Беседа 74

John 14:8–9. Philip said to Him: Lord! show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him: I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father... 1. Jesus Christ is one in essence with God the Father. – 2. The power and omnipotence of Jesus Christ. – 3. Must follow Jesus Christ and bear His cross. – The New Testament sacrifice is immeasurably higher than the Old Testament. – What is the Christian’s sacrifice? – Suppression of passions. – Love of wealth and its tyranny. “For a long time people did not know gold and silver, where covetousness comes from. – About alms 1. The Prophet said to the Jews: “You had the forehead of a harlot, you cast away shame” (Jer. 3:3); but it seems that it is appropriate to say this not only to that people, but to all who shamelessly oppose the truth. In fact, to Philip’s words: “Show us your Father,” Christ answered: “I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip?” And yet there are people who, even after these words, separate the Son from the Father. Meanwhile, why look for even closer proximity than this? Indeed, some, as a result of this saying, even fell into the illness of Sabellius. But let us leave both of them as people holding completely opposite, but equally wicked thoughts, and consider the true meaning of the words spoken. “I’ve been with you for so long,” he says, “and you don’t know Me, Philip?” Well? Are You the Father I seek? No, he says. That is why He did not say: He did not know Him, but: “You do not know Me,” thereby showing precisely that the Son is not something else, but the same as the Father, although He remains the Son. But what led Philip to such words? What Christ said: “If you knew Me, you would also know My Father” (John 14:7), as He said this more than once to the Jews. And since Peter often asked Him, the Jews also asked: Who is the Father? - Thomas also asked, and meanwhile no one knew anything clear, but everything still remained unknown, then Philip, so as not to seem bothersome and disturbing Him, like the Jews, having said: “show us Your Father,” added: “and that is enough for us,” that is, we are not looking for anything else. Christ said: “If you knew Me, you would also know My Father,” and through Himself He showed the Father; but Philip changes this order and says: show the Father, as if he already knew Christ himself exactly. But Christ does not satisfy his desires, but puts him on the path and convinces him to know the Father through Himself. Philip wanted to see the Father with these bodily eyes, perhaps because he had heard about the prophets that they saw God. But that, Philip, was said in an adaptation to our weakness. That is why Christ said: “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18), and also: “Everyone who has heard from the Father and learned comes to Me” (John 6:45). “They never heard His voice, nor saw His face” (John 5:37). And in the Old Testament it is said: “no man can see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20). What about Christ? He strongly reproaches him: “I have been with you for so long, and you do not know Me, Philip.” And he did not say: you have not seen Me, but: “you do not know Me.” But, Philip could say, it is not You that I want to know; I now desire to see Your Father, and You tell me: “You don’t know Me”? What's the connection here? Very close. Since, being the Son, He is the same as the Father, He rightly shows the Father in Himself. Then He separates the hypostases, saying: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” so that someone would not say that He is both Father and Son. If He were the Father, He would not have said: whoever has seen Me has seen Him also. Why didn’t He say to Philip: you demand the impossible, that which is incongruous with human nature, that which is possible only for Me? Since Philip said: “It is enough for us,” as if he had already known (Christ), then Christ shows that he did not see Him either; otherwise, if he could see Him, he would also see the Father. That’s why he said: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father,” - whoever has seen Me will see Him too. And this means this: it is impossible to see either Me or Him. Philip wanted to know through sight, and since he thought that he had already seen Christ, and wanted to see the Father in the same way, Christ shows that he did not see Him either. If someone began to mean knowledge by vision, then I will not contradict him, because whoever knew Me, says Christ, knew the Father. But He did not say so, but wanting to present the same essence, He said: whoever knows My being, knows also the being of the Father. How is this possible, you say? After all, the one who knows creation already knows God. No, everyone knows and sees the creature, but not everyone knows God. But look what Philip wants to see: is it the wisdom of the Father, or His goodness? No; he wants to see exactly what God is—the very being. This is what Christ answers: “he who has seen Me.” But whoever sees creation does not yet see the being of God. If anyone has seen Me, says Christ, he has also seen My Father. And if He were a different creature, He would not have said so. I will also use a simpler way of speaking: without knowing gold, no one can see the essence of gold in silver, since the nature of one is not revealed through the nature of the other. That is why Christ rightly reproached Philip, saying: “I have been with you for so long.” You have used the teaching for so long, you have seen miracles performed with authority, you have seen what is characteristic of the Divine and what the Father alone does, such as: the remission of sins, the discovery of hidden secrets, the expulsion of death, the creation from the earth, “and you do not know Me”? 2. Since He was clothed with flesh, He said: “You do not know Me.” If you have seen the Father, do not strive to see more than that, because in Him you also saw Me. If you have seen Me, do not be curious about anything else, because in Me you also came to know Him. “Do you not believe that I am in the Father” (John 14:10), that is, I appear in His being? “The words that I speak to you, I do not speak from Myself.” Do you see what extreme closeness and what proof of the unity of the being? “The Father abiding in Me, He does the works.” Why, having begun speaking about words, did He move on to deeds? He should have said: He speaks verbs. This is because He speaks here about two subjects, about teaching and miracles, or because His words were deeds. How does “He creates”? Elsewhere He says: “If I do not the works of My Father, do not believe Me” (John 10:37). How does he say here that the Father creates? By this He shows precisely that there is nothing mediating between the Father and the Son. His words mean this: the Father would not have created otherwise than as I create. And in another place He, indeed, represents both Himself and the Father as working, saying: “My Father works until now, and I work” (John 5:17). There He shows indifference, but here He shows the identity of deeds. If His words at first glance seem humiliating, then do not be surprised at this. He said in advance: “Don’t you believe,” and then he spoke those words, showing that He structured the speech this way in order to lead Philip to faith. After all, He penetrated the hearts of the disciples. “Believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:11). You, who hear about the Father and the Son, should not look for any other proof of their essential affinity. But if this is not enough for you to prove Their equality and consubstantiality, then learn this at least from deeds. This means that the words: “Whoever has seen Me has seen My Father” were not spoken about deeds; otherwise He would not have said later: “But if not so, then believe Me based on the very works.” Then, showing that he can do not only these things, but also others much greater, He speaks about this with extreme power. He does not say: I can do more deeds than these, but what is much more surprising, I can, he says, give others the power to do more deeds than these deeds. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me will do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). That is, now you will perform miracles, because I am leaving. Then, having reached where the speech was heading, He says: “And if you ask anything in My name, you will receive it, and I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in Me” (John 14:13). Do you see how He himself does this again? “I will do it,” he says, “I”; and did not say: I will pray the Father, but: “That the Father may be glorified in Me.” In another place He said: “God will glorify Him in Himself” (John 13:32), but here that He Himself will glorify the Father. When the Son appears with great power, then the Father will also be glorified. What does it mean: “in my name”? What the apostles said: “in the name of Jesus Christ... arise and walk” (Acts 3:6). All the signs they performed were the work of His power, and “the hand of the Lord was with them” (Acts 11:21). “I,” he says, “will do it” (John 14:14). Do you see amateur performances? He also did what was done by others: is it possible that He cannot do what He Himself does by His own power, but does He do with the assistance of the Father? But who can say this? Why does He say this a second time? In order to establish His word and show that before He spoke accommodatively. And the words: “I go to the Father” mean: I do not perish, but remain in My dignity and am in heaven. Yet He spoke this to comfort the disciples. Since they did not yet understand His words about the resurrection and therefore were probably busy with regrettable thoughts, He promises them that they themselves will do such (deeds) for others, reveals His concern for them in everything and shows that He always abides, and not only abides, but will also show even greater power. 3. So, let us follow Christ and take up the cross. If there is no persecution now, then now is the time for a different kind of death. “Mortify,” it is said, “your earthly members” (Col. 3:5). So, let's extinguish lust, let's kill anger, destroy envy. This is a living sacrifice. This sacrifice does not end in ashes, does not dissipate in smoke, does not require wood, fire, or a knife. For her, fire and knife are the Holy Spirit. Using this knife, cut off everything unnecessary and alien from your heart, open the imprisoned ear. Passions and evil wishes usually block the entrance of the word. Thus, an increased attachment to wealth does not allow one to listen to the word about alms; emerging envy blocks the path to the teaching of love; and any other passion, having invaded the soul, makes it extremely negligent towards everything. Let us destroy evil wishes. After all, you just need to want it, and everything will disappear. Let us not think that the love of wealth in itself is strong: all strength lies in our carelessness. There are many people who, they say, do not even know what silver is, because the love of wealth is an unnatural passion. Natural principles are implanted in us from the very beginning; and for a long time it was not even known about gold and silver whether they existed. Why did this passion intensify? From vanity and extreme carelessness. Of the wishes, some are necessary, others are natural, and others are neither one nor the other. So all those desires, from the dissatisfaction of which an animal dies, are natural and necessary, such as the desire for food, drink and sleep. Carnal lust is natural, but not necessary, since many have overcome it, and yet have not perished. But the desire for wealth is neither natural nor necessary, but unnecessary: ​​if we want it, we will not obey it. After all, Christ, speaking about virginity, said: “Whoever can contain it, let him contain it” (Matthew 19:12), but not so about wealth, but how? “Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). What is easy, he exhorts, and what exceeds the strength of many, he leaves to arbitrariness. So, why do we deprive ourselves of all justification? He who is captivated by a particularly strong passion will not suffer such a great punishment; and whoever is caught up in weak passion will be deprived of all justification. And in fact, what will we answer when he says: you saw me hungry and did not feed me (Matthew 25:42)? What excuse will we have? Let's refer to poverty, of course? But we are no poorer than that widow who, putting in two mites, surpassed everyone. God requires from us not the significance of the gift, but the measure of heartfelt goodwill; and this is a sign of His providence. Let us marvel at His love for mankind and let us offer what we can, so that both in the present and in the future life, taking advantage of His great love for mankind, we can enjoy the promised benefits, according to the grace and love for 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: