Беседа 81

“On the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus and said to Him, “Where do You tell us to prepare the Passover for You?” He said: go to the city to so-and-so and tell him: The Teacher says: My time is near; I will celebrate the Passover with you with my disciples." (Matthew 26:17–18) What is meant by the first day of unleavened bread? – Why does Christ send to an unknown person? - The image and work of rebuking Judas. – Judas was not a minister of the economy of salvation. – Why does God allow people to be born evil? “It’s not birth, but carelessness that makes you evil.” - How great is the evil of the love of money. - Judas' flight. - Money lovers cause more harm to themselves and others than those possessed by demons. – One who has not freed himself from the love of money cannot overcome other passions. – At every age the corresponding passions must be suppressed. 1. The Evangelist calls the first day of unleavened bread the day preceding the Feast of Unleavened Bread, since the Jews always used to count the day from the evening. The Evangelist mentions the day on which the Passover lamb was to be slaughtered in the evening, since the disciples approached Jesus on the fifth day of the week. The Evangelist Matthew calls this day the day preceding the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when he speaks of the time at which the disciples approached Jesus. And another evangelist says this: “Now the day of unleavened bread has come, on which the Passover [lamb] must be slaughtered” (Luke 22:7). “It has arrived,” that is, it was approaching, it was at the door. Obviously, the evangelist mentions this particular evening, since Easter began in the evening. Therefore, each evangelist adds: when the Passover lamb was slain. Approaching Jesus, the disciples say to Him: “Where do you tell us to prepare the Passover for You?” And from here, by the way, it is clear that Jesus did not have a home, did not have a permanent residence. But I think that the disciples did not have it either; otherwise they would have asked Jesus to come there. But even they, who had renounced everything, had no home. Why did Christ celebrate Easter? In order to show in everything that He did even to the last day that He did not resist the law. But why exactly does he send to an unknown person? To show by this that He could not have suffered. Indeed, if He with words alone disposed the heart of this man to accept disciples, then what would He not have done in those who crucified Him if He had not wanted to suffer? And what He did before, when He sent for the donkey, He does the same now. There He said: “If anyone says anything to you, answer that the Lord needs them” (Matthew 21:3); so here he says: “The Teacher says: ... I will celebrate Passover with you.” However, I am surprised not only that a stranger received Him, but also that He, knowing that He would bring upon Himself great enmity and irreconcilable warfare, despised the hatred of many. Further, since the disciples did not know this man, Christ gives them the sign that the prophet gave to Saul, saying: “Three men will meet you there, going to God... the third carries a bottle of wine” (1 Sam. 10:3); and here: “carrying a pitcher of water” (Luke 22:10). And notice another proof of His power. He not only said: “I will keep the Passover”; but he adds other words: “My time is near.” He did this in order, on the one hand, through constant reminders and frequent predictions to the disciples about suffering, to accustom them to fearless thinking about the future, on the other hand, to show both the disciples themselves, and those who received them, and all the Jews, as I have often said, that He does not involuntarily go into suffering. He adds the words: “with My disciples” - so that the preparation would be sufficient, and the recipient would not think that He was hiding. “When evening came, He lay down with the twelve disciples” (Matthew 26:20). Oh, the shamelessness of Judas! And He was present there, and he came to partake of the sacraments and dishes, and was convicted at the meal itself, then, like the beast, he could have become the meekest. That is why the evangelist notes that when they ate, Christ talked with them about betrayal, so that both by the time and by the meal he would expose the wickedness of the traitor. When the disciples had done as Jesus commanded them, “And when evening came, He lay down with the twelve disciples; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me” (Matthew 26:21). Before the supper, Christ also washed Judas’ feet. See how He spares the traitor: He did not say: this one will betray Me; but: “one of you” - in order to hide him again to give him the opportunity to repent, and prefers to frighten everyone in order to save him. One of you is twelve, He says, who are with Me everywhere, whose feet I have washed, and to whom I have promised such great benefits. Then unbearable sorrow seized this holy congregation. John says that the disciples were perplexed and looked at each other (John 13:22), and each of them fearfully asked about himself, although they were not aware of anything like that. Matthew says: “They were greatly saddened, and began to say to Him, every one of them: Is it not I, Lord? He answered, “He to whom I will dip a piece of bread I will give” (Matthew 26:22; John 13:26). Look when Christ revealed the traitor! Then, as he wanted to bring others out of confusion, who were deadened by fear, and therefore asked urgently. However, He did this not only with the intention of freeing them from fear, but also in order to correct the traitor. Since the latter, who often heard unclear accusations, due to his hardness of heart, remained without correction, Christ, wanting to arouse him more, tears off his mask. When the disciples became sad and began to say: “Is it not I, Lord?” , then, “He answered and said, He who dipped his hand into the dish with Me, this one will betray Me; However, the Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man not to have been born” (Matthew 26:23–24). Some say that Judas was so impudent that he did not honor the Teacher, and dipped his hand with Him. And in my opinion, Christ did this in order to bring him into greater shame and arouse goodwill in him; after all, this also has some benefit. 2. We must not completely ignore this, but we must impress it on our thoughts, and rage will never have a place in us. Who, in fact, thinking about this supper, about the traitor reclining with the Savior of all, and about how meekly he talks about being betrayed, will not reject all the poison of anger and rage? Look, with what meekness Christ turns His speech to Judas: “The Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him”! He said this both to confirm His disciples, so that they would not attribute His act to weakness, and in order to correct the traitor. “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man not to have been born.” Notice again in the reproof the ineffable meekness. Even now, not threateningly, but very mercifully, he talks with the traitor, and, moreover, secretly, despite the fact that not only his previous insensibility, but even after that the shamelessness revealed in him were worthy of extreme indignation. After all, even after this reproof, Judas says: “Isn’t it I, Rabbi” (Matthew 26:25)? Oh, insensitivity! Then he asks how he himself realizes this! And the evangelist, surprised by his audacity, speaks about this. What did the meekest and gentlest Jesus say in response? "You said" . Although he could say: oh, vile and most vile, vile and unclean man! Having been preparing to commit evil for so long, by withdrawing and concluding a satanic pact, agreeing to take the silver and being convicted by Me, do you still dare to ask? But Christ did not say anything like that. What did he say? “You said,” and thereby outlines for us the image and rule of patience. But another will say: if it is written that Christ will suffer like this, then why is Judas condemned? He did what was written. But he did it not with the right thought, but out of malice. If you do not pay attention to intentions, then you will free the devil from guilt. But no, no! Both of them are worthy of countless torments, although the universe was saved. It was not the betrayal of Judas that brought us salvation, but the wisdom of Christ, which wonderfully turned the atrocities of others to our advantage. Well, you ask, if Judas had not betrayed Him, wouldn’t another have betrayed Him? What does this have to do with the present subject? You will say that if Christ was to be crucified, then it was necessary for this to be done by someone; if by anyone, then, of course, by such a person. If everyone were good, then the construction of our salvation would not be completed. It won't happen! The All-Wise Himself knew how to arrange our salvation, even if it was so, because His wisdom is great and incomprehensible. That is why, so that no one might think that Judas was a servant of the economy, Christ calls him a most unfortunate man. But someone will say again: if it would have been better for him not to have been born, then why did God allow both him and all the evil to be born? You should blame the evil for the fact that, having the opportunity not to be so, they became evil; and you, having left this, test too much and explore the destinies of God, although you know that no one is evil out of necessity. You will say: one should be born only good, and there would be no need for Gehenna, or punishment, or torment, and there would not even be evil; the evil ones should either not have been born, or, if they were born, they should have died immediately. First of all, I should point you to the following apostolic saying: “Who are you, O man, that you argue with God? Will the product say to the one who made it: “Why did you make me this way?”" (Rom. 9:20)? If you demand evidence of reason, I will say that the good deserve greater surprise when they are among the evil, because then patience and great wisdom are especially revealed in them. But you, by saying the above-mentioned words, destroy the opportunity for struggle and exploits. Well, you say; In order for some to become good, others are punished? No, not for this, but for his crimes. They became evil not because they were born, but as a result of their negligence; That's why they are punished. How can those who have such teachers of virtue and do not receive any benefit from them not be worthy of punishment? Just as the good and the good are doubly worthy of honor for the fact that they were good and were not at all infected by the evil, so the evil are worthy of double punishment - both for the fact that they were evil, having the opportunity to become good (which is proven by those who became good), and for the fact that they did not receive any benefit from the good. But let's see what this unfortunate student says when he is rebuked by the Teacher. What is he saying? “Isn’t it me, Rabbi”? Why didn't he ask about this first? He thought that he was not recognized when it was said: “one of you”; when Christ opened it, then he again dared to ask, hoping for the meekness of the Teacher that he would not expose him. That's why he called Him Rabbi. 3. Oh, blindness! Where did it take Judas? Such is the love of money! It makes people mad and reckless, shameless and dogs, or rather, more evil than the dogs themselves, and turns dogs into demons. When Judas joined the devil and the slanderer, and betrayed Jesus and the benefactor, then by intention he already became the devil. This is what insatiable greed for money makes people - crazy, insane, completely given over to greed, as Judas became. How then do Matthew and other evangelists say that the devil took possession of Judas when he agreed regarding the tradition of Christ, and John says that “after this piece Satan entered into him” (John 13:27)? He knew this himself; above He says: “At the time of supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot to betray Him” (John 13:2). How then does he say: “After this piece Satan entered into him”? Satan does not suddenly enter, and not at one time, but first makes many attempts; which happened here too. First he tested Judas, and approached him little by little; when he saw in him a readiness to accept him, then he completely moved into him and completely took possession of him. But if Christ and His disciples ate the Passover, how did they eat it unlawfully? After all, they shouldn’t have reclined while they ate. What can I say to this? The fact that they reclined already during the supper, after eating the Passover. And another evangelist says that Christ not only ate Easter that evening, but also said: “I greatly desired to eat this Passover with you” (Luke 22:15), that is, this year. Why? Because then the salvation of the universe was accomplished, the sacraments were established, and sorrows were ended by the death of Jesus. Thus, He endured the cross of His own free will. But nothing pacified the indomitable beast, bowed it down, or brought it to shame. Christ called him most unfortunate, saying: “Woe to that man!” Then he frightened him with the words: “It would have been better for this man not to have been born!” He shamed him, saying: “He to whom I will dip a piece of bread and give it to him.” But all this did not deter Judas at all; he was overwhelmed by the love of money, as if by some kind of rage, or better, as by the most severe disease: the love of money is precisely the most ferocious rage. Has the raging person ever done anything like this? Judas did not let out foam from his mouth, but let out murder against the Master; He did not break his hands, but stretched them out to sell his precious blood. Therefore, his rage was much stronger - he was raging healthy. But, you say, he didn’t speak meaninglessly? And what could be more meaningless than these words: “What do you give me, and I will betray Him to you”? I will betray: the devil spoke through his mouth. But he didn’t kick the ground and tremble? Wouldn’t it be much better for him to tremble than to stand upright with such plans? Didn't he hit himself with stones? Wouldn’t it be much better to do this than to attempt such an atrocity? Do you want me to introduce to you those who are mad and those who love money, and compare the two? However, no one should think that he is being personally insulted; I do not insult human nature, but I condemn actions. The possessed man never dressed in a dress, beat himself with stones, ran along impassable paths and rocky places, being strongly persecuted by the demon. Don't you think this is scary? What if I prove to you that those who love money cause greater harm to their souls, and so much more that the actions of the possessed seem like child’s play in comparison with the actions of the one who loves money? Will you avoid the disease of the money lover? So, let's see whose illness is more bearable. They are no different from one another, because both are more disgusting than many naked ones. It is much better to be naked than to walk around dressed in greed, like those who sacrifice to Bacchus. Just as they wear the masks and dress of the mad, so do these. And just as madness produces the nakedness of those who are mad, so madness produces the clothes of those who love money, and these clothes are more worthy of pity than nakedness. And I will try to prove this with this. Which of those who are raging themselves will we call more raging: the one who torments himself, or the one who torments himself and everyone who meets them? Obviously the latter. So, those who are mad expose only themselves, but those who love money expose everyone who meets them. Raging people, you say, are tearing clothes? But how each of those offended by money lovers would wish that they would rather tear off his clothes than deprive him of all his property! The selfish do not tear their faces? On the contrary, they do this too; if not everyone does this, then everyone, through hunger and poverty, produces the most severe diseases in the womb. Don't they bite with their teeth? But - oh, if only they would bite with their teeth, and not with the arrows of greed, which are sharper than teeth! “[Their] teeth are spears and arrows” (Ps. 56:5). Who feels the greatest pain: the one who is once wounded and immediately healed, or the one who is always wounded by the teeth of poverty? Involuntary poverty is worse than a kindled furnace and animals. Do money lovers not run through deserts like demoniacs? Oh, if only they ran through deserts and not through cities! Then everyone living in the cities would enjoy security. And now they are more intolerable than all the demoniacs, because in the cities they do what they do in the deserts, turning cities into deserts and stealing everyone’s property, as in the desert, where no one prevents this. But they don't throw stones at people passing by? Well? You can easily protect yourself from stones; and who can protect himself from those wounds that money lovers inflict on the unfortunate poor through paper and ink, writing notes filled with countless sores? 4. Let us also see how much evil money lovers do to themselves. They walk around the city naked, because they do not have the clothing of virtue. And if this does not seem shameful to them, it depends on their excessive rage, due to which they do not even feel their ugliness. They are ashamed if they are naked; and on the contrary, they boast when they have a naked soul. If you want, I will show you the reason for such insensitivity. What is the reason for this? That they are naked between many equally naked; therefore they are not ashamed, just as we are not ashamed in the baths. If many were clothed with virtue, then their shame would be more revealed. Nowadays, it is especially worthy of bitter tears that, due to the existence of many evil people, evil deeds are not considered shameful. The devil, among other disasters, also brought about something that does not allow one to feel evil, but covers up the vileness of evil with a multitude of evil ones, since if the evil one happened to live among many virtuous people, then he would better see his nakedness. From this it is clear that lovers of money expose themselves more than those who are mad. And no one will contradict the fact that they walk through deserts. The wide and spacious path is emptier than any desert, and although it has many travelers, it does not have a single person, but only snakes, scorpions, wolves, vipers, asps, such are those who follow wickedness. And this path of wickedness is not only a desert, but even more terrible than a desert. This is evident from the fact that it is not so much the stones, cliffs and mountain peaks that strike those who climb them, as robbery and greed that strike the soul of those who indulge in them. And that money lovers live in tombs, like those possessed by demons, or better yet, they themselves are tombs, can be seen from the following. What is a coffin? This is a stone in which a dead body is placed. So, how do the bodies of money lovers differ from these stones? They are even more unhappy than stones. This is not a stone that contains a dead body, but a body that is more insensitive than stones, and carries within itself a dead soul. Therefore, no one will sin if he calls money lovers coffins. And our Lord himself called the Jews this way, mainly for this; and therefore he added the following words: “Inside they are full of theft and” (Matthew 23:25) covetousness. Finally, do you want me to show you how money lovers hit their heads with stones? Tell me, where do you want to know this first - from their present or future state? But they think little about the future. Therefore, we must talk about their present state. Are not worries worse than any stones, which do not hit the heads, but wear out the souls? Money lovers are afraid that someday something that entered unrighteously will come out of their house legally. They tremble over every little thing, they become angry and irritated against their own people and against strangers. They are alternately overcome by cowardice, fear, and rage, and they, as if moving from cliff to cliff, every day expect what they have not yet received. As a result, they do not enjoy what they have, both because they are not confident in their safety, and because with all their thoughts they direct themselves to what they have not yet received. And just as someone who is constantly thirsty, even if he has drunk from countless sources, does not feel pleasure because he is not satisfied, so lovers of money not only do not feel pleasure, but are even more tormented the more riches they receive, since their lust has no limits. This is the real state of money lovers! Let's now talk about the last day. Although they do not heed, we need to speak. Anyone can see in all places of Scripture that lovers of money will be condemned to torment on the last day. When Christ says: “I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink” (Matthew 25:42), He condemns money lovers to torment; and when he says: “Go... into the eternal fire prepared for the devil” (Matthew 25:41), he sends into eternal fire those who unrighteously enrich themselves. The same fate applies to the evil slave who did not share with his comrades from his master’s property (Matthew 24:46–49), and the slave who buried the talent in the ground, and the five virgins (Matthew 25:18); and wherever you look in Scripture, you will see everywhere that the lovers of money are condemned to torment. Then they will hear: “A great chasm has been established between us and you” (Luke 16:26); then: “Depart from Me... into the eternal fire prepared for the devil”; then the threat that, being cut, they will go where the gnashing of teeth is; and everyone can see that they are expelled from everywhere, have no place anywhere except Gehenna. 5. So, what benefit does orthodoxy have for our salvation when we hear these words? There is gnashing of teeth, pitch darkness, fire prepared for the devil, dissection, expulsion; and here - enmity, slander, slander, danger, worries, deceit, universal hatred, universal contempt, even from those who apparently flatter. Just as not only the good, but also the evil, are surprised at the good, so not only the good, but also the evil hate the evil. In confirmation of this truth, I would like to ask the money lovers themselves: do they not hate each other? Do they not consider each other more fierce enemies than those who cruelly offended them? Aren't they judging themselves? Don’t they consider it an insult when someone reproaches them for selfishness? And this serves as an extreme reproach for them and proof of their great malice. If you cannot despise wealth, then what will you be able to conquer? Lust, excessive popularity, rage, anger? And how can you encourage someone to do this? Many doctors attribute bodily lust, anger and rage to the physique and excesses of the body. So they call a person who is hotter and damper lustful, and a person with a lean physique - irritable, hot-tempered and furious. But no one has ever heard doctors say anything like that about the love of money. Thus, the disease of love of money comes from the mere negligence and insensitivity of the soul. Therefore, I beg you, let us try to correct all such shortcomings and suppress the passions that grow in us according to each age. If, in every part of our life, we sail past the works of virtue, suffering shipwrecks everywhere; then, having reached refuge without spiritual treasures, we will be subjected to extreme disaster. Real life is a vast sea. And just as in the sea, different bays have different storms, for example, the Aegean Sea is dangerous due to winds, the Etrurian Strait - due to a bottleneck, Charybdis, near Libya - due to shoals, Propontis, near the Euxine Pontus - due to the speed and impetuousness of the waters, part of the sea near Gadir - due to empty, impassable and unknown places, and other parts of the sea are dangerous for other reasons, so it happens in our life. The first sea can be called childhood, which is subject to many disturbances due to unreason, frivolity and inconstancy. Therefore, we assign educators and teachers to children, and with care we make up for the shortcomings of nature, just as at sea they are made up for by the skill of the helmsman. This age is followed by the sea of ​​youth, where strong winds blow, as on the Aegean Sea, because then lust intensifies in us. This age is especially incapable of correction, not only because it is subject to severe unrest, but also because misdeeds are not exposed, then there is no longer a teacher and educator. When the winds blow stronger, and yet the helmsman is weak, and no one gives help, then imagine how dangerous the storm is! Next comes the age of manhood, in which a person faces economic affairs, wife, marriage, childbirth, managing the house and a great many worries. At the same time, the love of money and envy especially intensifies. So, if we suffer shipwreck at every age, then how will we get through real life? How can we avoid future punishment? If at the first age we do not learn anything reasonable, in our youth we do not live abstinently, and having become men we do not overcome the love of money, then when we arrive in old age, as if at some bottom of a ship, and having weakened the boat of the soul with all these ulcers, after the destruction of the boards of the boat, we will reach the pier with a lot of rubbish instead of spiritual treasures, and we will arouse laughter in the devil, and we will cause ourselves to cry and cause unbearable torment. So, to prevent this from happening to us, having protected ourselves from everywhere and resisted all passions, let us reject the addiction to wealth in order to achieve future blessings, through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: