Беседа 44

John 6:26–27. Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw miracles, but because you ate bread and were filled.” Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life... 1. One should care not about the food of the body, but about the food of the soul. – 2. You need to ask God for what is proper to ask from Him. – The pleasures and sorrows, blessings and disasters of this world have nothing real in themselves. “Therefore, there is no need to desire some and fear others. – In another world, everything is eternal – punishments and rewards. – Depiction of the blessings of the present life and the future life. 1. Forbearance and meekness are not useful everywhere; There are times when a teacher also needs rigor. Thus, when a student is lazy and stubborn, punishment must be used against him in order to arouse him from laziness. This is what the Son of God did, and in many other cases, and in the present. When the people came and found Jesus, they began to flatter Him: “Rabbi! when You came here” (John 6:25), - then He, to show that he was not looking for honor from people, but had only one thing in mind - their salvation, answered him with severity. By this he wanted not only to correct the people, but also to open and reveal their thoughts. What is He saying? “Truly, truly, I say to you” (definitively and affirmatively), “you seek Me, not because you saw miracles, but because you ate bread and were filled.” He strikes with words and denounces, but not cruelly and strongly, but with great condescension. He did not say: oh, sensualists and gluttons! I performed so many miracles, but you never followed Me and did not marvel at what was perfect; but - with some meekness and calmness: “you are looking for Me, not because you saw miracles, but because you ate bread and were filled,” pointing not only to previous miracles, but also to a present miracle. He seems to say this, with which he denounces them: it was not the miracle of the loaves that struck you, but the fact that you were filled. And that He spoke about them not by guesswork, they themselves showed it then. Indeed, that is why they came again, to enjoy the same food, and that is why they said: “Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness” (John 6:31), again attracting Him to carnal food, which deserved accusation and the greatest condemnation. But Christ does not stop at reproof, but adds instruction to it, saying: “Do not strive for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for on Him the Father God has set His seal” (John 6:27). And these words have this meaning: do not worry at all about this food, but about that spiritual food. But since some of the people who want to live idlely abuse these words, as if Christ rejected hard work in them, now it is time to answer them. They denigrate the whole, so to speak, Christianity and subject it to ridicule for idleness. But first we must turn to the saying of Paul. What is he saying? Remember the words of the Lord, who said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). But what would there be to give to someone who has nothing himself? As Jesus said to Martha: “You worry and fuss about many things, but only one thing is necessary; But Mary chose the good part” (Luke 10:41–42) – and also: “do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34)? It is now necessary to resolve all this not only in order to turn away idle people, if they so choose, but also in order to show that the words of God do not contradict each other. Here in another place the apostle says: “We beseech you to prosper more and strive diligently to live quietly, to do your own thing...so that you may act decently before outsiders” (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12); and again: “If anyone steals, do not steal from him, but rather labor, doing with your own hands what is useful, so that you may have something to give to the needy” (Eph. 4:28). Here Paul commanded not only to do the work, but with such difficulty that there would be something to give to others. And in another place he says again: “These hands have served my needs and the needs of those who were with me” (Acts 20:34). And in his letter to the Corinthians he said: “What is my reward for? Because when I preach the Gospel, I preach the gospel freely” (1 Cor. 9:18). And when he was in that city (Corinth), he was with Aquilla and Priscilla, and worked: “for their craft was making tents” (Acts 18:2-3). All this, apparently, is in great contradiction with what has been said, and therefore it is necessary to provide permission for this. What should we answer? That not worrying does not mean not working, but not getting attached to the things of life, i.e. not worry about peace for tomorrow, but consider this concern unnecessary. You can work and not collect anything for tomorrow, you can work and not worry about anything. Care and work are not the same thing. Others work not in order to rely on labor, but in order to give to those in need. In the same way, the words spoken to Martha do not refer to work and busyness, but to the fact that one must know the time (for work), and not use the time designated for listening for carnal deeds. This means that He spoke those words not in order to draw Martha into idleness, but in order to attract Martha to listen. I have come, He says, to teach you what is necessary; are you worried about lunch? Do you want to receive me and cook me an expensive meal? Prepare another feast, offer Me diligent listening, and imitate your sister’s zeal. And He did not say this to prohibit hospitality - no, not at all - but to show that during the hearing one should not engage in other matters. And with the words: do not try to eat perishable food (do not make food that perishes) - it does not mean that one should live in idleness (this is primarily perishable food (perishing food), since idleness has taught every evil (Sir. 33:28) - but what one should work for and serve. This food (waste) is no longer perishable (perishing). On the contrary, if someone works to feed, waters and clothes Christ, then there is no one so insensitive and senseless who would say that such a person makes food that perishes, because for this food the future kingdom and those blessings are promised forever. On the other hand, since the Jews did not care at all about faith, did not try to find out who was doing such things and with what power, but wanted only one thing - to be satisfied without doing anything, then Christ rightly called such food perishable food (perishing waste). This means that you do not understand that I am leading you not to this imperfect food, but to that which imparts not temporary life, but eternal life, nourishing not the body, but the soul. Then, since He expressed Himself so sublimely and said that He gives that food, so that what was said again would not seem strange to them, He attributes the giving of this food to the Father, thereby imparting authenticity to His words. Having said: “Which the Son of Man will give you,” He added: “For the Father God has set His seal on Him,” i.e. sent so that He would bring you this food. However, this saying allows for another interpretation, because Christ says in another place: whoever listens to My words, “the Father has set a seal on him,” “that God is true” (John 3:33), i.e. showed clearly. This, it seems to me, is what the above saying means here too. In fact, “the Father put a seal” means nothing else, as he showed, revealed by His testimony. True, Christ showed Himself; but, since he spoke with the Jews, he brought into view the testimony of the Father. 2. Let us learn, beloved, to ask God for what we should ask Him. Those, i.e. everyday circumstances, whatever they may be, do not bring us any harm. If we become rich, we will only enjoy pleasures here. If we fall into poverty, we will not suffer any harm from it. Neither the joyful circumstances of this life, nor the sad ones contain a sufficient reason for sadness and pleasure, but both of them are not worth our attention, and proceed with great speed, which is why they are rightly called the path, since they pass and cannot remain for long. Meanwhile, the future - both of them - are taken away forever - both punishment and the kingdom. So, in relation to the future, we will make greater efforts to avoid one thing and achieve another. What, really, is the benefit of earthly pleasure? Today it exists, but tomorrow it is scattered dust; today - a blazing fire, and tomorrow - cooled ashes. But spiritual blessings are not like that: they always shine and bloom and become more beautiful every day. That wealth never perishes, is never transferred, is never depleted, never exposes to anxiety, envy or censure, does not destroy the body, does not corrupt the soul, does not arouse envy, does not incur hatred, while all this is connected with wealth. That glory does not lead to madness, does not give rise to arrogance, and never ceases or becomes darkened. Peace and pleasure in heaven are also continuous, always unchanging and immortal: no limit or end can be found for them. Let us desire, I convince you, this life. If we desire it, we will not value real goods at all, but will despise them and laugh at them. Everything that has an end is not very desirable. Everything that ceases, what is today and what is not tomorrow, even if it were something very great, all this seems too small and not worth attention. So, let us love not fleeting, transitory and flowing blessings, but constant and unchanging blessings, so that we may be worthy of them, according to the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: