Беседа 45

John 6:28–30. So they said to Him: What must we do to do the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” To this they said to Him: What sign will You give, so that we may see and believe You? What are you doing? 1. Lust for pleasure is destruction for the soul. – 2. What is the bread of life? – 3. The necessity of faith and grace for salvation. – Jesus Christ often spoke about the resurrection, and the reason for this. – 4. Frequent reminders of the resurrection encourage us to avoid evil and do good. – Resurrection and judgment destroy fate. – Nothing happens out of necessity or by chance. – The certainty of resurrection and judgment: people without faith will suffer the same thing as unbelievers during the time of the flood and Lot. – The end of the world will suddenly befall people. - Evidence of the certainty of the resurrection and the Last Judgment. 1. There is nothing worse, nothing more shameful than gluttony. It dulls the mind; it makes the soul carnal; it blinds and does not allow one to see. Look: this happened to the Jews too. Since, being given over to gluttony, they were entirely occupied with everyday matters and did not think about anything spiritual, then although Christ excites them with many words, filled either with severity or with condescension, yet even with all this they do not get up, but still lie down. Look, He said to them: “You are looking for Me, not because you saw miracles, but because you ate bread and were filled” (John 6:26), - (and through this) He struck with reproof; showed what kind of food one should look for, saying: “Try not to eat perishable food”; offered them a reward in the words: “but food that endures to eternal life” (John 6:27); finally forestalled their objection by saying that He was sent by the Father. What are they? As if they had heard nothing, they say: “What should we do to do the works of God?” They said this (as subsequent circumstances show) not in order to find out and fulfill, but to please Him - to again give them food and satisfy them. What about Christ? “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” To this they said: “What sign will You give that we may see and believe? Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness” (John 6:30–31). There is nothing more insensitive, nothing more meaningless than these words. While the miracle was still before their eyes, they spoke as if not a single miracle had yet been done: “What sign will You give?” And having said this, they do not leave Him free to choose a miracle; but they want to put Him in the need to perform not another miracle, but precisely the one that happened during the time of their ancestors. That is why they say: “our fathers ate manna in the desert,” thinking thereby to incite Him - to perform such a miracle that could nourish them physically. In fact, why did they remember not any other of the previous miracles, although many of them were performed then in Egypt, and over the sea, and in the desert, but specifically about manna? Is it not because they strongly desired her, being enslaved to gluttony? How can you, who called Him a prophet and wanted to make Him king because you saw a miracle, how do you now, as if there was no miracle, turn out to be ungrateful and unappreciative, and ask for a miracle, as hangers-on and hungry dogs would ask? Is manna dear to you now when your soul is faint? And notice the cunning of their words. They did not say: Moses performed such and such a miracle, and what kind of miracle will you do, so as not to irritate Him; but expecting food from Him, they still turn to Him with great respect. On the other hand, they do not say that God created such and such a miracle and you will do what, so as not to convey the idea that they are equal to Him as God. They don’t even mention Moses, so as not to give the impression that they are humiliating Him. But they choose the middle, saying: “Our fathers ate manna in the desert.” Christ could, of course, say: I performed greater miracles than Moses, and did not need a rod, did not need prayer, but did everything with Myself. If you resemble manna, then I have given you bread. But then there was no time to say this, but there was only one concern to turn them to spiritual food. And look with what infinite wisdom Christ answers them: “Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32). Why didn’t He say: It was not Moses who gave, but I; but instead of Moses he pointed to God and instead of manna to himself? Because the weakness of the listeners was great, as can be seen from what follows. And then, as He spoke these very words, He did not stop them. Although at the beginning he said: “You are looking for Me, not because you saw miracles, but because you ate bread and were filled” (John 6:26), and in subsequent words he corrected them, but, despite all this, they do not stop (demanding bread). When Christ promised to give water to the Samaritan woman, he did not mention the Father, but simply said: “If you knew... Who says to you, Give Me a drink, then you yourself would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water,” and again: “the water that I will give” (John 4:10, 14), but does not refer to the Father. Here he mentions the Father, so that you will know how great was the faith of the Samaritan woman and how great the weakness of the Jews. But the manna did not come from heaven; How do they say: “from heaven”? Just as Scripture says: “the birds of the air,” and again: “The Lord thundered in the heavens” (Ps. 8:9; Ps. 17:14). He calls that bread true bread, not because the miracle over manna was false, but because it was an image, and not the truth itself. And having mentioned Moses, he did not oppose Himself to him, because the Jews did not yet prefer Him to Moses, but on the contrary, they had a higher concept of Moses than of Him. Therefore, having said: “Moses did not give,” He did not add: “I give,” but instead said: “The Father gives.” Hearing this, they again said: Give us this bread to eat, because they still thought that it was something sensual, they were still waiting for their belly to be satisfied, and that is why they flocked together so quickly. What about Christ? Little by little, elevating their thoughts, he continues: “the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33), - not only to the Jews, but to the entire universe. That’s why he didn’t just say food, but life, something different and excellent, to show that everyone was dead. But they still bow down and say: “Give us this kind of bread” (John 6:34). Condemning them for the fact that, while they expected a sensual meal, they flocked to Him, and as soon as they learned that this was some kind of spiritual meal, they no longer approached Him, Christ says: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. But I told you that you have seen Me and do not believe” (John 6:35–36). 2. This is what John also said earlier: He knows, he says, “and what He saw... he testifies of this; and no one accepts His testimony” (John 3:32). Likewise, Christ: “We speak of what we know, and testify of what we have seen, but you do not accept Our testimony” (John 3:11). He does this by warning them and showing that their unbelief does not confuse Him, that He does not seek glory and knows their innermost thoughts, both present and future. "I am the bread of life". He intends to begin the teaching about the sacrament, and first talks about His deity, saying: “I am the bread of life,” because this is not said about the body. In the end he says about the body: “The bread that I will give is my flesh” (John 6:51) - and now he speaks about the deity. The flesh (of Christ), for the sake of God the Word, is bread, just as this bread, for the sake of the influx of the Spirit upon it, becomes the bread of heaven. Here Christ does not bring witnesses, as in the previous conversation, because he has evidence in the miracle of the loaves, and the Jews still pretended to believe Him, while there they contradicted Him and blamed Him. That's why He's here and speaking directly. Meanwhile, the Jews, hoping to enjoy bodily food, remain and are not embarrassed, until later they have lost all hope. But Christ, despite this, did not remain silent, but, on the contrary, said a lot to admonish and reprove them. They, who called Him a prophet while they were eating, are now offended and call Him the son of tekton. And then they were not tempted when they ate the loaves, but said: “This is the Prophet,” and wanted to make Him king. Apparently they were annoyed that He said: “I came down from heaven”; but the real reason for their indignation was not this, but the fact that they had lost all hope of enjoying a bodily meal. If they were really indignant (at those words), then they should have asked and found out how He is animal bread and how He came down from heaven. Meanwhile, they do not do this, but complain. And that this was not what seduced them can be seen from the following. In response to His words: “My Father gives you bread,” they did not say: beg Him to give it; And what? "Give us bread." Although He did not say: I give, but: “My Father gives,” however, out of desire for food, they recognized that He could give it too. How, then, having recognized that He could give food, could they then be tempted, and moreover, when they heard that He was giving it? So what is the reason for this? They heard that they would no longer receive food, and therefore they again began to not believe and, as an excuse for their unbelief, they presented that His word was too high. That is why He says: “You have seen Me and do not believe,” pointing, on the one hand, to miracles, and on the other, to the testimony of the Scriptures. “They,” he says, “testify of Me” (John 5:39). Also: “I came in the name of My Father, and you do not receive Me” (John 5:43). Also: “how can you believe when you receive glory from one another” (John 5:44)? “Whatever the Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Look how He does everything to save people. It was precisely for this purpose that He added this, so that it would not seem as if He was dealing with unnecessary subjects and speaking without purpose. What is He saying? “Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me;... and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:37, 40). But why does He also mention the general resurrection, in which the wicked will also participate, as a special gift for those who believe in Him? Because He is not just talking about resurrection, but precisely this kind of resurrection. Having said in advance: “I will not cast him out” and I will not destroy anything that He has given Me. (John 6:37, 39), He then speaks about the resurrection. On the resurrection, indeed, some will be cast out, as can be seen from the words: “Take him and throw him into outer darkness” (Matt. 22:13), while others will perish, as can be seen from the words: “Fear Him more than He who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Matt. 10:28). In the same way, the words: I give eternal life mean the same as the words: “They who have done good will go forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:29). It is this resurrection, which belongs to good people, that He pointed out here. And what does He want to say with the words: “Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me”? In them He denounces the unbelief of the Jews and shows that those who do not believe Him transgress the will of the Father, only he does not speak about this so directly, but in secret. This is what He always did when He wanted to show that unbelievers insulted not only Him, but also the Father. Indeed, if this is the will of the Father and for this purpose (Christ) came to save the whole world, then unbelievers transgress the will of the Father. So, when someone, he says, is guided by the Father, then nothing can prevent him from coming to Me. He says this below: “no one can come to Me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44). And Paul said that He hands them over to the Father: “when,” it is said, “he delivers the kingdom to God the Father” (1 Cor. 15:24). So, just as the Father, when he gives, deprives himself of nothing, so the Son, when he gives, does not take anything away from himself. It is said of Him that He conveys, because “through Him” we received “access” (Eph. 2:18). 3. But the same expression: “through Him” is also used about the Father, as for example in this place: “By whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son” (1 Cor. 1:9), i.e. by the will of the Father. And again: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you” (Matthew 16:17). Here the meaning is almost like this: faith in Me is not an unimportant matter, but it requires inspiration from above. And Christ affirms this everywhere, showing that this faith requires a soul truly valiant and attracted by God. But, perhaps, someone will say: if everything that the Father gives comes to You, and (if they come) those whom only He will attract, and no one can come to You unless it is given to him from above, then to whom the Father does not give, they are free from all guilt and condemnation. These are empty words and just an excuse. Without a doubt, we also need our own will, because learning and believing is a matter of will. Here, with the words: “what the Father gives Me,” He means nothing more than the following: believing in Me is not an unimportant matter, and this requires not human speculation, but a revelation from above and a soul that gratefully accepts the revelation. And the words: he who comes to Me will be saved means: he will enjoy great care. Then, he says, I came and took on flesh and took on the form of a servant. Then he adds: “I came down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). What are you saying? Is one will Yours, and another His? Lest anyone think this, Christ rejects such a thought, saying further: “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life” (John 6:40). Is this not Your will? How then do You say in another place: “I came to bring down fire on the earth, and how I would that it should already be kindled” (Luke 12:49)? If You also want this, then it is clear that You have the same will with the Father. And in another place He says: “As the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to whomever He will” (John 5:21). What is the will of the Father? Is it not so that not one of them perishes? And this is what you want too. This means that this will is not another (the Father) and this will (the Son) is not another. So in another place and even more strongly, He affirms His equality with the Father, saying: I and the Father “will come... and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). So, His words have the following meaning: I came to do nothing other than what the Father wants, and I do not have any special will of mine other than the will of the Father, because everything that belongs to me belongs to me, and everything that is mine belongs to the father. If the Father and the Son have everything in common, then He rightly says: “not to do My will.” But here He did not say so, but kept it to the end. Sublime objects, as I said, He hides and places in the shadows for the time being, to show that if He had said: it is My will, then they would have neglected it; therefore he says: I also cooperate with that will (i.e. the Father) in order to strike them the more powerfully. He said something like this: what do you think? Why do you anger Me by not believing? No, you provoke My Father. “Now this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of what He has given Me I should lose nothing” (John 6:39). Here he shows that he does not need their respect and did not come out of His own need, and not for honor from them, but for their salvation. He said the same thing in the previous conversation: “I do not receive glory from men” (John 5:41), and also: “I say this so that you may be saved” (John 5:34). And in any case, He tries to show that He came to save them. He says that he is preparing glory for the Father, in order to thereby ward off all suspicion. And that for this purpose He spoke thus, this was most clearly revealed in the following words: he who seeks his own will, says, “seeks his own glory; but whoever seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (John 7:18). “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). Why does He speak so often and on every occasion about the resurrection? So that they would not think that God’s providence is limited only to present things, and therefore would not become despondent if they do not enjoy blessings here, but hope for future blessings, and would not despise it if they do not suffer punishment in this life, but look forward to the future life. 4. But if they (the Jews) did not gain anything from frequent discussions about the resurrection, then we will try to gain it. Whether we want to unjustly get rich, or steal something, or do some other dishonest act, we will immediately bring to ourselves the thought of that day, imagine that judgment seat, and this thought, stronger than any bridle, will restrain our evil desire. Let us constantly say to ourselves and others: there is a resurrection and a terrible judgment awaits us. If we see anyone vainglorious and puffed up with real blessings, we will tell him the same thing and declare that all this will remain here. If we again see another dejected by sorrows and despondent, we will express the same to him, indicating that there will be an end to the sorrows. If we also see someone devoted to carelessness and laziness, we will present him with the same thing again, making it appear that we will need to give an account of his carelessness. This speech can heal the soul better than any medicine. And truly, there is a resurrection, and the resurrection is at the door, not far, but close. “Just a little while,” says Paul, “and He who comes will come and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37), and in another place: “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10), i.e. both evil and good - in order to suffer disgrace before everyone - this in order to appear even more glorious before everyone. Just as here judges punish the wicked and give honor to the good openly before everyone, so it will certainly be there that for some there will be more shame, and for others more glory. Let us imagine this every day. If we have this in our thoughts, then none of the real and transitory things will hold us back, because what is visible is temporary, but what is invisible is eternal. Let us continually say to ourselves and others: there is a resurrection, and a judgment, and an account of deeds. Let all those who accept fate speak, and they will immediately be freed from this rotten disease. After all, if there is resurrection and judgment, then there is no fate, no matter how much they argue and bicker. But I am ashamed to teach Christians about the resurrection. Anyone who needs to be taught that there is a resurrection, and who is not completely convinced that everything does not happen out of necessity, and not simply and not somehow, is obviously not a Christian. Therefore, I ask and plead: let us cleanse ourselves from all evil and do everything to receive forgiveness and justification on that day. But perhaps someone will say: when will there be death, when will there be resurrection? How much time has passed and nothing like this has happened? But it will happen, believe me. After all, even before the flood they said the same thing and laughed at Noah; but the flood came and swallowed up all these unbelievers, and only left him alone, the believer, alive. And under Lot they did not expect that punishment sent from above until the falling lightning and thunder destroyed everyone. And neither then nor under Noah was there any preliminary indication of what was about to happen; but troubles came unexpectedly while everyone was feasting, drinking and getting drunk. So the resurrection will come, not with any preliminary signs, but in the midst of our well-being. That’s why Paul says: “When they say, ‘Peace and safety,’ then destruction will suddenly come upon them, just as the pain of childbirth comes upon a woman with child, and they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:3). This is how God arranged it so that we would always be vigilant and not indulge in carelessness in the midst of security. What are you saying? Don't you expect resurrection and judgment? Demons also confess this, but you don’t? “You came here,” they say, “to torment us before the time” (Matthew 8:29). If they say that there will be torment, then they know, of course, there will be a trial, and an account, and punishment. Let us not anger God, in addition to bad deeds, by disbelieving the word about the resurrection. As in all other things Christ was the firstfruits for us, so in this. Therefore He is called the firstborn from the dead. And if there were no resurrection, how could He be the firstborn, when none of the dead would follow Him? If there were no resurrection, then how could God’s truth be preserved when so many evil people prosper, and so many good people suffer and end their lives in suffering? Where will all these people get their due if there is no resurrection? No one who lives righteously doubts the resurrection; but he prays every day. Pronouncing this holy saying: “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). Who doesn't believe in the resurrection? People who walk defiled paths and lead unclean lives, as the prophet says: “at all times his ways are destructive; Your judgments are far from him” (Ps. 9:26). Truly, it is impossible for a person to lead a pure life when he does not believe in the resurrection. And those who do not know anything bad about themselves, they say, and wish, and believe that they will receive reward. Let us not anger God, but let us listen to Christ, Who says: “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Matthew 10:28). This fear will make us better, and thus, having been delivered from this destruction, we will be worthy of the kingdom of heaven, which we all will be worthy of, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father, with His worshiped, all-holy and life-giving Spirit, be glory now and ever, and to the endless ages of ages. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: