Беседа 87

“Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the praetorium, gathered the whole regiment against Him, and, having undressed Him, put a purple robe on Him; and having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head and gave Him a reed in His right hand; and, kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matt. 27:27–29) The severity of the insults suffered by Christ. – The benefits of public and private reading of the story of Christ’s suffering. – The efforts of the Jews to discredit the glory of Christ and his failure. – By the example of his suffering, Christ teaches long-suffering. - Benefits derived from insults. – How you can learn to calmly endure grievances. – One should not be angry with those who offend, but grieve for them. - He who respects himself cannot be dishonored by anyone. 1. As if by some agreement the devil rejoiced with everyone then. Let, in fact, the Jews mock Christ, melting away from envy and hatred; but how and why did the soldiers do this? Isn't it obvious that the devil was feasting with everyone then? They were so cruel and indomitable that they took pleasure in insulting Christ. They should have refrained from this, they should have cried following the example of the people; but they did not do this, but, on the contrary, insulted Him, attacked Him brazenly, perhaps wanting to please the Jews, or doing it only out of their own malice. And the insults were varied and varied. This divine head was either strangled, or wounded with a crown of thorns, or beaten with a cane by nasty and unclean people. What answer will we give after this - we, who are angry for every insult inflicted on us, while Christ endured such suffering? And what they did to Him was the utmost degree of desecration. Not just one part, but the whole body suffered: the head - from the crown, the cane and blows, the face - from spitting, the cheeks - from blowing, the whole body - from scourging, clothing with a mantle and feigned worship, the hand - from the cane that they gave Him to hold instead of a scepter, the lips - from the offering of vinegar. What could be harder than this? What's more offensive? Truly, what happened surpasses all description. As if afraid, so as not to lose any impudence, they, who killed the prophets with their own hands, put Christ to death by order of the judge. They do everything: they kill with their own hands, and judge, and condemn, both at their own trial, and before Pilate, saying: “His blood be on us and on our children”; they attack with fury, mock, tie up, take away, become the perpetrators of insults inflicted by soldiers, nail to the cross, revile, spit on, mock. Pilate here did not add anything on his part: they did everything themselves, they themselves were informers, and judges, and executioners, and everything. And this is read out at our general meeting. So that the pagans do not tell us: you show the people only the brilliant and glorious, for example, signs and wonders, and hide the shameful, the grace of the Holy Spirit arranged it in such a way that all this is read with us on a national holiday, precisely on the great evening of Easter, when husbands and wives stand in large numbers; when the whole universe flocks together, then it is preached with a loud voice. And although this is read and communicated to all, we believe that Christ is God; and both for other reasons, we worship Him because He was so pleased to condescend for us that He endured such suffering and taught us all virtue. But we should always read this, because great profit, great benefit comes from here. In fact, when you see how they mock Him both in word and in deed, with what mockery they bow before Him, how hard they strangle Him and force Him to endure extreme suffering, then even if you were an insensitive stone, you will become softer than wax, and you will remove all arrogance from your heart. Listen to what follows next. After they mocked Him, “they led Him away to be crucified” (Matthew 27:31), and, having exposed Him, they took His clothes for themselves and, sitting down, waited for Him to give up the ghost. And they divided His clothes, as usually happens with those condemned of the lowest kind, with the outcast, with the defenseless and helpless; divided those vestments that produced so many miracles, and which, however, did not have any effect at that time, since Christ retained His ineffable power. And this act constitutes an important addition to their extravagance: they, as I said, treated Him in everything as if they were dishonest and despicable, as if they were the lowest person. They did nothing of the kind with the robbers, but against Christ they had the audacity to do all this. They crucified Him in their midst, so that He could share with them their evil glory. “They gave Him vinegar to drink” (Matthew 27:34) - and this was with the purpose of insulting: “He did not want to drink.” Another narrates that, having tasted it, He said: “It is finished” (John 19:30)! What does this word mean: “it is finished”? A prophecy was fulfilled about Him: “and they gave me gall for food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Psalm 68:22). However, this one does not show that He drank. There is no difference between tasting something and not drinking it: it means the same thing. But this is not the end of their fury. After they exposed Him, crucified Him, offered vinegar, they go even further: looking at Him nailed to the cross, they revile both themselves and those passing by; and what was most difficult of all, He endured suffering as if he were a flatterer and a deceiver, like a proud and empty self-praise. This is why they crucified Him publicly, so that in the eyes of everyone they could mock Him; For this reason, they were crucified by the hands of soldiers, so that under the pretext that the sentence was pronounced in a people's court, the more freely they would indulge in fury. 2. And who would not be softened by the people following Him and weeping? But not these animals. That is why He honored those with an answer, but He did not honor these. After they have done everything they wanted, they try to discredit His glory, fearing His resurrection. For this purpose, they publicly talk about it, crucify thieves with Him, and, wanting to call Him a flatterer, they say: “He who destroys the church and builds it in three days!” save yourself” (Matthew 27:40). When, in vain asking Pilate to remove the guilt (and the guilt was written as follows: “King of the Jews” - John 19:21-22), they did not have time in their intention (he resisted them, saying: “What I wrote, I wrote”) - then they tried to show with their curses that He was not a king. Therefore, in addition to those words, they also said the following: “If He is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:42); and also: “He saved others, but cannot save Himself,” and thus they attempted to darken His previous signs. Also: “I trusted in God; Let him now deliver Him, if He pleases Him.” O wicked and wicked ones! Well, weren’t the prophets prophets, or the righteous – righteous, because God did not rescue them from adversity? They remained so, although they suffered. What can compare to your madness? If their glory was not darkened by the disasters you brought upon them, but they remained prophets despite all the suffering they endured, then all the more should you not have been offended by Christ, Who eradicated this thought from you by both deeds and words. However, while saying and doing this, they did not manage to do anything even at this very time. The one who perished in extreme wickedness, who spent the entire time of his life in murders and robberies, at the time, as it was said, he confessed Him and remembered the kingdom; and the people also wept for Him. Although it seemed to those ignorant of the structure of the mystery that everything that happened testified to the opposite - namely, that He was weak and powerless - the truth was strengthened by the most disgusting circumstances. So, hearing this, let us arm ourselves against all indignation of the heart, against all anger. If you see that your heart is on fire, protect your chest with the sign of the cross: remember something that happened then, and with this memory you will dispel all disturbance of the spirit like dust. Thoughts about words, deeds; think that He is the Master and you are the slave. He suffered for you, and you for yourself; He is for those who benefited from Him and crucified Him together, and you are for yourself; He is for those who insult Him, and you are often for those who are offended by you; He is in the eyes of the whole city, even the entire Jewish people, in the eyes of strangers and compatriots, to whom He spoke humane words, and you are in the presence of several. And what’s most offensive is that He was abandoned by the disciples themselves. Those who formerly served Him fled from Him; and the enemies and opponents - Jews, soldiers, robbers on both sides, surrounding the Crucified One, annoyed, reproached, reviled, mocked, blasphemed: and the robbers both reviled and blasphemed Him. But how does Luke say (Luke 23:40) that one of the thieves reviled Him? It was both; At first they both blasphemed, but after that not so much. So that you do not think that this happened by some kind of agreement, or that the robber was not a robber, the evangelist with his curse proves to you that at first there was a robber and an enemy on the cross, but suddenly he changed. So, reflecting on all this, think: what have you suffered that is similar to what your Lord suffered? Are you publicly embarrassed? But of course it's not like that. Are you punished? But, of course, not all over the body, and not so much naked and tortured. If they choked you, then again it’s not like that. 3. Add to this: from whom, for what, when? And what’s hardest of all is that no one complained about what was happening then, no one showed indignation; on the contrary, everyone praised, everyone laughed and shamed Him together, they reviled Him as a deceiver, a self-praiser and a flatterer who could not justify His words with deeds. But He was completely silent, giving us an invaluable healing - long-suffering. And we, listening to this, do not know how to be patient even in front of our slaves, but we jump and kick like wild donkeys; We are cruel and inhumane against those who offend us, but we care little about what concerns God. We remain the same in our attitude towards friends: if someone offends us, we will not tolerate it; If anyone annoys us, we become more savage than the beasts, we who read this daily. One disciple betrayed him, the others left Him and ran away; those who were favored spat on Him; the servant of the bishops began to blow his ear; the soldiers hit the cheeks; those passing by mocked and reviled; the robbers also reproached; and He did not answer a word to anyone, but conquered everyone with silence, teaching you in fact that the more you endure everything with meekness, the easier you will defeat those who treat you unjustly, and you will make everyone marvel at you. Who, indeed, would not marvel at the one who with meekness endures the insults inflicted by impudent slanderers? Just as one who, although legitimately suffering, endures adversity with meekness, is considered by many to be an innocent sufferer, so, on the contrary, one who suffers innocently, but rages out of impatience, attracts the suspicion that he is suffering something worthy, and becomes the subject of laughter, like a prisoner carried away by anger, having lost his nobility. Such a person is not worthy to be called free; at least managed thousands of servants. But has anyone really annoyed you? So what's the point? Now is the time to show your wisdom. We even see animals as meek when no one annoys them; They don’t always rage, but only when someone teases them. So, if we only remain calm when no one annoys us, then how are we superior to animals? It is not without reason that they often rush about, and can be excused, since they are furious because they are irritated and beaten; Moreover, they have no reason and have received brutality from nature. But when you rage and commit atrocities, tell me, what can you find an excuse for? What evil have you suffered? Was he robbed? That is why you must endure this, because by doing so you gain more. Is he dishonored? What's in it? You yourself have become no less if you are reasonable. If you have not suffered anything bad, then why are you angry with someone who not only did you no harm, but also brought you benefit? Those who respect us lull and soften us; on the contrary, those who offend and despise make those who are attentive to themselves more patient. Lazy people suffer more harm when they are respected than when they are insulted. Those who insult us make us smart when we are awake to ourselves; and those who praise us increase arrogance in us, arouse pride, vanity, carelessness, and make the soul pampered and weak. This is proven by those fathers who do not so much caress their children as scold them, fearing that they might suffer harm from indulgence; The same remedy is used by teachers. Therefore, if anyone should be turned away, it is the flatterers, and not those who insult us: flattery does more harm than insult. Affection is a bait for the unwary, and it is more difficult to guard against it than that one; and there is more reward for that, more glory. And truly, it is more worthy of surprise to see a person who is insulted and he is not indignant than one who is beaten, struck, and does not fall. But how is it possible, you say, not to be indignant? Has anyone offended you? Mark your chest with the sign of the cross; remember everything that happened on the cross - and everything will go out. Don’t think about insults alone, but remember at the same time the good that you ever received from someone who offended you; and you will immediately become meek. Especially and above all, bring to mind the fear of God, and you will soon become moderate and calm. 4. In addition, take an example in this case from your servants. When you see that you are arguing with one of them, and he is silent, then imagine that you could be more prudent, and reproach yourself for your irritation. During the most insults, learn not to insult another, and then, being insulted, you will not feel sorrow. Imagine that the one who offends you is in a frenzy and out of his mind, and then you will not be annoyed by the insult. It happens that people who are going berserk beat us, but not only are we not angry with them, but we also feel sorry for them. Do the same - take pity on the one who offends you; After all, he is possessed by a fierce beast - rage, a frantic demon - anger. Hurry to free the one who is tormented by an evil demon and who dies so quickly. Truly, anger is such a disease that it takes a little time for the one possessed by it to perish. That is why someone said: “the very movement of anger is a fall for a person” (Sirach 2:22), showing its cruelty especially in the fact that it causes great evil in a short time and does not need a length of time; and if, with its strength, it was also long-lasting, then it would be impossible to fight it. I would like to show you who is the offender and who is the wise; I would like to present to you in naked form the soul of both. You would see that the heart of the former is like a stormy sea, and that of the latter is like a quiet, serene haven; he is not indignant at these stormy winds; on the contrary, he easily tames them. Offenders do everything to hurt others; but when they lose all hope of succeeding in this, they themselves are finally tamed and leave, already corrected. And it is impossible for an angry person not to strongly reproach himself, just as it is impossible for a person who is not angry to reproach himself. If you need to rebel against someone, then this can be done without anger, and even more conveniently and prudently than with anger: then you will not tolerate anything unpleasant. If we want, all our happiness and all good things will depend on us, and we will be able, with the help of the grace of God, to arrange our safety and preserve our honor. Why do you seek honor from another? Respect yourself, and no one will dishonor you; but when you dishonor yourself, then although everyone will honor you, you will remain dishonest. Just as if we do not upset ourselves, then no one else will upset us, in the same way, if we do not dishonor ourselves, then no one else will disgrace us. Let us imagine a great man and worthy of glory; and let everyone call him an adulterer, a thief, a grave robber, a murderer, a robber; but if he is not irritated by anything, is not annoyed by anything, and is not aware of anything like this in himself, then what kind of dishonor does he suffer from this? None. What, you say, if many have such an opinion about him? And in this case, he is not dishonored, but those who dishonored themselves because they do not consider him to be what he is. Tell me: if someone began to consider the sun dark, would it be the sun, or would he dishonor himself? Of course, himself, incurring the suspicion that he is either blind or out of his mind. Likewise, those who consider the good to be bad shame themselves. Therefore, we must make great efforts to keep our conscience clear and not bring any case of suspicion against us. If, even with our behavior like this, others want to go berserk, then there is no need to worry or grieve about it. If someone is good in himself, but is considered bad, then he loses nothing by remaining as he is; on the contrary, whoever harbors reckless, empty suspicions is subject to extreme destruction. In the same way, a bad person, if they consider him not to be such, does not receive any benefit from him, but will be subject to greater condemnation and will only fall into greater carelessness. A thin person, when considered to be such, at least humbles himself and acknowledges his sins; on the contrary, when he hides, he falls into insensibility. In fact, if even then, as everyone reproaches, sinners are barely aroused to contrition, then can he who lives in wickedness open his eyes when they not only do not condemn him, but even praise him? Do you not hear how Paul also condemns the fact that the Corinthians, while pleasing and respecting the wicked man, not only did not allow him to realize his sin, but also confirmed him in his wickedness? Therefore, I beg you - let’s leave other people’s opinions about us, insults and honors, and let’s try only one thing - to maintain a clear conscience and not to disgrace ourselves. Thus, both here and in the next century, we will enjoy great glory, which may we all be worthy to receive through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: