Беседа 23

John 2:11. This is how Jesus began the miracles in Cana of Galilee... 1. The transformation of water into wine is the first miracle of Jesus Christ. – On what evidence does the authenticity of this miracle, which led the disciples to faith, rest? – 2. Jesus Christ expels the sellers from the church. – The same thing happened again at the end of His sermon. – 3. Why Jesus Christ made unclear predictions. – The apostles did not know about the resurrection. – Why didn’t Jesus Christ reveal this to them? – People believe facts more than words. – The Holy Spirit reminded the apostles of everything that Jesus Christ told them. - The greatness of the virtues of the apostles. - Praise to them. - An exhortation to give alms, without which one cannot enter the gates of heaven. 1. The devil attacks often and powerfully, besieging our salvation from all sides. Therefore, you need to stay awake and sober and block his attack from everywhere. As soon as he encounters even a small opportunity, he already prepares free access for himself, and little by little introduces all his strength. So, if we value our salvation at all, we will not allow him to attack us even in small ways, in order to thereby prevent larger ones. Yes, and it would be extremely crazy - when he shows such an effort to destroy our soul, we, for our part, cannot even stand up for our own salvation. I didn’t say this for nothing; and I am afraid that even now, unnoticed by us, this wolf will invade our yard and kidnap some sheep, which, through negligence or evil slander, is evading the flock and our real conversations. If the wounds were sensual and only the body received blows, then it would not be difficult to recognize his malicious intent. But since the soul is invisible and it is she who receives wounds, we need to stay awake a lot so that everyone tests himself: “For who among men knows what is in a man except the human spirit that lives in him?” (1 Cor. 2:11). The word reaches out to everyone and healing is offered in common to all those in need, but it is up to each of those listening to accept what is needed in his illness. I don’t know the sick, I don’t know the healthy either; Therefore, I offer all kinds of teachings that are needed in diseases of all kinds: I denounce either greed or gluttony; sometimes I condemn lust; sometimes I praise mercy and urge it; sometimes other virtues. I am afraid that, while teaching about one disease, you will forget to heal others, while you are suffering from them. If only one listener were present here during my conversation, I would not consider it too necessary to diversify my teachings; but since in such a multitude of people there are of course many illnesses, it is not superfluous for us to diversify the edification: a word addressed to everyone will undoubtedly bring its benefits. That is why the content of Scripture is varied, and tells us about an innumerable variety of objects, since it turns its word to the common nature of all people. And in such a multitude of people, without a doubt, there are all kinds of mental illnesses, although not all in all. Therefore, cleansing ourselves of them, let us listen to the word of God, and, concentrating our thoughts in it, let us listen to its current reading. What is this? “So,” says the Scripture, “Jesus began miracles in Cana of Galilee.” Some, as I said before, argue that this was not the beginning at all. How could it be otherwise, they say, if what is added here is precisely: “in Canna of Galilee”? “Thus he laid it,” it is said, “the beginning in Cana.” But I will not enter into further inquiry about this; We have already proven before that He began to perform signs after baptism, and before baptism He did not perform any miracles. But whether this particular sign or another sign was the first that He performed after baptism, it seems to me that there is no need to speculate too much about this. “And He showed His glory.” How? After all, there were not many witnesses to the event, but only the ministers, the architriclin and the groom? How did He reveal His glory? He showed it from His side. And if not then, then later everyone should have heard about this miracle, since it is glorified to this day and not forgotten. But that not everyone knew about it that day can be seen from what follows. The Evangelist, having said: “revealed His glory,” adds: “and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11), i.e. those who had already marveled at Him before. Do you see that it was then especially necessary to perform signs when conscientious people and attentive to events were present? Such people were more likely to believe and pay more attention to events. And how could He be known without signs? Teaching and prophecy, combined with miracles, can dispose the souls of listeners to diligently listen to events, as soon as the soul is already prepared for this. That is why evangelists often say that in other places He did not perform signs because of the wrong direction of the people living there. “After this He came to Capernaum, Himself and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples; and they remained there a few days” (John 2:12). Why does He come to Capernaum with His Mother? There He did not perform any miracle, and the inhabitants of that city were not among those favored towards Him, and, moreover, they were also the most corrupt: Christ himself noticed this, saying: “And you, Capernaum, who were exalted to heaven, will be cast down to hell” (Luke 10:15). So why does He come there? It seems to me that, intending to go to Jerusalem a little time later, He then went to Capernaum so as not to take his brothers and Mother with him everywhere. Thus, having gone there and stayed a little time out of respect for the Mother, He left His Mother there, and then again begins to work miracles. That is why it is said that He “came to Jerusalem” (John 2:13). Therefore, He was baptized not long before Easter. But what does He do when He arrives in Jerusalem? A work that expresses His great power. The money changers, the traders who sold doves, oxen and sheep, and then stayed there, He casts out. 2. Another evangelist narrates that, driving them out, He said: “My house will be called a house of prayer; and you made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13); and St. John expresses it this way: “Do not make My Father’s house a house of trade” (John 2:16). But the evangelists do not contradict each other; but they make it clear that He did this twice, and that both cases did not occur at the same time: the first time He did this at the beginning (of His sermon), and the second time, when He was already going to suffer. Therefore, for the last time He used the strongest expressions, calling that place a den of robbers; but at the beginning of the signs it was not so, but he used a more meek reproof. So it is probable that He did it twice. Why, you say, did Christ do this, and, moreover, use such severity as He did not do anywhere, it seems, even in those cases when He was insulted, reviled, called a Samaritan and even possessed by demons? And here He was not even content with mere words; but he also took the whip and thus drove them out. Meanwhile, the Jews, when He did good to others, accuse Him and become embittered; and when, apparently, they should have become angry from His rebuke, they do not treat Him in this way; they do not blame or insult Him; what do they say? “By what sign will You prove to us that You have the authority to do this?” (John 2:18). Do you see their extreme envy - how the benefits they showed to others irritated them most of all? So, at one time He said that the church had become a den of thieves because of them, showing that what was being sold was acquired by theft, robbery and extortion, and that they were enriched by the misfortunes of others; and another time - a house of purchase, exposing their shamelessness in trade. But why did He do this? Since, later in time, He began to heal on the Sabbath and do many things that seemed to them to be a crime of the law, so that they would not consider Him an opponent of God and doing this contrary to the will of the Father, He by this incident warns them of such a thought. The one who showed such great zeal for the house, of course, had no intention of opposing the Lord of the house, who was honored in it. True, the previous years, in which He lived in accordance with the law, could sufficiently demonstrate His respect for the Lawgiver and the fact that He did not come to legislate anything contrary to Him. But since these years were probably forgotten over time, and were not known to everyone (because He was brought up in a poor and ignorant home), He does this in the presence of all the people gathered on the occasion of the approaching holiday, and, moreover, with danger to Himself. He didn't just kick them out; but he also overthrew the tables and scattered the money, letting them understand from this that he who exposes himself to danger for the sake of decorum in the house will not despise the Lord of the house. If He did this feignedly, He could only use persuasion; and exposing yourself to danger is too bold. After all, it is not an unimportant thing to betray oneself to such rage of traders, to embitter against oneself the ignorant crowd of tavern people, shaming them and causing losses: this is not characteristic of a hypocrite, but of a person who is ready to suffer everything for the splendor of the house. Therefore, He not only by deeds, but also by His very words expresses His unity with the Master of the House; He does not say: a holy house, but my Father's house. Behold, he calls Him his Father, and they are not indignant at this: they thought that He spoke like that in general. But when later He began to express this more clearly, so that he inspired the idea of ​​​​his equality with the Father, then they became furious. What are they now? “What sign,” they say, “will you prove to us that you have the power to do this?” Oh, extreme madness! They need a sign to stop evil deeds and free the house of God from such humiliation! But to have such great zeal for the house of God is not the greatest sign of virtue? Well-meaning people found themselves here too: “at this His disciples remembered that it was written: Zeal for Thy house consumes Me” (John 2:17; Ps.69:10). But the Jews did not remember the prophecy, but said: “What sign will You prove to us?”, on the one hand, regretting the loss of their shameful profit, and hoping to prevent Him from doing so, on the other hand, wanting to call Him to perform a miracle in order to humiliate His act. That's why He doesn't give them a sign. So before, when they approached and demanded a miracle, He answered them: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 16:4). However, then He answered them more clearly, but now in a more mysterious way. And He does this because of their extreme insensitivity. The one who warned those who did not ask and gave them signs, He - of course - would not have refused those who demanded, if he had not seen in them evil and crafty thoughts and their insidious intentions. Notice how their very question is filled with malice. They should have praised His zeal and zeal; one should be amazed at the care He shows for the house of God; and they accuse Him, claiming that it is permissible to muck around here, but it is not permissible to stop the merrymaking unless some sign is shown. What about Christ? “Destroy,” he says, “this church, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). He said a lot of things that were not clear to the listeners at the time, but could only become clear later. Why did He do this? To prove His foreknowledge of future events when what was predicted would be fulfilled, as indeed happened regarding this prophecy. “When He rose from the dead,” it is said, “His disciples remembered that He had said these things, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus spoke” (John 2:22). And while He spoke, they were perplexed how what He had said could be fulfilled; others objected like this: “This church took forty-six years to build, and will You raise it up in three days?” (John 2:20). They say: forty-six years, meaning the construction of the last church, because the first was completed in twenty years. 3. Why did He not explain this parable and say: I am not speaking about this church, but about My flesh? Later, when the evangelist wrote the Gospel, he interpreted this saying; and He himself kept silent at that time? Why did he keep silent? Because they would not have accepted His words: if even His disciples were not then able to understand what was said, much less the people. “When,” says the evangelist, “He rose from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and believed the Scripture.” Two subjects were presented to them here: His resurrection, and an even more important question: Was He who dwelt in this church God? He made both things clear in the words: “Destroy this church, and in three days I will raise it up.” Paul presents this as no small sign of His divinity, saying this: “and was revealed to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, through the resurrection from the dead, in Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:4). Why does He give exactly this sign both here and here and everywhere, saying either: “When I am lifted up from the earth” (John 12:32), or: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that it is I” (John 8:28); also: “no sign will be given to him except the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 16:4), and here again: “in three days I will raise him up”? And this, in particular, showed that He was not an ordinary person, that He could win victory over death and so quickly destroy its long-term dominion and end the heavy battle. That’s why he says: “then you will know.” When is this? When, having risen, I draw the universe to myself (John 12:32), then you will understand that I did this too, as God and the true Son of God, punishing for the insult to the Father. Why didn’t He say what signs were needed to stop the former evil, but only promised to give a sign? Because in this way He would have embittered them even more, but now He has struck them even more. However, they said nothing to this; It seemed to them that He was saying something incredible, and therefore they did not continue to ask Him; they ignored it as a pipe dream. But if they made sense, then, even if it seemed incredible to them then, at least after the time when He had already created many signs, they could come and ask Him about resolving their bewilderment. But as they were meaningless, they did not pay attention to some of His words at all, while others were listened to with malicious intent. That is why Christ spoke to them in parables. But another question arises: how did the disciples not know that he had to rise from the dead? This is because they were not yet awarded the grace of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, although they often heard the word about the resurrection, they did not understand it at all, but only reasoned among themselves what it meant. Indeed, it was very strange and wonderful to hear that someone could resurrect himself and resurrect himself in this way. That is why Peter was reproached when, not understanding anything about the resurrection, he said: “Be merciful to yourself, Lord” (Matthew 16:22). And Christ did not clearly reveal this to them before the event itself, so that they would not be tempted - since at first they did not yet believe His words, because of their great strangeness, and because they did not yet clearly know who He was. No one could help but believe what the events themselves screamed loudly about; and what was said only in words, of course, not everyone wanted to believe. Therefore, at first He left this teaching hidden; when he himself proved by his deed the truth of His words, then he finally communicated their understanding and such grace of the Spirit that His disciples suddenly comprehended everything. “The Holy Spirit will remind you of all things” (John 14:26). If they, having lost all respect for Him in one evening, fled and even said that they did not know Him, having not received the special grace of the Spirit, then they would hardly have remembered everything that Christ had done and said during the entire time (of His life). If, you say, they had to hear everything from the Spirit, but they themselves could not retain in memory the entire teaching of Christ, then what need was there for them to remain with Christ? But this was necessary because the Spirit did not actually teach them, but only brought to mind what Christ had said before; but the sending of the Spirit to remind him of what he said contributed no little to the glory of Christ. So, at first it was the grace of God that the grace of the Spirit was sent down to them so great and abundant; and after that it was their virtue that they acquired this gift for themselves. They showed a bright life, great wisdom and great deeds, and despised real life, imputed everything human to nothing, but were above everything, and, like light eagles soaring to the heights, their deeds reached the very sky, which is how they acquired the ineffable grace of the Spirit. Let us also imitate them, and let us not extinguish our lamps, but let us keep the light in them through charity. This is how the flame of this fire is maintained. Let us collect oil in vessels while we are here, because after we go there we can no longer buy it; It can only be acquired through the hands of the poor. We will gather it here in abundance if we want to enter (the chamber) with the Bridegroom; otherwise we will have to remain outside the palace. It is impossible, absolutely impossible, to enter the threshold of the kingdom without mercy, even if we have performed many other good deeds. Therefore, let us show mercy with full zeal in order to enjoy the unspeakable blessings of which we will all be worthy, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be eternal glory and power, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: