Беседа 88

John 21:15. While they were having dinner, Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon the Jonah! Do you love Me more than they? Peter says to Him: Yes, Lord! You know that I love You. Jesus says to him: Feed my lambs. 1. Change in mood. Peter after the fall. – Peter as a teacher of the world. – 2. Humility and meekness of St. John. – 3. The good fruits of studying and meditating on the Word of God. – The worries of this age and the blessings of this world are thorns that prick us from all sides. – Spiritual blessings delight the eye. – Even before the heavenly reward, people receive the fruits of good deeds here. – It’s the same with bad deeds: even before hell, they here produce torment of conscience. - Consequences of sin. – Ahab’s repentance, which must be imitated in order to receive forgiveness of sins. – Covetousness destroys the good produced by alms. - The fruits of good deeds. 1. Many other things can give us boldness before God and make us glorious and honorable; but above all, we gain favor from above by caring for our neighbors. This is what Christ demands from Peter. When the disciples' meal came to an end, “Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon the Jonah! Do you love Me more than they? Peter says to Him: Yes, Lord! You know that I love You. Jesus says to him: Feed My lambs” (John 21:15) Why, in addition to the other disciples, does he talk about this with Peter? Because he was chosen from the apostles, by the mouth of the disciples, supreme in their face, which is why Paul once came to see him preferentially before others. At the same time, Christ entrusts him with the care of the brethren in order to show that from now on he must have boldness, since his renunciation is consigned to oblivion. He does not remember his renunciation and does not blame him for what happened; but he says: if you love Me, then take care of the brethren; show now that ardent love that you have always shown and with which you have been consoled; give your life, which you promised to lay down for Me, for My sheep. Having been questioned for the first and second time, Peter called upon the Leader himself to witness the innermost secrets of his heart. When he was then asked a third time, he was embarrassed, fearing that the same thing would happen again as before, because even then he spoke with confidence, but the consequences refuted him. Therefore, he again resorts to Christ and says: You know, that is, both the present and the future. Do you see how he has improved and become more prudent? He no longer persists in his opinion and does not contradict. That's why he was embarrassed. Maybe I only think that I love, but in fact I don’t love, as before I thought a lot about myself and spoke with confidence, but the consequences refuted me. And three times Christ asks him and three times commands him the same thing, to show how highly He values ​​caring for His sheep, and that this especially serves as a sign of love for Him. Having told him about love for Himself, Christ predicts the martyrdom to which he will undergo, and thereby shows that what He told him, he spoke not out of distrust of him, but, on the contrary, out of complete confidence in him, wanting to show an example of love for Himself and teach us how primarily we should love Him. That is why he says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and went where you wanted; But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). There is no doubt that Peter himself wanted and desired this, which is why Christ announced this to him. He repeatedly said: “I will lay down my life for You” (John 13:37), and: “even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You” (Matthew 26:35); therefore Christ arranged it according to his desire. What does it mean: “wherever you don’t want”? Christ speaks here about the property of nature, about the necessary law of the flesh, about the fact that the soul is reluctantly separated from the body, so that, even if the intention is firm, yet even at the same time nature reveals itself. No one parts with the body without suffering, and God arranged this, as I said before, for the benefit, so that there would be few violent deaths. After all, if even at this the devil manages to induce suicide and drives very many to rapids and abysses, then, if such was not the love of the soul for the body, many would immediately rush to this even from the most insignificant sadness. So the words: “wherever you want” mean natural love. Why does Christ, having said: “when you were young,” then say: “and when you are old”? This shows that Peter was no longer young then, as is true, but not old either, but at a perfect age. Why did he remind him of his former life? To show that such are His works. In everyday affairs a young man is useful, but an old man is useless; but in My deeds, he says, it is not so: on the contrary, with the onset of old age, valor is more brilliant and courage is more glorious, not encountering any obstacles from age. And he said this not in order to frighten, but in order to inspire, because He knew his desire, knew that he had long since ardently strived for this good. At the same time, Christ here also points to the image of his death. Since Peter always wanted to be in danger for Him, He says: be calm, I will fulfill your desire, so that what you did not tolerate in your youth, you will tolerate in old age. Further, the evangelist, exciting the listener, added: “He said this, indicating by what death Peter would glorify God” (John 21:19). He did not say: he will die, but: “he will glorify God,” so that you would know that suffering for Christ constitutes the glory and honor of the sufferer. “And having said this, he said to him: follow me.” Here Christ again points to His care for him and His great disposition towards him. If anyone asks: why did Jacob receive the throne of Jerusalem? - then I will answer that Christ appointed Peter a teacher not for this throne, but for the universe. “Peter, turning, sees the disciple coming after him, whom Jesus loved, and who at the supper, bowing to His chest, said: Lord! who will betray you? (John 21:20). 2. Why did he remind us of the reclining situation that existed then? Not simply and not without reason, but to show what kind of boldness Peter had after his denial. Before, he did not dare to ask, but entrusted this to someone else, and now he is even entrusted with the care of the brethren. Now he not only does not entrust to another what concerns him, but he himself asks the Teacher for another: John is silent, but he speaks. Here the evangelist also shows his love for him (Peter). Indeed, Peter loved John very much; this can be seen from subsequent events, and indeed throughout the entire Gospel and Acts their mutual love is revealed. And so, since Christ predicted greatness to Peter, handed him the universe, foreshadowed martyrdom and testified that his love is greater than the love of others, then Peter, wanting to have him as his companion, says: “Lord! what about him? Will he also go the same way as us? Just as before, not daring to ask himself, he entrusted this to John, so now, repaying him in kind and thinking that he would like to ask about himself, but does not dare, he himself takes it upon himself to propose a question about him. What about Christ? “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? you follow Me." (John 21:22) Since Peter spoke out of extreme concern and not wanting to be separated from John, Christ, showing that no matter how much he loved him, his love would not compare with the love of Christ himself, says: “If I want him to remain, what is that to you? “By this He teaches us not to be distressed and not to be curious more than He pleases. Peter was always ardent and quick to answer such questions, and therefore Christ, with these words, again curbs his ardor and teaches him not to be overly curious. “And this word spread among the brethren,” that is, between the disciples, “that that disciple would not die. But Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but: if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? "(John 21:23). Don’t think, he says, that I will arrange your fate in the same way. And he did this because now their mutual love was untimely. Since they had to take charge of the universe, they should no longer be together with each other: this would be very harmful for the universe. That is why Christ says to Peter: the work has been entrusted to you; take care of it, accomplish it, endure and strive. What if I want John to be here? Look after your business and take care of it. Notice the evangelist’s modesty here too. Having spoken about the opinion of the disciples, he corrects it, since they did not understand what Christ said. But “Jesus did not say,” he says, “that he would not die, but: if I want him to remain” (John 21:23). “This disciple testifies to this, and wrote this; and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24). Why is he the only one who says this, when no one else does this, and the next time he himself testifies to himself, while this is unpleasant for the listeners? What is the reason for this? They say that after everyone else he began to write (the gospel), being prompted and excited by God. Therefore, he constantly points to His love for himself, thereby hinting at the reason why he decided to write. Therefore, he often mentions the fact (that his testimony is true), thereby giving credibility to his word and showing that he began this under an impulse from above: “and we know,” he says, “that his testimony is true,” which he narrates. If this does not convince many, then they can be convinced from the following. From what? From what is said below. “Jesus did many other things; but if we were to write about it in detail, then I think the world itself would not be able to accommodate the books written. Amen" (John 21:25). From this it is clear that I wrote without bias. If, with such a multitude, I did not even say as much as others, but, omitting most of them, exposed the machinations of the Jews and told how they threw stones at Him, how they hated Him, insulted and reviled Him, how they even called Him demon-possessed and a deceiver, then it is obvious that I wrote without flattery. He who flatters usually does just the opposite, hides everything shameful, and sets forth brilliant deeds. And that is why, having written with complete confidence what he wrote, he does not refuse to present his own evidence, calling for each event to be examined and examined separately. After all, it is our custom, when we consider something to be undoubtedly true, not to renounce our own testimony about it. If we do this, then how much more so does he, who wrote by the inspiration of the Spirit. This is what the other apostles said when preaching: “we are witnesses” to what we preach, and “And the Spirit... which God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). Moreover, John was present at all (events), did not leave Christ even during the crucifixion, and the Mother was entrusted to him: all this is a sign that (Christ) loved him and that he knew everything exactly. If he said that so many signs were performed, do not be surprised by this, but think about the ineffable power of the Creator and accept with faith what was said. Just as it is easy for us to speak, so, or even much easier, is for Him to do what pleases Him. All he had to do was wish and everything came true. 3. Let us carefully listen to what is said and will not stop reading and explaining. We will get a lot of benefit from frequent reading; through this we will be able to cleanse our lives and destroy the thorns within ourselves. This is precisely what sins and worldly worries are like: fruitless and painful. Just as thorns, no matter from which side you touch them, hurt the one who touches them, so everyday affairs, no matter from which side you approach them, always bring sadness to the one who binds himself to them and cares about them. But spiritual matters are not like that; on the contrary, they are like a precious stone, which, no matter how you turn it, amplifies the vision everywhere. For example, has anyone done alms? He not only feeds on hope for the future, but also enjoys the blessings here: he fears nothing and does everything with great boldness. Has anyone overcome evil lust? Even before the onset of the kingdom, he already receives fruit here, hearing praise and approval from everyone, and above all from his own conscience. Yes, such is every good deed, while evil deeds, even before Gehenna, are already tormenting the conscience. If you sin, then, if you think about the future, you are struck with fear and trembling, although no one punishes you; If you think about the present, you have many enemies and live in suspicion, and you cannot even look directly at those who have offended you, or better yet, at those who have not offended you. From sin we get not so much pleasure as sorrow: here our conscience cries out, and strangers condemn, and God becomes angry, and Gehenna threatens to devour us, and our thoughts cannot calm down. Sin is heavy, truly heavy and unbearable, heavier than any lead. Anyone who is aware of it is by no means able to look straight, even if he were very insensitive. So Ahab, although he was extremely wicked, but, feeling sin, walked with his head bowed, lamented and grieved. That is why he put on sackcloth and shed fountains of tears. If we do this too, if we cry like Achaav and lay aside our sins like Zacchaeus, then we too will receive forgiveness. Just as with tumors and ulcers, no matter how much medicine someone applies to them, without first stopping the matter flowing in and poisoning the wound, everything is in vain, because the source of evil is not stopped, so it happens with us: if we do not keep our hands from covetousness and do not break through this unclean stream, then even if we begin to give alms, everything will be in vain. What alms heals, covetousness will drown, spoil and make even worse. Let us first stop being predatory, and then we will begin to give alms. If we ourselves strive into the abyss, then where will we have the opportunity to stop? When one person pulls a falling person up (which is what alms does), and the other drags him down, then nothing more will happen from such a struggle except that this person will be torn apart. So, so that we do not tolerate this and so that alms does not leave us and does not leave us while covetousness drags us down, let us relieve ourselves and soar our grief. Then, having freed ourselves from evil deeds and become perfect through practice in good deeds, we will be worthy of eternal blessings, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, 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: