Беседа 70

John 13:1. Before the Feast of Easter, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, showed by deed that, having loved His beings in the world, He loved them to the end. 1. The goodness of Jesus Christ to his enemies and to all people. – 2. The opinion that Jesus Christ first of all washed the feet of Judas. – Washing feet was an excellent lesson in humility taught by the Lord to his disciples. – 3. You must care for widows and orphans. 1. “Be imitators of me,” says Paul, “as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). For this reason, Christ accepted flesh from the same composition as us, so that through it he could teach us virtue. “In the likeness,” it is said, “of sinful flesh, he made an offering for sin and condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). Yes, and Christ himself (says): “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). And He taught this not only in words, but also in deeds. So, they called Him a Samaritan, and demon-possessed, and a deceiver, and they threw stones at Him; and the Pharisees either sent servants to seize Him, or sent other attackers, and they themselves often reviled Him, and all this while they not only did not have the slightest reason to accuse Him, but, on the contrary, constantly took advantage of His benefits. However, even after all this, He did not cease to do good to them in word and deed. And when one servant struck Him, He said: “If I said something bad, show me what is bad; What if it’s good that you beat Me?” (John 18:23). But this is what He did with His enemies and attackers. Let us see how He acts with His disciples, and especially what He now expresses in relation to the treacherous (disciple). After all, he should have been hated more than anyone else, because he, being a disciple and a participant in meals and suppers, and seeing miracles, and being worthy to receive so much, dealt with Him worse than everyone else - he did not throw stones at Him and did not revile Him, but betrayed Him and betrayed Him. Meanwhile, see how He graciously receives him: He washes his feet. And by this He also wanted to keep him from evil intentions. He could, of course, if He wanted, wither it like a fig tree, and tear it into pieces, as He tore the stones, and tear it apart like a veil; but He wanted him to abandon his evil intention not out of coercion, but out of his own free will. For this purpose He washes his feet. But this unfortunate and pitiful man was not ashamed of this either. "Before the Feast of the Passover Jesus knew that His hour had come." Not only did he find out then, but he knew, says (the evangelist), long before he did what he did. "Go". The Evangelist thoughtfully calls death His transition. “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” Do you see how He, intending to leave them, reveals the strongest love for them? The words: “Having loved them, He loved them to the end” precisely mean that He did not miss anything that should have been done by one who loves deeply. But why didn't He do it first? What is more important is what He does at the end to strengthen their affection for Himself and to prepare for them great consolation in the coming calamities. He calls them “His” because of His close communication with them. He also calls others “His”, but as His creation, for example, when He says: “And His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). But what does it mean: “being in the world”? This means that He had “His” among the dead, as for example. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the like; but they were no longer at peace. Do you see that He is the God of both the old and the new testament? What does it mean: “loved them to the end”? By this (the evangelist) says that He never ceased to love them; and he calls this evidence of especially strong love. True, in another place (such testimony) is not called this, but the position of the soul for one’s friends; but then this did not exist yet. But why did He do this (wash His feet) now? Because it was much more amazing then when He seemed so glorious to everyone; and through this He left no small consolation before separation from them. Since they had to endure severe grief, through this He offers them equal consolation. “And during the supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot to betray Him” (John 13:2). The evangelist said this in amazement, showing that he washed Judas’ feet when he had already decided to betray Him. By this He also reveals the great malice of Judas, because he was not stopped either by his participation in the supper, although this usually tames the malice better, or by the fact that the Teacher continued to take care of him until the very last day. “Jesus knowing that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that He came from God and is going to God” (John 13:3). Here he expresses his surprise that He who is so great and so lofty, that He came from God and departs to God, who holds everything in His power, that He did this and, despite all His greatness, did not disdain to take upon Himself such a task. By tradition, it seems to me, he here means the salvation of the faithful; and Christ, when he says: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father” (Matthew 11:27), means this same tradition. So exactly, He says in another place: “They were Yours, and You gave them to Me” (John 17:6); and again: “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44); and: “Unless it is given to him from heaven” (John 3:27). So, either this expresses, or the fact that washing the feet could not at all degrade, since He came from God and goes to God, and contains everything. And when you hear: tradition, then do not assume anything human. This shows only respect for the Father and like-mindedness with Him, because as the Father betrays Him, so He betrays the Father, as Paul shows when he says: “When he delivers the Kingdom to God the Father” (1 Cor. 15:24). He speaks here about this in a human way, showing His great care for the disciples and revealing His inexpressible love for them, since He now cared for them as if they were His own, teaching them the mother of all blessings - humility, which He called the beginning and end of virtue. And it is not without reason that the words were added: “He came from God and goes to God,” but so that we know that He acted worthy of Him who came from there and is going there, trampling all pride. And “he arose from supper and took off his outer garment” (John 13:4). 2. See how Christ shows His humility not only by His mind, but also by other actions. He did not get up before reclining, but when everyone had already reclined. Then he not only washed himself, but first took off his clothes. But he didn’t stop there either, but also wrapped himself in a towel; Yes, and he was not satisfied with this, but he himself poured in the water, and did not order someone else to fill it. So He does all this Himself in order to show those that when we do good, we should do it not with negligence, but with all diligence. And it seems to me that He washed the feet of His betrayer first, since (the evangelist) said: “And He began to wash the feet of the disciples” (John 13:5), then continues: “He approaches Simon Peter, and he says to Him: ...Shall You wash my feet?” (John 13:6). - That is, with the very hands with which You opened eyes, cleansed lepers and raised the dead? Truly, this already expresses quite a lot, which is why Peter did not need to say anything more than: “Do you?” Everything has already been expressed in this one. But someone can rightly ask: why did no one else prevent Him (from washing His feet), but only Peter alone, which serves as evidence of no small love and respect? What is the reason for this? It seems to me that Christ first washed the traitor’s feet, and then approached Peter, and that others were already admonished by Peter’s example. And that He really washed someone else before Peter is clear from the words: “When (ουν) came to Peter.” However, the evangelist does not speak directly, but with the word “began” he hints at this. And although Peter was the first, probably the traitor, due to his impudence, was even higher than the supreme (apostle). His impudence is also shown in other cases - for example, when he immerses his hand in salt together with the Teacher, and when, despite the accusations, he does not feel remorse. Peter, having once been reproached even before, and reproached for the words that he said out of love, humbled himself so much that even then, as he was in languor and trembling, he turned to another to ask; but this one (Judas), despite frequent reproofs, did not come to his senses. So, when he approached Peter, “he said to Him: Lord! Should you wash my feet? - (Christ) says to him: “What I do, you do not know now, but you will understand later.” (John 13:6–7), i.e. (afterwards you will find out) what benefit comes from this, how useful this lesson is, how it can dispose us to all humility. What about Peter? He continues to resist and say: “You will never wash my feet” (John 13:8). What are you doing, Peter? Don't you remember the old words? Didn’t you say: “Be merciful to yourself, Lord,” and heard: “Get behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:22–23)? Has this really not brought you to your senses, and are you still angry? Yes, he says, but now an extraordinary and amazing thing is happening. since Peter acted this way out of great love, then Christ again catches him with that love. Just as He strongly reproached him then, saying: “You are an offense to Me,” so now He says: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8). What is this ardent and fiery? “Lord,” he says, “not only my feet, but also my hands and my head” (John 13:9). Hot in resistance, but even hotter in expressing consent; and both are from love. But why didn’t (Christ) say why He did it, but used a threat? Because Peter wouldn't listen. If he had said: leave it alone, through this I want to teach you humility, then Peter would have promised a thousand times to be humble, if only the Vladyka would not do this. And now what does he say? What Peter feared and dreaded most of all was precisely so as not to be separated from Him. After all, it was he who often asked: “Where are You going?”, and on this occasion he said: “I will lay down my life for You” (John 13:36-37). If he did not yield even then, when he heard: now you do not know what I am doing, but you will find out later, then even more so if you had known. That’s why he said it, knowing that if he understood this now, he would continue to resist. Yes, Peter did not say: explain to me, and I will not resist; but - which was a sign of even greater ardor - he did not even want to know this, but again insists on his own, saying: “You will not wash my feet.” When (Christ) used the threat, he immediately calmed down. But what does it mean: “you will understand later”? When exactly is “after”? Then, he says, when you cast out demons in My name, when you see My ascension into heaven, when you learn from the Spirit that I sit at the right hand of the Father, then you will understand what is now happening. What about Christ? When Peter said: “Not only my feet, but also my hands and head,” (Christ) says: “He who has been washed only needs to wash his feet, because he is all clean; and you are clean, but not all. For He knew the one who betrayed Him” (John 13:9-11). But if they are clean, why do you wash their feet? So that we learn modesty. That is why He did not turn to any other part of the body, but precisely to the one that is valued less than all others. What does “washed” mean? Same as clean. Were they clean? After all, they had not yet been freed from sins and were not worthy to receive the Holy Spirit, since sin still reigned, the handwriting of the oath still existed and the sacrifice had not yet been made? Why does He call them clean? So that you do not think that they are pure in the sense that they are already freed from sins, He added: “You are already cleansed through the word that I preached to you” (John 15:3) - that is, you are still clean only in this respect; you have already received the light; you have already freed yourself from Jewish errors. So the prophet says: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away your evil deeds from before my eyes" (Isa. 1:16). This means that such a person has already washed and is clean. And since the apostles rejected all wickedness from their souls and treated Christ with a clear conscience, He says, in accordance with the words of the prophet, that “he who has been washed is already clean.” By washing He does not mean the Jewish washing with water, but the cleansing of conscience. 3. So, let us also be clean; Let's learn to do good. But what is good? “Defend the orphan, stand up for the widow. Then come, and let us reason together, says the Lord” (Is. 1:17–18). Scripture often speaks this way about widows and orphans; but we don’t even think about it. Meanwhile, imagine what a reward! “Though your sins,” it is said, “are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they will be as white as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). Widows are defenseless, and therefore (the Lord) cares a lot about them. They, of course, could enter into a second marriage, but out of fear of God they endure the sorrows of widowhood. Let us all give them a helping hand, both husbands and wives, so that we ourselves may someday not be subjected to the difficult fate of widowhood, or, if we are subjected to it, we have every right to expect philanthropy for ourselves. The tears of a widow have no small power; they can open the very sky. Let us not offend them, we will not increase their misfortunes, but we will provide them with all possible help. If we act in this way, we will provide ourselves with perfect security both in this life and in the next century. Not only here, but also there they will serve as protection for us; for the benefits they have shown, they will save us from most of our sins and give us the opportunity to stand boldly before the judgment seat of Christ, which may we all be worthy of by the grace and love 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: