not indulge in luxury - and this is not unimportant and not far from fasting, and can tame the fury of the devil. Truly, nothing is so kind to the demon as luxury and drunkenness - the source and mother of all evils. In this way the devil once plunged the Israelites into idolatry, and in this way he kindled the Sodomites to their lawless lusts. “This,” says Scripture, “was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister and her daughters: pride, satiety and idleness” (Ezek. 16:49). In the same way he destroyed many others and delivered them to Gehenna. Indeed, what evil does luxury not produce? It makes people pigs, and worse than pigs. The pig rolls around in the mud and eats feces, and the voluptuous man prepares the most disgusting table for himself, inventing illicit relationships and lawless love. Such a person is not at all different from a possessed person: he is just as shameless and furious. At least we regret the demoniac, but we disgust and hate this one. Why? Because he voluntarily goes berserk, and turns his mouth, eyes, nostrils, and everything in general into conductors of stench and uncleanness. If we look inside such a person, we will see that the soul in him has frozen and numb, as if in the middle of winter and frost, and can no longer provide any help to the boat due to excessive bad weather. I am ashamed to say how much both men and women suffer from voluptuousness. I leave this to their conscience, which knows everything more accurately. What's more disgusting than a drunk woman rocking back and forth? The weaker the vessel, the more severe the ruin. Whether it be a free wife or a slave, the free woman dishonors herself among slaves, and the slave does the same among slaves, and in this way they make the gifts of God blaspheme senseless. I hear many people, when such cases occur, say: damn the wine! Oh, stupidity; oh madness! Others sin, but you condemn the gift of God. What kind of extravagance is this? Is wine, oh man, the cause of such evil? No, not wine, but the intemperance of those who abuse wine. So, better say: disappear drunkenness, perish luxury! And if you say: Lose the wine, then you can then say: Lose the iron, because there are murderers; Lose the night - because there are thieves; Perish the light, because there are slanderers; let the wives perish, because there are harlots. Thus, you will finally want to destroy everything. 5. But don't do this - this is the satanic spirit. Do not despise wine, but despise drunkenness. When the drunk comes to his senses, describe to him all his disgrace. Tell him: wine is given for amusement, and not to disgrace yourself; given in order to be cheerful, and not in order to be a laughing stock; given to promote health, not to cause distress; for the healing of bodily infirmities, and not for weakening the spirit. God has honored you with this gift: why are you dishonoring yourself with the immoderate use of this gift? Listen to what the Apostle Paul says: “Drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim. 5:23). If this saint, even obsessed with illness and frequent ailments, did not drink wine until his teacher commanded him, then how worthy of condemnation will we be when even healthy people get drunk? He was told: “Drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach”; and the apostle will say to every one of you who gets drunk: drink less wine, because from drunkenness comes fornication, foul language, and other evil lusts. If you do not want to abstain from drunkenness for this reason, then abstain, if only because it arouses vile lusts. Wine is given for joy, - it is said: “wine that gladdens the heart of a person” (Ps. 103:15); and you denigrate this good quality of his. Indeed, what kind of joy is it to be out of your mind, tormented by many illnesses, to see everything spinning, everything in darkness, and, like those in a fever, to have the need for someone to anoint your head with oil? I'm not talking about everyone, or rather - however - about everyone; not because everyone drinks; no, but because those who don’t drink don’t care about those who drink. That’s why I especially appeal to you, to you who are in a healthy state. So the doctor, leaving the sick, talks with those who are sitting near them. So, I turn my word to you: I beg you, do not become infected with this disease; and take those who are infected out of trouble, so that they do not turn out to be worse than the dumb. In fact, cattle do not require anything more than what they need; and those who indulge in drunkenness become more senseless than them, transgressing the boundaries of moderation. And truly, isn’t a donkey much better than such people? Isn't a dog much better? Each of these animals, like all animals in general, whether they eat or drink, know the limits of contentment and do not extend beyond what is necessary. And even if thousands of people force them, they will never allow themselves to reach the point of immoderation. So, you are worse than dumb people in this respect, and not only in the eyes of healthy people, but also in your own eyes. And that you think worse of yourself than of pigs and donkeys is evident from the fact that you do not force these animals to eat beyond measure. Why is this so, they ask? You will say: so as not to harm them; but you don’t even use this precaution about yourself. Consequently, you think worse of yourself than of cattle and, always overwhelmed, do not care about yourself. You suffer from drunkenness, not only on the day you are drunk, but also after that day. Just as after a fever has passed, traces of its harmful influence still remain, so with you, after the intoxication has passed, a storm rages in your soul and body. The poor body lies relaxed, like a ship broken by a storm, and the soul is poorer than that, because even in a relaxed body it stirs up a storm and kindles lust. When, apparently, he comes to common sense, then he becomes especially mad, imagining wine, bottles, glasses, bowls. Just as when the excitement is tamed after a storm, traces of its destructive effect remain, so it is here. Like goods there, almost everything good is thrown away here. Whether someone has acquired chastity, modesty, decency, meekness, humility - all this drunkenness plunges into a sea of ​​wickedness. And what else drunkenness does after that cannot be compared with anything. There, after unloading, the ship becomes lighter; but here, on the contrary, there is a new burden: instead of wealth, the ship is loaded with sand, salt water and all sorts of rubbish, which is why the ship, both the swimmers and the helmsman, immediately perishes. So, in order not to suffer the same thing, let us move away from this storm. A drunkard cannot see the kingdom of heaven. “Do not be deceived,” says the apostle: ... neither drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9–10). And what do I say: the kingdom of heaven? A drunk person does not see real objects; drunkenness turns days into nights for us, light into darkness; a drunk, looking with all his eyes, does not even see what is under his feet. And not only is evil born from drunkenness, but then drunkards are subjected to another, most severe punishment: insane despondency, frenzy, relaxation, ridicule, and reproach. What kind of pardon can expect for those who kill themselves with such disasters? Absolutely none. So let us strive to avoid this illness, so that we may receive both present and 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 forever and ever. 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