Беседа 75

“And Jesus went out and walked from the church; and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the church. Jesus said to them: Do you see all this? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left upon another here; everything will be destroyed." (Matt. 24:1–2) Fulfillment of the prophecy about the destruction of the church. – Prophecy about the disasters of the Jews and the temptations of the apostles. – Christ corrects the disciples’ opinion about the time of the end of the world. – Why did the destruction of Jerusalem take place after the preaching of the Gospel was spread? – The proof of the power of Christ is the difficult conditions under which the victory of the preaching took place. – Against the doctrine of the circulation of time and the influence of stars on human destiny. – Good ignorance is better than bad knowledge. – The severity of sin decreases or increases depending on the circumstances and the person sinning. 1. Since Christ said: “Behold, your house is left to you empty” (Matthew 23:38), and even before this he foretold countless disasters, the disciples, hearing this, approached Him in surprise, pointing to the beauty of the church and wondering whether such beauty, precious substance and inexpressible variety of art would really be destroyed? Christ not only tells them about desolation, but predicts complete destruction. “Do you see all this,” He says, and are you not surprised and horrified? “No stone will be left unturned here”? How, however, did you stay, you say? And what would that mean? And this saying in this case did not go unfulfilled. The Savior said this, pointing either to general desolation, or to the desolation of only the place where He was, since parts of the church were destroyed to the ground. Moreover, it can also be said that the incidents that happened should convince even the most stubborn of the complete destruction of the remnants. “When He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him alone and asked: Tell us, when will this be? and what is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age” (Matthew 24:3)? They approached in private because they had the intention of asking about such important subjects. They were impatient to know about the day of His coming, since they strongly desired to see that glory which would be the cause of countless blessings. And two of them ask Him about these two subjects: “When will this be,” that is, the destruction of the church, “and what is the sign of Your coming?” Luke testifies that there was only one question, and it was about the destruction of Jerusalem, since the disciples thought that then His coming would take place. And Mark says that not all of them asked about the destruction of Jerusalem, but only Peter and John, as those who had more boldness. What did the Lord say? “Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and they will deceive many. You will also hear about wars and war rumors. See that you are not dismayed, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:4–6). Since the disciples heard about the punishment being sent to Jerusalem as alien to them, and, thinking that they themselves would be calm, dreamed of only blessings and hoped to receive them very soon, the Savior again foreshadows misfortunes for them, thereby encouraging them to be careful and especially vigilant, so that they would not be carried away by the deception of the seducers, and would not be defeated by the power of disasters that were about to befall them. The war, He says, will be of two kinds: from the seducers and from the enemies; but the first will be much more cruel, because it will be revealed under vague and terrible circumstances, when people will be in fear and confusion. And indeed, there was great confusion then when the Romans began to prosper, cities were captured, troops and weapons were on the move, and when many easily believed everything. He speaks about the wars that took place in Jerusalem, and not outside it, in all places of the universe. What need did the disciples have before these last? Moreover, He would not have said anything new if He had spoken about the disasters of the entire universe, which always happen, because there have been wars, disturbances and battles before. But He speaks here about the Jewish wars, which were soon to follow, since the Jews were already worried about the successes of the Romans. And since this was already enough to alarm them, Christ predicts all this. Then, to ensure that He himself will rise up against the Jews and will fight against them, He speaks not only about battles, but also about defeats, famines, plagues, and earthquakes that God will send to them, showing that He Himself will allow wars to happen, and that all this will happen not simply, as previously usually happened among people, but due to the wrath of God. That is why He says that this will not happen by chance or suddenly, but with signs. And so that the Jews would not say that the perpetrators of these evils believed then, He revealed to them the reason for their guidance. “Truly I say to you,” He said above, “that all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:36), remembering their vile murder. Then, so that they, hearing about such a multitude of disasters, would not think that the prediction would not be completely fulfilled, he added: “See, do not be horrified, for all this must happen,” that is, everything that I predicted, and the onset of temptations will not in the least hinder the fulfillment of My words. Although there will be disturbances and confusion, they will not in the least shake My predictions. Further, since Christ said to the Jews: “You will not see Me from now on until you exclaim: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39), and the disciples thought that along with the destruction of Jerusalem there would be the end of the world, then in order to correct this opinion of theirs, he said: “But this is not the end yet.” And that they thought exactly as I said, see from their question. Really, what were they asking? "When will this be"? That is, when will Jerusalem be destroyed? “And what is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age”? But Christ did not immediately answer this question, but first spoke about what was most necessary, and about what should have been known first. He did not immediately speak either about Jerusalem or about His second coming; but about those misfortunes that were at the door. Therefore, he encourages the disciples to be careful, saying: “Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, and will say: I am the Christ.” Thus, having first aroused their attention to hearing this (“beware,” He says, “lest anyone deceive you”), making them careful and vigilant and mentioning the false Christs, then he speaks about the disasters of Jerusalem, confirming on the basis of what has already happened and the immutability of the future of foolish and stubborn people. 2. Wars and rumors of wars, as I said before, He calls the turmoil that is about to occur among them. Further, since - as I said before - the disciples thought that this war would be followed by an end, then look how the Savior reassures them, saying: “But this is not the end yet: for he will rise,” he says, “nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:7). He refers to the beginning of the disasters of the Jews. “Nevertheless, this is the beginning of diseases” (Matthew 24:8), that is, those that will happen to them. “Then they will hand you over to be tortured and kill you” (Matthew 24:9). In good time, Christ mentioned to the disciples about their own misfortunes, which are alleviated by common misfortunes, and not only by this, but also by the fact that he added: “for my name. You will,” He says, “be hated by all nations because of My name; and then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another; and many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and, due to the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold; but he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:10–13). This disaster becomes even greater when internecine war is added to it: and then there were many false brothers. Do you see a threefold war - namely, with seducers, enemies and false brothers? Look how Paul, lamenting the same thing, says: “outside are attacks, inside are fears”; and: “danger from false brethren” (2 Cor. 11:26); and again: “for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ” (2 Cor. 11:13). Then, what’s worse, the disciples will not receive consolation from love. Further, showing that this will not in the least harm the courageous and patient, Christ says: do not be afraid and do not be embarrassed. If you show proper patience, adversity will not defeat you. A clear proof of this is preaching the gospel throughout the entire universe, regardless of any obstacles: in this way you will be above misfortune. And so that the disciples do not say: how are we going to live? He added even more: you will live and teach everywhere. That’s why he said: “And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14) - not of the world, but of Jerusalem. And what Christ said about this end, and that the gospel was preached before the capture of Jerusalem, listen to what Paul says: “their voice went out through all the earth” (Rom. 10:18); and again: “the gospel which was preached to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23). And you see how quickly he crossed from Jerusalem to Spain. If one has mastered such a great part (of the universe), then consider how much others have done. And in another letter, Paul says of the gospel that it “bears fruit and increases” (Col. 1:6) in all creation under heaven. But what does it mean: “as a testimony to all nations”? Since the gospel was preached everywhere, but not everyone believed in it, Christ says: “for testimony” it will be for those who do not believe, that is, for reproof, for condemnation; as a testimony: those who believe will testify against those who did not believe, and will condemn them. That is why, after the gospel has been preached throughout the entire universe, Jerusalem is destroyed, so that the ungrateful cannot have even a shadow of an excuse. Indeed, what excuse can people have who saw His power shining everywhere and flowing through the universe in an instant, if they remained in the same ingratitude? And that the gospel was then preached everywhere, listen to what Paul says: “the gospel that was preached to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23). This serves as the greatest sign of the power of Christ, that His word reached the limits of the universe within twenty or thirty years. So, after this, says Christ, the end of Jerusalem will come. And that He points precisely to this can be seen from the following. To confirm the destruction of Jerusalem, He also cited a prophecy, saying: “When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, let the one who reads understand” (Matthew 24:15). He pointed them to Daniel. And he calls the statue of the one who then conquered the city an abomination, which he, after devastating the city and the church, placed inside the church, which is why he calls it an abomination of desolation. Then, so that they knew that this would happen during the lifetime of some of them, he said: “when you see the abomination that makes desolate.” 3. Here everyone should especially marvel at the power of Christ and the courage of the apostles, because they preached at times when the Jews were especially oppressed by war, when the Jews were paid special attention to as troublemakers, when Caesar gave the command to expel them all. It is as if someone, at a time when the sea is agitated on all sides, when the whole air is covered in darkness, shipwrecks follow shipwrecks, all those sailing on the ship are indignant, monsters swim to the surface of the sea and, together with the waves, devour those floating, when lightning flashes, robbers attack, and those on the ship plot against each other, - he commanded people who are not skilled in sailing, and even not who have seen the seas, sit at the stern, control the ship, carry out a naval battle and, with one small ship, in such, as I said, general disorder, take prisoner and destroy the countless fleet coming against them with great force. And indeed, the apostles were hated by the pagans as well as the Jews, and were stoned by the Jews as those who opposed their laws, and had no refuge anywhere. Thus, everywhere for them there were rapids, rocks and pitfalls: in cities, and in villages, and in houses, and everyone rebelled against them: the leader, and the chief, and the commoner, and all languages, and all peoples, and there was such confusion that cannot be expressed in words. The Jewish people were very hated by the Roman government, because they caused them countless troubles. But this did not harm the sermon at all: the city was taken, burned, and thousands of evils befell the inhabitants: and the apostles who came from this city introduced new laws and possessed the Romans. Oh, new and wonderful things! The Romans then captured countless thousands of Jews, but did not defeat the twelve men who simply fought them without any weapons. What word will be able to depict such a miracle? They need to have two conditions: to use a power of attorney and to be loved by their students, and, in addition, the teaching itself must be acceptable, and the time is free from confusion and indignation. At the same time, everything was the opposite. The apostles, apparently, did not deserve trust, and yet they distracted the deceived from such people who were considered worthy of trust; they were not loved, they were even hated, and yet they deviated from beloved things, from customs, from the fatherland, from the laws. Their demands were impossible to fulfill; and what they turned away from was very pleasant. Both they themselves and their followers were exposed to many dangers, many deaths; and on top of all this, the time itself was very difficult, it was full of wars, turmoil, indignation; so even if none of what was said had happened, it could have thrown everything into confusion. Is it proper to say here: “whoever speaks of the power of the Lord will proclaim all His praises” (Psalm 106:2)? If the fellow tribesmen, despite all the signs, did not listen to Moses only because they were oppressed by the making of clay and bricks, then those who were daily slain and killed, and who endured intolerable calamities, who convinced them to leave a calm life and prefer a life full of dangers, blood and death, while those preaching these were foreigners, and were very hostile to them in everything? Not to mention tribes, cities, but even if someone brings into a small house such a person who is hated by everyone living in it, and if through him they try to turn him away from his favorite objects, from his father, mother, wife and children, will he not be torn to pieces before he even opens his mouth? And if there is still a quarrel and fighting between wife and husband in the house, will they not stone him before he even sets foot on the threshold? If he is also worthy of contempt and begins to prescribe something difficult, demands a moderate life from people devoted to pleasure, and, moreover, acts against people who are much more numerous and stronger than him, then isn’t his complete destruction obvious? But for all that could not be in one house, Christ accomplished throughout the entire universe, leading its doctors through rapids, furnaces, cliffs, rocks, through land and sea, overwhelmed by war. If you want to know all this more clearly, that is, famines, plagues, earthquakes and other deplorable events, then read the story of Joseph about this, and you will know everything in detail. Therefore, Christ Himself said: “Do not be dismayed, for all this must come to pass”; and: “he who endures to the end will be saved”; and: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world.” Since the disciples, frightened by His words, became exhausted and despondent, He strengthens them, saying that although there will be countless obstacles, however, the gospel must be preached throughout the entire universe, and “then the end will come.” 4. Do you see what state things were in then, and how varied the war was? And this is at the beginning, when great calm is especially required in any matter. What condition were they in? Nothing prevents you from repeating the same thing again. The first abuse was from the seducers: “they will come,” it is said, “false Christs and false prophets”; the second - from the Romans: “you will hear about wars”; the third produced “hunger”; fourth – “plagues and earthquakes”; fifth - “you will be betrayed to death”; sixth - “you will be hated by everyone”; seventh - they will “betray and hate each other”: this means internecine warfare. Then there are false Christs and false brothers; finally, “love will grow cold,” which will be the cause of all evil. Do you see countless types of warfare, new and unusual? But even with these and other much greater battles (the internecine warfare was also joined by the battle between relatives), the preaching of the gospel prevailed over the entire universe: “the gospel will be preached,” He says, throughout the whole world. So, where are those who oppose the dominion of nature and the cycle of time to the teachings of the Church? Does any of them remember that another Christ would ever appear, that such an incident would happen? And although they talk about other fables, that, for example, a hundred thousand years have passed, they cannot invent anything like that here. So, what kind of rotation are you talking about? There was no Sodom, no Gomorrah, no other flood. How long will you mock and talk about transformation and emergence? How, you say, do many things that are predicted come true? Since you have deprived yourself of God’s help, neglected it and placed yourself outside of providence, the devil, of his own free will, manages and disposes of your affairs. But he does not do this with the saints, nor even with us sinners, who greatly despise these predictions. Although our life is bad, but since by the grace of God we very firmly adhere to the dogmas of truth, we rise above the wiles of the devil. What, in fact, does fortune telling by luminaries mean? Nothing more than lies and confusion, due to which everything happens at random, and not only at random, but also recklessly. But you will say: if the luminaries have no influence on a person’s fate, then why is one rich and the other poor? Don't know; Until then, I will reason with you in this way in order to teach you, so that you do not test everything too much, and therefore do not think that everything happens by chance and by chance. Because you don’t understand this, you shouldn’t invent something that doesn’t exist. Good ignorance is better than bad knowledge. He who does not know the reason can soon reach the true reason; and whoever, without knowing the true reason, invents a false one, cannot easily accept the true one; but a lot of labor and sweat is required from him in order to destroy the former. On blank parchment anyone can conveniently write whatever he wants, but on written parchment it is not so: first you need to erase what is poorly written. And among doctors, the one who does nothing is much better than the one who does harm; and the one who builds weakly is worse than the one who builds nothing at all, just as the ground on which there is nothing is much better than the one that has thorns. So, let’s not rush to find out everything, but let’s be patient if we don’t know something, so that when we find a teacher, we won’t cause him too much trouble. On the contrary, many often remained even with an incurable illness, after, out of their simplicity, they accepted bad teaching. Indeed, it is not equally difficult to uproot something that has previously taken root, and to sow and plant in an open field. There it is necessary to uproot the former, and then sow something else, but here only the ears are open. Why, however, is someone else rich? Now I'll tell you. Some acquired wealth through God's grace; others by God's permission. Here's the short and simple reason. Why, you say, does He make rich the fornicator, the adulterer, the sensualist, and the one who abuses his property? He does not make you rich, but only allows you to be rich; and there is a great, even infinite, difference between doing and allowing. Why, however, does He allow it? Because the time of judgment has not yet come for everyone to receive what they deserve. What is worse than the rich man who did not even give a crumb to Lazarus? But he became the most unhappy of all, he could not have even a drop of water, especially because with his wealth he was inhuman. If two wicked people did not have the same fate here, but one of them was rich and the other poor, then they will not be equally punished there, but whoever is richer will be punished more severely. 5. So, do you see that this rich man also endures the most severe torment, because he prospered in this life? Therefore, if you see that one who unjustly acquires wealth is prospering, sigh and shed tears: this wealth will increase his punishment. Just as those who sin a lot and do not want to repent lay up for themselves the treasure of wrath (Rom. 2:5), so those who are not punished here, but enjoy happiness, will undergo greater punishment. And this, if you like, I will prove to you with an example not only from the future, but also from the present life. Thus, blessed David, when he committed a well-known sin with Bathsheba and was denounced by the prophet, was especially cruelly accused of having committed such a crime, despite the fact that he enjoyed complete security. Listen to how God especially reproaches him for this: “Did I not anoint you king, and free you from the hand of Saul, and give you all the property of your master, and the whole house of Israel and Judah? And if this was not enough for you, I would add to this for you. And why have you done evil before Me” (2 Samuel 12:7–9)? Not all sins are punished equally, but there are many and different punishments, depending on the time, the persons, the merits, the degree of understanding, and many other circumstances. To make my words clearer, let us point out here one sin - fornication; and see how many different punishments I will present, not from myself, but from the divine Scriptures. Whoever committed adultery before the law is punished differently. Paul shows this: “those who sin without the law are without the law and will perish” (Romans 2:12). Whoever committed adultery after the law will suffer a more severe punishment: “but those who sinned under the law,” He says, “will be condemned according to the law.” Whoever commits fornication while being a priest receives the greatest and most intense punishment according to his rank. That is why other virgins were killed for fornication, and the daughters of priests were burned, which is why the legislator very clearly shows what kind of execution threatens the priest himself for such a sin. Indeed, if a daughter is punished more because she is the daughter of a priest, then the priest himself is much more punished. If any woman committed fornication under duress, then she is free from punishment. If a rich woman and a poor woman committed fornication, then here again there is a difference. This is revealed from what we said above about David. If anyone has committed adultery after the coming of Christ and dies without being baptized, he will be subjected to a more severe punishment than all those previously mentioned. Whether someone commits fornication after being washed by divine baptism, there is no longer any consolation left for sin. And showing exactly this, Paul said: “If he who rejects the law of Moses, in the presence of two or three witnesses, is punished without mercy with death, how much more severe punishment do you think will be due to the one who tramples on the Son of God and does not consider holy the Blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:28-29)? If any priest has committed fornication today, this is especially the height of all evil. Do you see how many differences there are in the same sin? Another is a sin committed before the law, another is after the law, another is committed by a priest, another is a sin committed by a rich and a poor woman, another is a sin committed by a catechumen and a faithful woman, another is a sin committed by a woman from the priestly family. Also, a great difference comes from understanding: “he who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, and did not do according to his will, will receive many stripes” (Luke 12:47). And the sin committed after such and so many examples receives greater punishment. Therefore, Christ said: “When they saw this, they did not repent afterward” (Matthew 21:32), although they were healed many times. He reproaches Jerusalem for the same thing, saying: “How often did I want to gather your children, and you did not want to” (Luke 13:34)? Regarding those who sin while living in luxury, you have an example in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The severity of sin also increases from the place, which Christ himself points to when he says: “between the church and the altar” (Matthew 23:35); and from the quality of the crimes themselves: “they do not let go,” it is said, “to a thief if he steals when he is hungry” (Prov. 6:30); and again: “I sacrificed your sons and daughters... with all your abominations and your fornications” (Ezek. 16:20, 22). Also from persons: “if man sins against man, they will pray to God for him; If a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him” (1 Samuel 2:25)? In the same way, if someone surpasses the worst people in his carelessness, which God condemns in Ezekiel in this way: “even you do not walk according to the statutes of the pagans” (Ezek. 5:7); and when someone is not guided even by the examples of others: she saw, it is said, her sister and justified her (Ezek. 16:57); when someone uses a special providence: “if the powers that were manifested in you had been shown in Tire and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes, but I tell you: it will be more bearable for Tire and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:21-22). Do you see the perfect accuracy and the fact that not everyone receives equal punishment for the same sins? And if we do not take advantage of God's forbearance, we will be subjected to greater punishment. Paul also shows this when he says: “Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself” (Rom. 2:5). So, knowing this, let us not be tempted and embarrassed by any incidents in life, let us not be overwhelmed by thoughts; but, indulging in the incomprehensible divine providence, let us strive for virtue and avoid sin in order to receive future benefits through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom glory be to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: