Беседа 69

John 12:42–43. However, many of the rulers believed in Him; but for the sake of the Pharisees they did not confess, so as not to be excommunicated from the synagogue, for they loved human glory more than the glory of God. 1. Covetousness is a very dangerous disease. – 2. About the consubstantiality of the Father and the Son. – 3. One must avoid vanity, the poison of which spreads everywhere. - Against the luxury of women. - An exhortation to almsgiving. “Women should give up luxury so that they can persuade their husbands to give alms.” 1. We must avoid all generally harmful passions, but especially those that themselves give rise to many sins. Such, for example, is the love of money. It is a serious illness in itself, but it becomes even more serious because it is the root and mother of all evil. The same is true of vanity. For example, these (Jewish leaders) also broke away from the faith for the love of glory. “And of the rulers,” says Scripture, “many believed in Him; but for the sake of the Jews they did not confess, lest they be excommunicated from the synagogue. So exactly (Christ) even before said to them: “How can you believe when you receive glory from each other, but do not seek the glory that is from the One God?” (John 5:44). Consequently, they were not princes, but slaves, and the lowest slaves. However, later this fear disappeared. Under the apostles, we nowhere meet those possessed by this disease; with them both princes and priests turned to faith; the sent down grace of the Holy Spirit made them all harder than adamant. But since now this still served as an obstacle to faith for them, listen to what Christ says: “He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me” (John 12:44). As if He were saying this: Why are you afraid to believe in Me? Faith in Me, as well as unbelief, passes through Me to God. See how He always and in everything reveals the perfect equality of His being. And he did not say: whoever believes Me, so that no one would think that He was speaking here about His words, which could be said about people, for example, whoever believes the apostles believes not in them, but in God. But so that you know that He is talking here about faith in His being, He did not say: whoever believes My words, but: “he who believes in Me.” But why, you say, did He not say anywhere on the contrary: whoever believes in the Father, believes not in the Father, but in Me? Because they would object: we believe in the Father, but we don’t believe in You. After all, they were still very weak. Therefore, talking with the disciples, He said this: “Believe in God, and believe in Me” (John 14:1); and with the Jews, seeing that they, due to their weakness, cannot yet hear such words, he speaks differently; He shows them that it is impossible to believe in the Father without believing in Him. And so that you do not think that this is said in the same sense in which it can be said in relation to a person, He adds: “He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me” (John 12:45). So what? Does this mean God is a corporeal being? Not at all. Christ speaks here of mental vision, and thereby again shows His consubstantiality. But what do the words “he who believes in Me” mean? This is the same as if someone said: whoever takes water from a river takes it not from the river, but from a source; however, this is still a very weak resemblance to the real thing. “I am light come into the world” (John 12:46). Since the Father is called light everywhere, both in the Old and New Testaments, He also applies this name to Himself; therefore Paul, having learned from this, calls Him radiance. In general, He here shows great affinity with the Father and does not posit any difference, because faith in Him, he says, does not relate to Him, but passes to the Father. And He called Himself light because He destroys delusion and dispels mental darkness. “If anyone” does not listen to Me, “I do not judge him, for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47). So that they would not think that He, out of weakness, did not pay attention to those who neglected Him, for this He said: “He did not come to judge the world.” 2. Then, so that they do not become more careless because of this, having learned that if a believer receives salvation, for that reason the unbeliever is not subject to punishment - see how He sets before them the terrible judgment, adding the following words: “He who rejects Me and does not accept My words has a judge for himself” (John 12:48). But if “the Father judges no one” (John 5:22) and You did not come to judge the world, then who will judge it? “The word that I have spoken will judge him at the last day” (John 12:48). Since they said that He was not from God, He said so, showing that then it would not be possible for them to say this, but the words that I have spoken today will appear instead of an accuser, will convict them and take away from them all justification. "The Word That I Spoke". What word? “For I” did not come of Myself, “but the Father who sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what to say and what to say” (John 12:49) - and all other similar words. Therefore, it was said this way only for them, so that they could not have any excuse for an apology. Otherwise, what advantage (Christ) will have over Isaiah? After all, this latter says the same thing: “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the wise, that I might be able to strengthen with a word the one who is weary” (Is. 50:4). What before Jeremiah, who also, when he was sent, received inspiration? Which one - before Ezekiel? After all, this one spoke after he had absorbed the scroll. Moreover, those who would listen to His words would be the cause of His knowledge. If He received the commandment what to say only when He was sent, then finally you will have to admit that He did not know this before He was sent. And what could be more wicked than these words, if someone begins to accept them in this sense and does not bother to find out the reason for their humiliation? The Apostle Paul says that even the disciples knew “what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2): Should the Son not know until He received the commandments? Is there any consistency in this? Do you see that He speaks with extreme humiliation in order to attract the Jews to Himself and to impose silence on subsequent people? So, for this purpose He speaks in a human way, so that at least in this way he can force them to avoid everything base in His words, knowing that He speaks this way not in essence, but because of the weakness of the listeners. “And I know that His commandment is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I say, I speak as the Father spoke to Me” (John 12:50). Do you see how demeaned these words are? After all, whoever receives the commandment is no longer master of himself. Meanwhile, He himself says: “As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whomever He will” (John 5:21). Does He really have the power to resurrect whomever He wants, but He does not have the power to say what He wants? Obviously, He wants to say this with these words: it is unnatural for He to say something else, and for Me to say something else. “And I know that His commandment is eternal life.” He said this against those who considered Him a deceiver and said that He had come to destruction. And with the words: “I do not judge,” he shows that He is not at all to blame for their destruction. By this He seems to testify, intending to leave them and no longer deal with them: while talking with you, I did not speak anything from Myself, but everything from the Father. And for this reason He concludes His conversation with them with humiliating words, in order to say that at the very end this was My last voice to them. Which one exactly? “I speak as the Father told me.” If I were an opponent of God, I would say on the contrary - that I say nothing pleasing to God in order to appropriate all the glory to Myself; but I attribute everything to Him, so that I don’t even say anything of My own. Why don’t you believe Me when I say that I received the commandment, and when I so forcefully refute your wrong opinion that I resist the Father? Just as it is impossible for those who have received the commandment to do or say anything other than what is pleasing to those who sent them, until they fulfill the commandments to the fullest accuracy, so I cannot do or say anything else except what the Father wants. What I do, He does, therefore He “is with Me; The Father has not left Me alone” (John 8:29). Do you see how He shows everywhere that He is closely united with His Parent and there is nothing in between? And in the case when He says: “I did not come from myself” (John 7:28), He does not take away power from Himself, but only humiliates the thought that He is alien and disgusting to God. After all, if people have power over themselves, then how much more so does the only begotten Son. And that this is fair - listen to what Paul says: “he made himself of no reputation” (Phil. 2:7) and gave himself up for us. But, as I said, vanity is scary, truly scary. It was the reason that these people did not believe, and others believed badly, and that the words that (Christ) spoke for them, out of love for mankind, they turned into a reason for wickedness. 3. So, let us avoid this beast in every possible way. It comes in various kinds and forms, and pours its poison on everything - on treasures, on pleasures, and on bodily beauty. That is why we everywhere overstep the boundaries of need; that is why there is luxury in clothing and a large crowd of servants; That is why moderation is neglected in everything - in houses, in clothing, and in table, and luxury reigns. Do you want to enjoy fame? Give alms: then the angels will praise you, then God will glorify you. And now all the glory goes to the share of goldsmiths and weavers; you are left without a crown and often see yourself burdened with curses. Don’t burden your body with all this, but spend it all on feeding the poor, and there will be applause from all sides, great praise from everywhere. Then it is you who will possess it when you distribute it to others; and as long as you use it alone, you do not own it. A house is not a safe storage place; the sure depository is the hands of the poor. And why do you adorn the body, while the soul remains neglected and covered with uncleanness? Why do you care not so much about the soul as about the body? After all, she should have been taken care of even more; at least, beloved, we will have at least the same care for her. Tell me: if someone asked you what you would rather want - to have a clean, healthy and beautiful body, and wear poor clothes, or to have an ugly and sick body, but walk in gold and flaunt decorations? Wouldn't you much rather want to have beauty in the very nature of your body than in the pomp of your clothes? Do you really want this in relation to the body, but the opposite in relation to the soul? Having a disgusting, ugly and black soul, do you really think you can win anything through gold jewelry? Isn't this extreme madness? It’s better to turn these decorations inside and take away your soul with these necklaces. When they lie on the body, they serve neither its health nor its beauty. After all, they will not make the black white, nor the ugly beautiful and beautiful. But if you decorate your soul with them, you will soon turn it from black to white, from disgusting and ugly to beautiful and beautiful. And this is not my word, but the Lord himself, who says this: “though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow” (Isa. 1:18); and again: “give... alms,... then everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41). And you will make not only yourself, but also your husband beautiful, if you act in this way. When your husbands see that you left these jewelry. Then they will no longer have the need for large expenses; and not having this need, they will completely abandon covetousness and will be more inclined to charity. And then you will be able to boldly advise them to do what they should; and now you are completely deprived of this power. Indeed, with what lips will you tell them this? With what eyes will you look, demanding from your husbands that they give alms, when you spend most of it on decorating your body? Then you will be able to boldly talk to your husband about alms when you leave the gold jewelry. And even if you didn’t have any time in this, at least you will do everything on your part; but it’s impossible that you won’t convince your husband when you tell him with your actions. “Why do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?” (1 Cor. 7:16). Therefore, just as now you will give an answer both for yourself and for him, so if you put aside all this external splendor, you will receive a special crown, and you will triumph, wearing the crown together with your husband, to endless ages, and you will enjoy eternal blessings, which may we all be worthy of, by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: