Беседа 32

John 4:13–14. Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life. 1. Holy Scripture calls the Holy Spirit sometimes water, sometimes fire, denoting by this not essence, but activity. – Continuation of the story of the Samaritan woman. – 2. Obedience of the Samaritan woman. – 3. The wisdom of Jesus Christ in the matter of converting people to salvation. – An exhortation to read the Holy Scriptures. – The devil does not dare to enter a house where there is a Gospel. – Reading spiritual books sanctifies a person. 1. The grace of the Holy Spirit in Scripture is sometimes called fire, sometimes water, and this shows that such names do not express His essence, but only action, because the Spirit, as an invisible homogeneous being, does not consist of different essences. This is what John calls Him by fire, saying: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11), and Christ calls Him water: “out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. These things He said concerning the Spirit, which they were about to receive” (John 7:38–39). So, talking with his wife, he calls the Spirit water: “Whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never thirst.” The Spirit is called fire to signify the warmth of grace that He arouses and the destruction of sins; and by water - to express the purity and renewal communicated from Him to the souls who receive Him. And fair enough. Like a certain garden blooming with various fruitful and ever-greening trees, He prepares a zealous soul, not allowing it to feel either sadness or the slander of Satan, but easily extinguishing the kindled arrows of the evil one. But notice the wisdom of Christ, how He little by little raises up his wife. He did not tell her from the very beginning: “if you knew... Who says to you: give me a drink”; but when he gave her a reason to call Him a Jew and called him to reproach, then, reflecting the reproach, he said this. Having also said: “If you knew... Who says to you: Give Me a drink, then you yourself would ask Him” (John 4:10), and with the promise of something great, forcing you to remember your forefather, He thus gives the wife her sight. Then, when she objected: “Are you greater than our father Jacob” (John 4:12), He did not say: Yes, I am greater than him, because this might seem to her like mere vanity, when there was no proof of this yet; but He prepares her for this precisely by what He says. He doesn't just say: I'll give you water; but first he shows the insufficiency of Jacob’s water, and then he exalts the significance of His water, wanting, from the properties of the gifts themselves, to show the distance and difference between the persons giving and His superiority over Jacob. If you wonder how Christ would say to Jacob that he gave this water, then what will you say if I give you even better? You have already preceded Me by confessing that you are greater than Jacob, when you objected to Me: are You really greater than our father Jacob, that you promise to give better water; and when you receive this water, you will already fully recognize Me as greater than him. Do you see the impartial judgment of the wife who pronounces judgment on the forefather and on Christ according to their deeds? But that is not what the Jews did. Even seeing that He was casting out demons, they not only did not consider Him higher than their forefather, but also called Him demonic. And the wife bases her judgment on exactly what Christ wants, i.e. on evidence from His works, because He himself based the verdict on Himself on this, saying this: “If I do not the works of My Father, do not believe Me; and if I do, then if you do not believe Me, believe My works” (John 10:37-38). This is exactly the way the wife comes to faith. Therefore, Christ, having heard her words: “Are you greater than our father Jacob,” and leaving the conversation about Jacob, talks about water: “Everyone who drinks this water,” He says, “will thirst again” (John 4:13), and makes such a comparison of both waters, not condemning one, but only showing the superiority of the other. He does not say that that water is insignificant, means nothing and is worthy of contempt; but it affirms what the very essence of that water testifies to: “Everyone who drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst” (John 4:13-14). The wife had heard about living water before, but did not understand; and since “living” water is usually called continuously flowing and gushing from never-ending springs, the wife thought that this water was also being spoken about here. Therefore, presenting to her even more clearly what he is talking about, and from comparison showing the superiority of one water over another, Christ adds: “Whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never thirst.” With these and the following words, as I say, He proves the superiority of spiritual water, because sensory water has nothing like it in itself. What are the next words? “The water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life” (John 4:14). Just as someone who has a hidden spring within himself would never become thirsty, so will someone who has this water. And the wife immediately believed, showing herself to be more intelligent than Nicodemus, and not only more intelligent, but also more courageous. He, having heard many similar things, did not call anyone to Christ, and he himself remained indecisive, but she does the apostolic work, preaching the gospel to everyone, calling to Jesus, and drawing the whole city to Him. Nicodemus, hearing the words of the Savior, said: “How can this be?” (John 3:9). Even when Christ showed him a clear example from the wind, even then Nicodemus did not accept His word. But the wife is not like that; At first she is perplexed, but then, accepting the word of Christ without prejudice, but as direct truth, she is immediately inclined to faith. As soon as Christ said: “The water that I will give him will become in him a source of water flowing into eternal life,” the wife immediately says: “Sir! Give me this water, so that I won’t thirst and won’t have to come here to draw” (John 4:14-15). 2. Do you see how little by little she rises to the heights of dogma? At first she considered Christ to be a Jew breaking his law; then, when He refuted this accusation (because the person who had to tell her such a teaching should not remain in suspicion), she, having heard about living water, thought that He was talking about sensual water. Further, having learned that His words have a spiritual meaning, she believes that this water can destroy the feeling of thirst, but she just did not know what kind of water it was, and was still perplexed, considering it, of course, higher than sensual water, but not having a clear idea about it. Finally, having seen more precisely into this subject, but not yet having understood everything, “Master,” she says, “give me this water, so that I will not have thirst and not come here to draw,” she already prefers Christ to Jacob. I will not, he says, have any need for this source if I receive that water from You. Do you see how she gives Him priority over the Forefather? Here is a well-meaning soul. She showed what a high opinion she had of Jacob; but I saw the highest, and am no longer held back by my former opinion. So, this was not a frivolous wife (because she does not simply accept words; how can this be said when she tested them with such care?), stubborn and non-argumentative: she showed this by her very request. Christ once said to the Jews: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35); but they not only did not believe, but were also tempted. The wife on the contrary does not fall into this illness, but insists and asks. He said to the Jews: “He who believes in Me will never thirst,” but to his wife he says in a more sensual way: “Whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst.” The promise referred to spiritual objects, and not to visible ones, therefore, elevating her mind with promises, she still stopped at sensory images, because she could not yet accurately comprehend spiritual objects. If He had said: Believe in Me and you will not thirst, then she would not have understood what was said, not yet knowing who was talking to her and what thirst He was talking about. Why didn't He do this to the Jews? Because they have already seen many miracles; but the wife had not yet seen a single sign and was only hearing such words for the first time. That is why He reveals power to her through His insight; However, he doesn’t immediately denounce her, but what does he say? “Go, call your husband and come here. The woman answered: I have no husband. Jesus says to her: You said the truth that you have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband; That's right what you said. The woman says to Him: Lord! I see that You are a prophet” (John 4:16–19). What wisdom there is in this wife! With what meekness she accepts reproof! Why shouldn’t she accept it, you say? But tell me: didn’t He often and even more strongly rebuke the Jews? It is not the same thing to reveal innermost thoughts and reveal secret affairs. The first is characteristic of God alone: ​​no one knows thoughts except the One who has them; and deeds are known to all those involved in them. But the Jews did not endure reproof with meekness, and when Christ said: “Why are you seeking to kill Me?” (John 7:19), - they not only were not surprised like the wife, but they also blasphemed and slandered Him; they had evidence in other signs, but the wife only heard this one; but they not only did not marvel, but also reviled Him, saying: “Isn’t You a demon? who seeks to kill you? (John 7:20). She not only does not reproach Him, but is surprised, amazed and concludes that He is a prophet, although the wife’s reproof was stronger than theirs. The sin exposed in her was her sin alone, but they were exposed as common sins; but we are not as tormented by the exposure of common sins as our private ones. Moreover, the Jews thought that they would do a great thing if they killed Christ; and everyone recognized the wife’s case as bad. Despite all this, she is not annoyed, but amazed and surprised. Christ did exactly the same thing with Nathanael; He did not suddenly show his insight, he did not immediately say: “When you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” but then, when he asked: “Why do you know me?” (John 1:48). Christ wanted His prophecies and miracles to originate from those who come to Him, both in order to thus bring them closer to Himself, and in order to avoid suspicion of vanity. That's what He does here too. To warn a wife with reproof that she does not have a husband could seem burdensome and inappropriate; but to make a reproof, having received a reason from her herself, this was very appropriate, and prompted her to listen to the reproof with greater meekness. But what, you say, is the sequence in the words: “go, call your husband”? It was about the gift of grace that surpasses human nature, the wife urgently desired to receive this gift; So He says: “Go, call your husband,” as if showing by this that the husband should also have a share in the gift. The wife, in a hurry to get it and hiding her shameful deeds, thinking that she is talking to a simple person, says: “I don’t have a husband.” Having heard this, Christ now introduces reproof into His conversation at the right time, expressing both with precision: He lists all the previous husbands and reveals the one whom she was hiding at that time. What about the wife? He is not annoyed, does not run away from Him, and does not consider this circumstance a reason for indignation at Him, but is even more surprised at Him, and shows even more firmness. “I see,” he says, “that you are a prophet.” Notice her prudence. And after that she does not immediately submit to Him; but still thinks and wonders. Her word “I see” means: it seems to me that You are a prophet. But as soon as she had such a concept about Him, she no longer asked Him about anything worldly: neither about bodily health, nor about property or wealth, but immediately about dogmas. What is she saying? “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,” meaning Abraham and his children; here, as they say, he sacrificed his son; “But you say that the place where we should worship is in Jerusalem” (John 4:20). 3. Do you see how she has become more elevated in her thoughts? She who cared only about quenching her thirst is already asking about dogmas. What about Christ? Doesn’t resolve the question (that’s not what He cared about, just to answer her questions - that would have led too far); but again he elevates his wife to an even greater height, and however, not before telling her about this, as she has already confessed that He is a prophet, so that she would listen to His words with greater conviction. Having convinced herself that He was a prophet, she could no longer doubt what He could tell her later. So let us be ashamed and blush. The wife, who had five husbands and, moreover, a Samaritan woman, shows such diligence regarding dogmas, and neither the time of day, nor the fact that she came for another matter, and nothing else distracts her from the desire to know them: not only do we not ask about dogmas, but we act in everything without paying attention to what happens. That's why everything is neglected by us. How many of you, tell me, while at home, pick up a Christian book, delve into its contents and test the Scripture? No one can say this about themselves. Checkers and dice can be found in the possession of very many, but books in no one, or in a few, and even those deal with them no more than those who do not have them at all, tying them up and putting them away forever in closets; All they care about is only the thinness of the skin (on which books are written), the beauty of writing, and not about reading. Yes, and books are purchased not for profit, but in order to show off one’s wealth and boast. Vanity goes to such an extreme! I do not hear anyone boasting that they know what is contained in books, but I hear them boasting that their books are written in letters of gold. Tell me, what's the use of this? The Scripture was not given so that we might have it in books, but so that it might be written in our hearts. Concluding commandments only in writing - this kind of acquisition is characteristic only of Jewish vanity; and to us in the beginning the law was not given in this way, but “on tablets of flesh of the heart” (2 Cor. 3:3). In saying this, I am not discouraging the purchase of books; on the contrary, I praise it and even ask for it; I only wish that words and thoughts pass from books into our soul and that it, assimilating the intelligence of writing, is thus purified. If the devil does not dare to penetrate into the house where the Gospel is, much less will a soul that has assimilated the thoughts of Scripture be touched or attacked by either the demon or sin. So sanctify your soul, sanctify your body, always having the Holy Scripture on your lips and in your heart. If swearing defiles us and causes demons, then it is obvious that spiritual reading sanctifies and attracts the grace of the Spirit. The Scriptures are divine hymns. Let us begin to chant them within ourselves and from them we will prepare a cure for spiritual ailments. If we knew the importance of what we read, we would listen with more zeal. This is what I always say and will never stop saying. Isn’t it strange that those who attend the spectacles tell each other about the names of the drivers and dancers, their origin, homeland, occupation, and also carefully talk about the merits and demerits of the horses; and those who gather here do not know anything that is happening here, do not even know the number of the sacred books? If you are chasing something for pleasure, then I will show you that there is much more pleasure here. What is more pleasant, tell me, what is more amazing: to see how a man fights with a man, or how a man fights the devil, how a carnal being competes with an immaterial force and overcomes it? These are the struggles you need to look at; It is commendable and useful to imitate them, and by imitating, one can be crowned, and not look at those struggles in which competition brings shame to the imitator. You look at that struggle together with the demons, and at this one - with the angels and with the Lord of the angels himself. Tell me, if you were allowed to sit with the rulers and kings, watch and enjoy the spectacle with them, would you not consider this the greatest honor for yourself? And here, together with the King of Angels, contemplating and seeing how the devil, grabbed by the backbone, uses all his efforts to overcome, but does not master it at all, are you not in a hurry to see such a spectacle? How to do this, you say? Have book 26 in your hands. In it you will see the place of the struggle, and the length of the run, and the attack of the devil, and the art of the righteous. Looking at this battle, you yourself will learn to fight and free yourself from demons. And what happens at worldly performances is a triumph of demons, and not a spectacle of human exploits. If it is not permissible to enter an idol’s church, much less to go to a satanic festival. I will not stop talking and boring you about this until I see correction - saying this “is not painful to me, but edifying for you” (Phil. 3:1). Do not be offended by my admonition; If anyone needs to be offended, then it is me, who often speaks and does not see obedience, and not you, who always hears about it and never listens. But let it not be that you are constantly accused of this; may you get rid of this shame, and having been rewarded with a spiritual spectacle, may you be worthy of future glory, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: