Беседа 36

John 4:54–5:1. Jesus performed this second miracle when he returned from Judea to Galilee. After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus came to Jerusalem. 1. The sheep font as a prototype of baptism. – 2. Relaxed, suffered for 38 years, a wonderful example of patience. Perseverance in prayer. – Quality of prayer. – Why is human life difficult and difficult? - Necessity of labor. -What is chastity? - No labor, no moderation. – The pleasure delivered by vice is short-lived; the joy given by virtue is eternal. – There is no true joy in this world; true joy is in heaven. 1. Just as in gold mines someone experienced in this matter will not ignore the slightest vein, because it can bring great wealth, so in the divine Scriptures it is not harmless to omit even one line or iota, but it is necessary to examine everything. Everything in them is said by the Holy Spirit and nothing is superfluous. Pay attention here too to what the evangelist says: “Jesus performed this second miracle, returning from Judea to Galilee.” It is not in vain that he added: “second”, and also extols the wondrous act of the Samaritans, showing that the inhabitants of Galilee, even after the second sign that they saw, did not reach the height of those (Samaritans) who saw nothing. “After this there was a feast of the Jews.” What holiday? I think it's the Feast of Pentecost. "And Jesus came to Jerusalem". He often came to this city for holidays, partly in order to appear to be celebrating with the Jews, and partly in order to attract gentle people to Himself. These simple-hearted people came together most on these holidays. “There is in Jerusalem, at the Sheep Gate, a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, which had five covered passages. In them lay a great multitude of the sick, the blind, the lame, the withered, waiting for the moving of the water” (John 5:2-3). What kind of healing is this? What sacrament is being shown to us here? It was not in vain and not without reason that this was written; here, as if in image and likeness, the future is presented to us, so that when something very extraordinary and unexpected happens, the strength of faith of many will not be shaken. What is being depicted here? The intention was to give us baptism, which has great power and the greatest benefits, baptism that cleanses from all sins and makes people alive from the dead. It is this, as if in an image, that is represented here in the font, as in many other institutions. Thus, God previously granted water that cleanses the impurities of the body, impurities that are not significant, but only those that seem so, such as, for example, from touching the dead, from leprosy and from other similar causes. And much in the Old Testament, as we see, was accomplished for this purpose through water. But let's return to our subject. So, God, as I said, first established the purification through water of bodily impurities, and then of various diseases. Wanting to bring us closer and closer to the grace of baptism, He no longer heals only impurities, but also diseases. Indeed, the images closest to the truth 29, both regarding baptism and suffering and other objects, were generally clearer than the most ancient prototypes. Just as the squires closest to the king shine brighter than those who stand at a distance from him, so it was in the prototypes. An angel descended and disturbed the water, and imparted healing power to it, in order to inspire the Jews that all the more so could the Lord of the angels heal all mental illnesses. But just as here it was not just the natural power of water that healed (otherwise this would always happen), but the action of an angel, so water does not act on us on its own, but when it receives the grace of the Spirit, then it cleanses all sins. Near this font lay a great many sick, blind, lame, dry people, waiting for the water to move. But then weakness was an obstacle for those who wanted to receive healing, but now everyone can freely begin. It is not the angel who disturbs the water, but the Lord of the angels who does all this. And the sick person can no longer say: “I have no man;... when I come, another has already gone down before me” (John 5:7). But even though the whole universe flocks together, grace does not become scarce and its power is not exhausted, but always remains the same, as before. Just as the rays of the sun shine every day and are not exhausted, so the power of the Spirit is not diminished in the least by the multitude of those who receive it. And this was so that those who saw how physical illnesses can be healed with water, and who experienced this for a long time, would more easily believe that mental illnesses could also be healed. But why did Jesus, leaving everyone, come to the one who had been sick for thirty-eight years? And why does he ask: “Do you want to be healthy” (John 5:6)? Not in order to find out about this (that would be unnecessary), but in order to reveal his patience and to make us understand that it was for this reason that He, leaving others, approached him. What about the patient? “He answered: Yes, Lord; but I do not have a person who would lower me into the pool when the water is troubled; when I come, another has already gone down before me” (John 5:7). This is why Christ asked: “Do you want to be healthy?” so that we would know all this. However, he did not say to him: Do you want me to heal you? - because at that time they did not yet have such a high opinion of Him; and says: “Do you want to be healthy”? But the patience of the paralytic is amazing. Having been ill for thirty-eight years and expecting healing every year, he remained here and did not leave. After all, if not the duration of the past time, then the infidelity of the future could distract him from this place if he were not so patient. Imagine how, no doubt, other sufferers there were vigilant; and the time at which the water was disturbed was not known. However, the lame and crippled could observe; How did the blind see? They may have learned about the movement of water from the noise that occurred. 2. So, let us be ashamed, beloved, let us be ashamed and we will mourn our great negligence. He waited for thirty-eight years and did not receive what he wanted, but did not leave; and did not receive it not because of his own negligence, but because he found obstacles from others and suffered violence: but for all this he did not weaken in spirit. And if we spend only ten days waiting for what we earnestly ask for, and if we do not receive it, then we are no longer inclined to use the same effort again. For the sake of people, we have been zealous for such a long time, and, serving in the army and correcting hard work, and performing servile services, although, finally, we often lose our very hope (of reward); and for the sake of our Lord, from whom, without a doubt, we can receive rewards much greater than our very labors (“hope does not disappoint,” says Scripture (Rom. 5:5)), we do not try to show proper zeal - we do not endure. What kind of punishment does this deserve? Even though we receive nothing from Him, should not one long interview with Him be considered worth countless benefits? But constant prayer, you say, is a difficult matter. Tell me, which of the good deeds is not difficult? Yes, this is the big difficulty, you say, that with vice comes pleasure, and with virtue labor. I think many people are looking for an explanation for this. What is the reason for this? In the beginning, God gave us a life free from care and free from work; but we did not take advantage of this gift as we should, but were corrupted through negligence and lost paradise. It was then that God already made our life difficult, and, in his justification before the human race, he seemed to say this: I first gave you pleasures; but through self-will you have become worse; therefore I have determined to impose labor and sweat on you. When our labors did not curb us, He gave a law containing commandments, placing on us, like untamed horses, bridles and fetters to restrain impulses, as horse tamers do. This is why our life is fraught with work, since without work we usually become corrupted. Our nature cannot remain idle, otherwise it easily bows to evil. Suppose, for example, that a chaste person, or distinguished by some other virtue, would not need any feats, but he would sleep and, nevertheless, succeed in everything: what would such a weakening lead to? Isn't it a sign of pride and arrogance? But why, you say, is great pleasure associated with evil, and great labor and burden with virtue? But what kind of grace would you have, or what would you receive a reward for, if this was not a difficult task? Even now I can point out many who by nature turn away from communication with women and run away from the very conversation with them as something bad; but tell me, should we call them chaste for this and will we crown and glorify them? No way. Chastity is abstinence and overcoming lusts through struggle. So in war, the stronger the battle, the more brilliant the triumph, and not when no one raises their hands. There are many people who are meek by nature: can we call them meek? No way. So Christ, speaking about the three kinds of eunuchs, leaves two of them without crowns, and introduces one into the kingdom (Matthew 19:12). Why, they will say, is evil needed? And I say the same thing: but who is the culprit of evil? Who else if not our arbitrary negligence? But you should be, you say, one kind. What is the property of goodness? Should I stay sober and stay awake, or should I sleep and indulge in carelessness? Why, you say, is it not recognized as the best for good to be done without labor? Such words are characteristic of animals and gluttons who worship their belly as God. What are these words of laziness, here - judge: if there were a ruler and a military leader somewhere, and the ruler was sleeping or feasting, and the military leader was winning victories with great effort: to which of them would you attribute glory? Who would own the fruit of joyful events? You see that the soul is more inclined towards that in which it is more troubled. That is why God combined works with virtue, wanting to attach the soul to it. That is why we are amazed at virtue, although we ourselves do not practice it; and we condemn vice, although it seems to be very pleasant. You ask: why are we not surprised at people who are good by nature, and even more so at those who are such by free will? This is because justice requires preferring the worker to the non-worker. Why, you say, are we working now? Because you did not want to lead a prudent life without work. If we examine carefully, then inaction usually corrupts us and causes us a lot of trouble. For example, let us leave a person in prison and begin only to feed him and fill his belly, not allowing him to walk or do any business; let him enjoy his meal and his bed and be constantly satiated: could anything be more miserable than such a life? But it’s another thing, you say, to do something, and another thing to work; Surely it was possible to do 30 without difficulty then? Isn't it? Of course it is; This is what God wanted, but you yourself couldn’t stand it. God commanded you to cultivate paradise, assigning you an occupation in this, but without adding any labor to it; and even if a person had labor at the beginning, then God would not have imposed labor on him in the form of punishment. You can do it and not bother, as is typical of angels. And that they are engaged in business, listen to how the Scripture says about it: “mighty in strength, doing His word” (Ps. 102:20). Now the lack of strength makes us a lot of work, but then this was not the case, since “whoever entered into His rest,” says Scripture, “he himself rested from his works, just as God did from His” (Heb. 4:10), meaning here not inaction, but the ease of the work. God is still working today, as Christ says: “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). So, I urge you, putting aside all carelessness, to be zealous for virtue. The pleasures of vice are short-lived, but sorrow is constant; Virtue, on the contrary, brings endless joy, and labor is only temporary. Virtue, even before receiving crowns, consoles its worker, feeding him with hopes, and vice, even before punishment, executes its follower, tormenting and frightening his conscience and forcing him to look at everything with suspicion. Isn’t this worse than the greatest labors, any exhaustion? And even if this were not the case, but only pleasure, could anything be more insignificant than such pleasure? As soon as it appears, it disappears, withering and running away before we have time to dominate it, whether we mean here the pleasures of the flesh, or luxury, or wealth; after all, all this continues to grow old every day. And when punishment and torment follow, what could be more miserable than people who indulge in vice? So, knowing this, let us endure everything for the sake of virtue; in this way we will be honored with true joy, grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” That is, in time closest to the new covenant. That is, in a primitive state. You might be interested in: