Беседа 65

“And going up to Jerusalem, Jesus on the way called away the twelve disciples alone, and said to them: Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death; and they will deliver Him over to the pagans to be mocked and beaten and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again” (Matthew 20:17–19). Why does Christ speak about his suffering to his disciples in private? – The apostles did not have clear knowledge of the mystery of suffering and resurrection. – What and with what intention did the sons of Zebedee ask? - How Christ corrects their request. – The degree of glorification is determined by the dignity of the deeds. – The degree of perfection of the apostles before and after the descent of the Holy Spirit. – Humility increases glory. “There is nothing higher than humility and nothing lower than pride.” – Proof of the superiority of the humble over the proud. 1. Not immediately after leaving Galilee did Jesus come to Jerusalem. During His journey, He performed many miracles, put the Pharisees to shame and reasoned with His disciples about non-covetousness: “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you have” (Matthew 19:21); about virginity: “whoever can accommodate, let him accommodate” (Matthew 19:12); about humility: “unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3); about rewards in the present life: “whoever leaves home, or brothers, or sisters, will receive a hundredfold” (Matthew 19:29) in the present age, and about rewards in the future: “and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29); then he is already approaching this city, and before entering it he again talks with them about His suffering. Not wanting this suffering to happen, the disciples could easily forget about it. Therefore, Christ constantly reminds them in order to accustom their minds to think about this with frequent reminders and soften their sorrow. It is not without reason that He discusses this with them in private. There was no need to spread the word about this among the people and speak openly, because no good would come from it. If the disciples, hearing about the suffering, were indignant, then the common people would be much more indignant. But what, you say, wasn’t this revealed to the people? It was revealed to the people, but not so clear. “Destroy,” He said to the people, “this church, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19); or again: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and no sign will be given to him except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:39); and in the following words: “I will not be with you for a long time; You will seek Me and will not find me” (John 7:33–34). But he spoke differently to his disciples, but he revealed this truth to them, as well as others, much more clearly. Why did the Lord speak if the people did not understand the power of His words? So that he would later learn that Jesus Christ foresaw His suffering and went to it voluntarily, and not as if he did not know it, or against his will. He predicted to the disciples not only for this purpose, but, as I said above, also so that, strengthened by expectation, they would endure His suffering all the more comfortably, and so that the unexpected approach of the latter would not lead them into extreme confusion. That is why He first told them only about His death; and when they began to think about this and prepare themselves for it, then all other circumstances were revealed to them, such as the fact that He would be betrayed to the pagans, they would mock Him and beat Him, so that they, seeing the fulfillment of the sad predictions, would therefore expect the resurrection. If Christ did not hide the circumstances that were sad and, apparently, humiliating to His honor, then naturally it was necessary to believe Him regarding favorable predictions. But look at how He wisely chooses the right time for such a conversation. He did not announce to them about the suffering from the very beginning, so as not to confuse them, but also not at the very time of the event, so as not to confuse them. But when they had already seen enough of the experiences of His omnipotence, when He gave them great promises about eternal life, then, and not just once or twice, but often, among miracles and instructions, he spoke to them about suffering. One evangelist says that he brought prophets as witnesses; and the other claims that the disciples did not understand what was said: “these words were hidden to them” (Luke 18:34), and that they followed Him in horror. So, they will say, no benefit came from the predictions: if the disciples did not understand what they heard, they could not expect it; and if they didn’t expect it, then they weren’t strengthened by hope. And I, for my part, will present another, much more difficult doubt, namely, that if they did not understand, then why did they grieve? Another evangelist says that they were grieving. So, if they did not understand, then how did they grieve? As Peter said: “Be merciful to yourself, Lord! let this not happen to you” (Matthew 16:22)? What should one say to this? The fact that although they did not clearly know the secrets of the economy, they did not have clear knowledge either of His resurrection or of the actions that He intended to perform after that - this was hidden from them - but that He would die, they knew this, and therefore they grieved. That others resurrect others, they saw this; and for someone to resurrect himself, and to be resurrected in such a way that he would never die after that - such a miracle has never been seen. This is precisely what they did not understand, although He often spoke about it. Likewise, they did not clearly know about death itself, what it would be and how it would happen, and therefore they were afraid when they followed Him. And not only did this terrify them, but, it seems to me, the Lord also terrified them with His conversation about suffering. 2. However, all this did not have such an effect on them as to make them courageous, although they often heard about His resurrection. In addition to His death, they were especially frightened by the fact that they would mock Him, beat Him, and do the like. Imagining His miracles, healing the demon-possessed, raising the dead and all His other miracles, and then hearing such predictions, they were amazed and perplexed: should the one who did all this really be subjected to such torment? That is why they were perplexed, and sometimes believed, sometimes did not believe His words, and could not understand them. This darkness of their understanding was so great that the sons of Zebedee came to Him at the same time, and talked with Him about the presidency. “We desire,” they said, “to sit with You, one on your right hand and another on your left, in Your glory” (Mark 10:35-36). How, you say, does the evangelist say that the mother has begun? Both are true. They took their mother with them in order to give more strength to their request and to bow Christ through her. And what I said is true, i.e. That is, that this request belonged more to them, and that out of shame they took their mother with them - this is clear from the fact that Christ extends His word to them. But first we will find out what they ask, with what intention and for what reason. So where did they get this idea from? They saw themselves in greater honor before others, and therefore hoped that the Lord would fulfill this request of theirs. But what are they asking - listen to another evangelist talk about this in detail. They were near Jerusalem, he says, and imagined that the kingdom of God was already opening; That's why they offered their request. They thought that it was close, that it was sensual, and that if they got what they asked for, they would not suffer any trouble. They sought the kingdom of God not only in order to receive it, but also in order to avoid sorrows. That is why Christ, first of all, rejects them from such thoughts, commanding them to expect death, dangers and the most severe disasters. “Are you able,” He says, “to drink the cup that I will drink” (Matthew 20:22)? However, no one should be embarrassed to see the apostles so imperfect: after all, the cross had not yet been completed, the grace of the Spirit had not yet been given to them. If you want to know their virtue, then look at their subsequent lives and you will see that they were above all passions. The Lord reveals their shortcomings for this purpose, so that you will later know how great they became after receiving grace. So, from here it is clear that they did not ask for anything spiritual, they did not even have a concept of the higher kingdom. Now let's see how they come and what they say. “We desire,” they say, “that You would do for us whatever we ask” (Mark 10:35). And, in response to this, Christ asks them: “what do you want?” - not because he didn’t know, but to force them to answer, open the wound, and then give the appropriate medicine. They, ashamed and blushing, as they were prompted by human passion, called Him away from the other disciples and began to offer their request. The Evangelist says that they went ahead, so as not to reveal themselves to others, and then they revealed their desire. Their desire, as I think, was to occupy the first thrones, since Christ told them: “You also will sit on twelve thrones” (Matthew 19:28). They were aware of their advantage over others; They feared only Peter, and therefore they said to Him: “Tell that one sits on Your right side, and another on your left” (Matthew 20:21); and with the word “say” (Mark 10:37) they compel Him. What does He answer? Showing that they are not asking for something spiritual, and that if they knew what they were asking for, they would not have dared to ask for it, He answers: “You do not know what you are asking” (Mark 10:38) - that is, you do not know how great, how wonderful, how unattainable for the heavenly powers themselves the object of your demands. Then he adds: “Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized” (Mark 10:38)? See how He immediately removes them from that thought, beginning to reason with them about the opposite. You remind Me of honor and crowns, He said, and I am talking about the exploits and labors that lie before you. The time of rewards has not yet come, and it is not now that My glory will be revealed; the present time is a time of death, wars and dangers. And look how by the very question He exhorts them and attracts them. He didn’t say: can you go to death? Can you shed your blood? But what does he say? "Can you drink the cup"? Then, in order to attract them, he adds: “which I drink,” so that through this communication with Me he can arouse in them more zeal. He also calls this “baptism,” showing that what must now take place will serve as a great cleansing for the universe. Then the disciples answer Him: “We can” (Mark 10:39). In the heat of zeal, they immediately expressed their consent, not knowing what they said, but hoping to hear consent to their request. What does the Lord say to them? “You will drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized” (Mark 10:39). He predicted great blessings for them, that is: you will be worthy of martyrdom, you will suffer the same as I did, you will end your life with a violent death, and in this you will be My participants. “It is not up to Me to give to sit on My right hand and on my left, but to whom My Father has prepared” (Matthew 20:23). 3. Having elevated the souls of those who asked, directing them to what is above and making them insurmountable to sorrow, the Lord then corrects their request. But what do these words mean? Many here propose two questions: first, are some really destined to sit at His right hand? Secondly, does not the Lord of all have power to give this to those for whom it is prepared? So, what does this mean? If we resolve the first question, then the second will be clear to those asking. What does this mean? That no one, neither on His right nor on His left, will sit. This throne is inaccessible to anyone, not only to people, such as saints and apostles, but also to angels, and to archangels, and to all higher powers. Paul puts this as the distinctive advantage of the Only Begotten, saying: “Which of the angels did God say, Sit at my right hand? It is said about Angels: You create spirits with Your Angels. But about the Son: Thy throne, O God” (Heb. 1:13, 7–8). How does He say: “It is not up to Me to let one sit on My right hand and on My left” (Matthew 20:23)? Doesn't this show that some will sit? No. He only gives an answer in accordance with the understanding of those who asked, condescending to their weakness. They did not understand what kind of high throne this is, what this seat is at the right hand of the Father; they did not even know what was much lower than what was suggested to them every day; they were looking only for primacy, so that they could become higher than others and have no one higher than themselves under Him. I mentioned this before, saying that since they had heard about twelve thrones, they, not understanding what these words meant, sought the presidency. So, the meaning of Christ’s words is as follows: although you will die for Me, and be slain for preaching, and become My participants in suffering, however, this will not be enough for you to receive the presidency and the first dignity. And if someone came who had suffered martyrdom and was adorned with all kinds of virtues to the highest degree before you, then, despite the fact that I love you now and prefer you to others, I will not agree to reject the last one testified by my deeds and give you primacy. True, the Lord did not tell them so directly, so as not to sadden them; but secretly He expresses the same thing, saying: “You will drink My cup, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized, but to let you sit on My right side and on My left does not depend on Me, but for whom it has been prepared by My Father” (Matthew 20:23). Who is destined for it? Those who will become famous for their deeds. That is why He did not say: It is not in My power to give, but in the power of the Father, so that no one would consider Him weak and not having the power to repay. But what did you say? “It does not depend on Me, but on whom it is prepared.” To present what I have said more clearly, let me explain it with an example. Let us imagine the chairman of the lists; Let us imagine that out of many excellent ascetics who entered this list, two very close to him, hoping for his favor and love, approach him and say: make sure that we are crowned and declared winners! - and he would tell them: it is not in my power to do this; the reward belongs to those for whom it is prepared for their labors and exploits. Are we really going to call him powerless for this? No way. On the contrary, we will praise him for his fairness and impartiality. So, just as they would say about the leader of the lists that he did not give the crown not because he could not, but because he did not want to break the law of warfare and pervert the order of justice, so I can say about Christ that He said this, wanting in every possible way to encourage His disciples to place the hope of salvation and glorification, after the grace of God, in their own good deeds. That is why He says: “for whom it is prepared” (Matthew 20:23). What if, He seems to be saying, others turn out to be better than you? What if they work harder than you? Really, just because you were My disciples, should you receive primacy, even if you yourself did not turn out to be worthy of such an advantage? And that He has power over everything is evident from the fact that all judgment is in His hands. And He says to Peter: “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 16:19). And Paul, confirming the same thing, said: “There is now laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day” (2 Tim. 4:8); The appearance of Christ is here called His former coming. And everyone knows that no one will surpass Paul. If the Lord did not speak clearly about this, then do not be surprised. Removing them in a skillful way so that they would not foolishly and needlessly bore Him with the search for primacy - since they were prompted to this by human passion - and at the same time not wanting to sadden them, He achieves both with such obscurity. “Then when the other ten heard this, they were indignant at the two” (Matthew 20:24, Mark 10:41). When – “then”? When the Lord rebuked those who sought primacy. While Christ pronounced His judgment on them, the others were not indignant, but even seeing that they were preferred, they remained quiet and silent, out of shame and respect for the Teacher; if they grieved internally, they did not dare to reveal it. In the same way, when Peter gave away two didrachms, although they looked at them humanly, they were not indignant, but only asked: “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:1)? But here, since the disciples themselves asked, they are indignant at them. However, even here they did not immediately reveal their indignation. When they started asking; but then already, when Christ reproached them and said that they would not receive primacy if they did not prove themselves worthy of it. 4. Do you see how imperfect they were all, both these two who wanted to rise above ten, and those who were jealous of the two? But I have already said: look at their subsequent life, and you will see them free from all these passions. Listen to how the same John, who now approaches Jesus to ask for primacy, always concedes it to Peter both in preaching and in working miracles, as can be seen from the Acts of the Apostles, and does not hide his famous deeds, but mentions his confession, which he pronounced when everyone was silent, and about entering the tomb, and puts this apostle above himself. While both of them were with the Crucified One, John, despising his own glory, says: “This disciple was known to the high priest” (John 18:15). As for Jacob, although he did not live long, at the very beginning he was so inflamed with jealousy that he despised everything human, reached an indescribable height and was immediately awarded the slaughter of a martyr. So afterwards they all became perfect in all virtues; but then they were indignant. How does Christ act? “Having called them,” it is said, “he said: You know that the princes of the nations rule over them” (Matthew 20:25). Since they were confused, the Lord, before verbal persuasion, calms them down by calling them and commanding them to come closer to Him. Since those two disciples, having separated from the ten, stood closer to Jesus, talking with Him in private, He calls on the others, so that by this, as well as by the fact that He wants to reveal to everyone what was said in private, to moderate the passion of both of them. However, now the Lord admonishes the disciples differently than before. Previously, He brought the children out into the middle and commanded the disciples to imitate their simplicity and humility, but now, to reprove them, He exposes a sharper contrast, saying: “The princes of the nations rule over them, and the nobles rule over them; but let it not be so among you: but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave” (Matthew 20:25–27). With these words He shows that it is only pagans who desire primacy. Indeed, this passion is too violent; it constantly depresses even great people, and therefore required the strongest reflection. That is why He strikes them in the very depths of their hearts, shaming their arrogant spirit by comparing them with the pagans. In some it destroys envy, and in others pride, as if telling them: do not be indignant at them as if they were offended: those who seek primacy in this way disgrace themselves more: they are among the last. Ours is not like that of the pagans. “The princes of the nations rule over them”: but with Me the last is the first. And that I say this is not just, look at the proof of this in My life: I did more than I said. Being the King of the highest powers, I wanted to be a man and be subjected to contempt and reproach; but he was not satisfied with this either, but came to his very death. That is why he further says: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). As if he would say this: I did not stop only to serve, but I also gave My soul in redemption; and for whom? For the enemies. If you humble yourself, you humble yourself for yourself, and I humble myself for you. So, do not be afraid of losing your honor through this. No matter how much you humble yourself, you can never humble yourself as much as your Master humbled himself. However, this humiliation of Him became an exaltation for everyone, and revealed His glory. Before He became man, He was known only to the angels; and when he became a man and was crucified, then he did not diminish the glory that he had, but also acquired a new one, being known to the universe. Do not be afraid to lose your honor because you humble yourself; through humility your glory will be more exalted and spread. It is the door to the Kingdom. Why go through the opposite door? Why arm yourself against yourself? If we want to appear great, we will not become great, but we will be more dishonest than everyone else. Do you see how the Lord always tries to influence them with nasty examples, but also gives them what they desire? We have noticed this many times before. This is what He did with the covetous and with the seekers of vain glory. Why, He said, do you give alms to people? To enjoy fame? Don't do this, and you will enjoy this glory to the fullest. Why are you collecting treasures? In order to get rich? Do not accumulate treasures, and you will certainly become rich. This is what He does here too. Why, He says, do you desire primacy? Is it to be superior to others? Choose the last degree, and then you will receive primacy; if you want to be great, don’t seek greatness, and then you will be great. Humiliation is what makes greatness. 5. Do you see how He heals them of their illness, showing them that in their path they only lose, and in this they gain, and thus prompting one to withdraw and others to walk? And he reminds them of the pagans in order to show through this the baseness and vileness of ambition. The proud one must humiliate himself, while the humble one, on the contrary, must exalt himself; The greatness of the humble is true and genuine greatness, and not that which consists of mere words and names. External greatness is the fruit of coercion and fear, and this is like the greatness of God. He who has achieved this latter, even if no one is surprised at him, remains great; on the contrary, the one who acquired only the first, even if everyone servile before him, is inferior to everyone. The honor bestowed by the latter is given under duress, and therefore is easily lost; and the honor given to the first depends on good will, and therefore is constantly preserved. Likewise, we honor the saints because, being above everyone else, they humbled themselves before everyone; That is why they remain high to this day, and their greatness has not been consumed by death itself. If you want, we will confirm what has been said with evidence of reason. Someone is called tall either when he has a tall physical stature, or when he stands in a high place, and short in opposite cases. Now let us consider who is truly high: proud or humble, so that you can be convinced that there is nothing higher than humility, and nothing lower than pride. The proud person usually considers himself above everyone else and does not recognize anyone as his equal, and no matter how much honor he enjoys, he always desires and strives for more; thinks he hasn't received anything yet; despises people and seeks respect from them. What could be more reckless than this? This is something mysterious: a person seeks respect for himself from those whom he respects as nothing. You see how he who wants to ascend falls and grovels to the ground. And that he considers all people to be nothing in comparison with himself, he himself clearly reveals this: this is precisely the property of arrogance. So why do you resort to something that costs nothing? Why do you seek honor from him? Why do you have so many people with you? Here is a low one, which stands in a low place! Let us now turn our attention to the truly high. He knows what man means; knows both that a person is great and that he himself is lower than everyone else. Therefore, if he enjoys respect, he considers it great; he is true to himself, constantly high, and never changes his mind. Those whom he recognizes as great, from them he accepts honor as great, even if it is not great, only because he recognizes them themselves as great. On the contrary, the proud considers those who honor him to be nothing, and values ​​the honor they bestow upon him dearly. Also: the humble is not caught up in any passion; he cannot be outraged by either anger, or love of glory, or envy, or jealousy. And what could be higher than a soul alien to these passions? On the contrary, the proud one is obsessed with all these passions, and crawls like a worm in the mud. Envy, hatred, and anger constantly agitate his soul. So, who is truly high: the one who dominates the passions, or the one who is servile to them? Is it the one who trembles and fears them, or the one who is inaccessible to them and is in no way caught by them? Which bird flies higher, we say: the one that flies above the arrows of the hunter, or the one that even without an arrow succumbs to the hunter, because it flies on the ground and cannot rise to a height? The proud one is exactly like that: every snare easily catches him, because he creeps on the ground. 6. If you want, you can see the same thing from the example of the evil spirit. What is lower than a proud devil, and what is higher than a man who humbles himself? That one crawls on the earth, being under our heel (“I give you power to tread,” it is said, “on serpents and scorpions” - Luke 10:19; Psalm 91:13), and this one is with the angels in heaven. If you want to know the same from the example of proud people, then imagine that barbarian who had a great army and did not even know what everyone knows, such as: that a stone is a stone and idols are idols, and therefore was lower than these very things. On the contrary, the pious and faithful rise above the sun; but because what could be higher than them? They fly over the very vaults of heaven and, leaving behind them the angels, stand before the very throne of the King. Finally, in order to be even more convinced of the baseness of the proud, I will ask you: whoever humiliates himself is the one whom God helps, or the one whom He opposes. So, listen to what Scripture says about both: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). I will also ask you about something else: who is higher, the one who performs sacred acts and makes sacrifices before God, or the one who does not have the boldness to approach Him? But you will say: what sacrifice does the humble make? Listen to David, who says: “The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a broken and humble heart, O God” (Psalm 50:19). Do you see the purity of the humble? Pay attention also to the uncleanness of the proud. Scripture says about him: “Everyone who is proud in heart is unclean before God” (Wis. Sol. 16:5). Moreover, God himself dwells in the first: “Whoever I look upon,” He says, “he who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at My word” (Is. 66:2), and the latter suffers along with the devil; the arrogant one will suffer the same as the devil. That is why Paul says: “lest he become proud and fall into condemnation with the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). Thus, the opposite of what he desires will happen to him. He wants to be proud in order to be honored; and meanwhile, if anyone is most subject to contempt, then it is he. If anyone is subject to ridicule, enmity and hatred by everyone, if someone is attacked by enemies, if someone is subject to anger, is unclean before God, then these are the proudest of all. What could be worse than this? This is the height of evil. On the contrary, what is more kind than the humble? What is more blessed than them when they are kind and pleasing to God, and even among people they enjoy glory more: everyone honors them as fathers, loves them as brothers, accepts them as their own? Let us therefore humble ourselves, that we may be exalted. From great pride comes humiliation and madness. Thus was Pharaoh humiliated. “I do not know the Lord,” he said (Ex. 5:2, 14:24), and for this he became more despicable than mice, frogs and flies, and soon after that he drowned with his weapons and horses. It was not the same with Abraham: “I am dust and ashes,” he said (Gen. 18:27), and therefore won victory over countless enemies; being among the Egyptians, he returned from them with a victory more glorious than before, and, having acquired such great virtue, remained great forever. That is why he is sung, blessed and glorified everywhere. And Pharaoh is earth, ashes, and even worse. Truly, God abhors nothing so much as pride. That’s why he arranged everything this way from the beginning in order to destroy this passion in us. For this we became mortal, we live in sorrow and lamentation; For this, our life is spent in labor and exhaustion, burdened with continuous work. The first man fell into sin out of pride, desiring to be equal to God, and for this he did not keep even what he had, but lost even that. These are the fruits of pride! Not only does it not bring us any benefit, but it also deprives us of what we have. On the contrary, humility not only does not take away from us what we have, but also provides what we do not have. So, let us be jealous of this virtue and strive to acquire it, so that we may enjoy honor in this life and acquire future glory, grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, power, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: