Беседа 41

Acts 19:8. Arriving at the synagogue, he fearlessly preached for three months, talking and confirming about the Kingdom of God. Why did Paul often enter synagogues? - Blinding of the Jews. – Earthquake in Constantinople. – Sin is fiercer than a demon. - The case of the found treasure. 1. See how (Paul) himself enters synagogues everywhere and then leaves; he always wanted to start with them, as I said before. The pagans accepted him with zeal and zeal; and the Jews, when the pagans accepted, came to repentance. He wanted to separate the disciples from there and start with them, so that they would not gather together with those, and he did this for a reason. Therefore, he often talked with them and convinced (them). When you hear about boldness (of Paul), do not mistake it for stubbornness. He talked about useful subjects, about the kingdom (of God): who would not listen to this? “But as some became hardened and did not believe, slandering the way of the Lord before the people, he left them, separated the disciples, and preached daily in the school of a certain Tyrannus. This continued until two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia heard the preaching of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:9-10). “The Way” they rightly called preaching; it truly was the path leading to the kingdom of heaven. “In the school,” says (the writer), “a certain Tyrannus. This continued for up to two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia heard the sermon about the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." Do you see how much benefit tireless jealousy has brought? Both Jews and pagans listened. “God performed many miracles through the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs and aprons were placed on the sick from his body, and their illnesses ceased, and evil spirits came out of them” (Acts 19:11-12). They did not touch it only when bringing it (to the sick), but took it and placed it on them. Because, I think, Christ did not allow him to go to Asia, because he had this time in mind. “Even some of the wandering Jewish exorcists began to use the name of the Lord Jesus against those who had evil spirits, saying: We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches” (Acts 19:13). They did all this out of covetousness. Look: they didn’t want to believe, but they wanted to cast out demons with this name. Yes, Paul’s name was so great! “This was done by some seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva. But the evil spirit answered: I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you? And a man in whom there was an evil spirit rushed at them, and, having overcome them, took such power over them that they, naked and beaten, ran out of that house. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified” (Acts 19:14-17). They did this secretly, but then their powerlessness becomes very obvious. “And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Many of those who believed came, confessing and revealing their deeds” (Acts 19:17-18). Since they had such power that they did such things through demons, then this should have been the case. “And quite a few of those who practiced sorcery, having collected their books, burned them in front of everyone, and added up their prices, and they turned out to be fifty thousand drachmas. With such power the word of the Lord grew and became powerful” (Acts 19:19-20). Seeing that there is no benefit to them, they burn books, when the demons themselves do such things. Thus, the name does nothing when spoken without faith. Covertly pointing out this, Christ wisely said: “He who believes in Me, the works that I do will he also do, and greater works than these will he do” (John 14:12). Look how they used these weapons against themselves. And “they competed,” says (the writer), “in the school of a certain Tyrannus. This lasted up to two years,” where there were faithful, and very faithful ones. Those (exorcists) did not consider Jesus great if they added the name of Paul to His name, considering him to be something great. Here it is worthy of surprise why the demon, not contributing to the deception of the exorcists, but exposed them and discovered their pretense. It seems to me that he was very became embittered, like one who, being in extreme danger and being insulted by some of the unimportant and insignificant, would want to pour out all his anger on him. So that it does not seem that he neglects the name of Jesus, he first confesses Him and then shows his strength. And that it was not His name that was powerless, but everything happened from their deception (it is clear from the fact that this did not happen to Paul, - says (the writer), - the man). Perhaps he tore their clothes and broke their heads. This is expressed by the word: “rushed,” i.e., rushing at them quickly, so that he could do it. What does it mean: “having left them, he separated the disciples”? Rejected their slander. He does this and separates because he did not want to inflame their envy and stir up a big feud. And the word: “fearlessly” expresses that he was ready for danger and spoke openly, without hiding his teachings. From here we learn not to have fellowship with those who slander, but to avoid them. Hearing slander, he himself did not slander, but talked daily, and attracted people to himself even more by the fact that even when he heard the slander, he did not retreat and did not separate. And look: when the temptation from outside (people) ended, it began from demons. Do you see the blindness of the Jews? They, seeing that his clothes worked miracles, did not listen to him. What could be more than this? And this did the opposite for them. If any of the Greeks does not believe, then seeing how the shadow produces (miracles), let him believe. Thus, by separating from them those who slander and condemn the teaching - it is here called “the way” - are overcome; and he separates himself in such a way that he neither leaves his disciples nor enrages them, showing that he always had salvation in mind. He does not justify himself to them here either, because the pagans everywhere already believed. And he “preached” not just in some place, but where there was a school, as in the most convenient place for a meeting. 2. This is the power of believers: and others have the ability to do the same! What blindness there is in those who, even after the manifestation of such power, remained in unbelief! Just as Simon sought the grace of the Spirit for gain, so these did the same for the same thing. What blinding! Why doesn't Paul forbid them? Because it would seem like a matter of envy: that’s why it works that way. This was also the case with Christ, but then there is no obstacle (because then was the beginning of the matter). So, Judas, being a thief, does not encounter obstacles, but Ananias and Sapphira were deprived of life. And many of the Jews, putting up resistance, did not tolerate anything, and Elymas was blinded, because “God did not send His Son into the world, says Christ, to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17). Look at their wickedness: while remaining Jews, they wanted to use the name (Jesus) - because they did everything out of vanity and greed. Look how everywhere people turn not so much with useful help (suggestion) as with fear. On the occasion of Sapphira’s death, “fear seized the Church” and “no one from outside dared to approach them” (Acts 5:11, 13); here they took scarves and towels - and were healed, and after that they “confessed and revealed” their sins. From the fact that the demoniac rushed at them, it is clear how great the power of demons is in relation to unbelievers. Why didn’t the evil spirit say who Jesus was, but spoke words that did not bring any benefit? He was afraid that he himself would not suffer punishment, since he knew that he was allowed to punish these deceivers by the power of the same name. Why didn’t these unfortunates say: we believe (in Him)? They feared Paul, although it would have been much more glory to them if they had said this and acknowledged His sovereignty. Moreover, they had in mind what happened in Philippi (Acts 16:18). Notice how brief our writer is, how he only writes history and does not condemn anyone. This made the apostles worthy of wonder. However, he mentions whose children (spellcasters) were, their name and number, and this gives a sign of authenticity to what is written. Why did they “wander” through the villages? For profit, not for preaching? But it’s good that they ran around afterwards, preaching about what they suffered. Pointing to this, and (the writer) says: “this became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus.” Shouldn’t this, tell me, have converted the stubborn ones themselves? But it didn’t. And don't be surprised; nothing convinces anger. But let's see how great the evil was in the work of the spellcasters. Why the same did not happen under Christ, we will consider this at another time, and not now; Let us only note that what was done here was good and useful. It seems to me that they did this out of mockery, and that is why they are punished, so that later no one would dare to pronounce this name at random. This led many of the believers to confession, created fear in them, and was the greatest proof that God knows everything. Before they were exposed by demons, they accused themselves, fearing that they would not suffer the same thing. And fair enough. If the demons who patronized them became their accusers, and not their helpers, then what hope remained except confession by works? Look how quickly, after such signs, evil appears. Such is human nature: it quickly forgets good deeds. Don't you remember that the same thing happened in our time? Tell me, last year, didn't God strike the whole city with an earthquake? So what? Hasn't everyone been baptized? Fornicators and people devoted to luxury and voluptuousness, having left those dwellings and places in which they spent time, did they not correct themselves and become reverent? And barely three days had passed before they again turned to their characteristic vice. Why is this happening? From great negligence. And is it surprising if this happens after events, when it also happens where the images (of events) remain permanently? The event that happened in Sodom, tell me, doesn’t it remain forever? And what? Did those living near him become better people? Not at all. What about the son of Noah? Wasn't he like that? Did he not remain angry, although he saw such desolation with his own eyes? Let us not be surprised that during such events others did not believe, if often the doctrine itself is turned to the opposite - to evil, if, for example, they say about the Son of God that “there is a demon in You” (John 8:48). Don’t you see the same thing now, how many people, unfaithful and ungrateful, become like vipers - being favored and despised by others, they then upset their benefactors? We said this so that no one would be surprised that even with such signs not everyone was converted. 3. So in our time there were events with blessed Babyla, events in Jerusalem, events during the destruction of churches, and yet not everyone was converted. Why talk about the ancient? I already said what happened last year, and no one paid attention, but little by little they again began to indulge in debauchery and the fall. Heaven constantly cries out that there is a Lord, that all this (I mean the world) is the work of some Artist, but some say that it is not. What happened to Theodore last year didn’t strike anyone? And yet nothing more happened, but having become reverent for a while, they then returned to the same state from which they passed to reverence. The same thing once happened with the Jews. That is why the prophet said: “When He killed them, they sought Him and quickly turned to God” (Ps. 77:34). And in general, what needs to be said? How many, falling into illness, promised to completely improve upon recovery, and yet remained the same! It is in this that the will and freedom of our nature is especially revealed to us - in a sudden change. If evil were natural to us, there would not be this change; What is natural and necessary, we cannot change. And yet, you say, we change. Do we not see how some, having natural sight, become blind from fear? This is because it is our nature to contract when another natural action comes; So it is natural for us to lose sight from fear, and on the other hand, it is also natural that with greater fear the other (smaller) one disappears. So what? If, you say, wisdom is characteristic of nature, then how does fear, taking possession of it, drive it out? But what if I prove to you that some even at this time are not wise, but even in the midst of fear they remain brave? This is no longer natural. Should we talk about the ancient or the new? How many people were there who, even during fear, remained laughing, mocking, and did not experience anything like that (like fear)? So Pharaoh, tell me, didn’t he immediately (after punishment) change and return to his former wickedness? So here too, the exorcists, although they themselves knew (about whom they were talking), over the possessed they simply said: “We conjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” From what they say in support, it is clear that they knew. They only say: “Jesus,” whereas they should say: Savior of the universe, risen (from the dead). They did not want to confess His glory; therefore the demon, rushing at them, denounced them and said: “I know Jesus, and Paul is known to me”; as if he said this: you do not believe, but you say this, abusing the name; and therefore, he says, the church (yours) is empty, your weapons are not strong, you are not preachers, but belong to me. Great is the fury of the demon! The apostles could have done the same with them, but they did not; commanding those who did it, they themselves could do the same. From here their meekness is revealed, i.e. when the persecuted do this, and the demons whom people served do the opposite, “I know Jesus,” he says, “but you are ashamed, who do not know (Him). “And Paul is known to me.” Well that's said too; recognizes him as a preacher of God. Then he rushes at them and tears their clothes, and with these actions he seems to express: do not think that I am doing this out of contempt for those (apostles). Great is the fear of demons! Why didn’t he tear their clothes without any words? With this he expressed his rage and stopped their deception. He was afraid, as I said, of the unapproachable power (of Christ), and would not have overcome in this way if he had not said this. Look how everywhere the demons turn out to be more prudent than the Jews and do not dare to contradict or blame the apostles or Christ. There they say: We know You who You are; and: “You came here ahead of time to torment us”; and also: “I know You,” Son of “God” (Matthew 8:29, Mark 1:24). And here: “these men are the servants of the Most High God” (Acts 16:17); and again: “I know Jesus, and I know Paul.” They were very afraid and afraid of those saints. Perhaps some of you, hearing this, desire to have the same power so that demons could not look at him, and calls those saints blessed because they had such power. Let such a one listen to what Christ said: “Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you” (Luke 10:20), since He knew that all people would especially rejoice in this out of vanity. If you are looking for what is pleasing to God and useful to society, then there is another better way to do this. It is not as important to cast out a demon as to be freed from sin. The demon does not hinder one from achieving the kingdom of heaven, but also assists - although involuntarily, he assists, making the one possessed by him more wise; but sin removes (from the kingdom). 4. Perhaps someone will say: I would not want to achieve such wisdom. And I don’t want this, but I want something else – to do everything out of love for Christ. If even that happens, then let it not happen! – and we should pray about this. So, if (the demon) does not remove (from the kingdom of heaven), but sin does, then deliverance from the latter is a greater good. Therefore, we will try to free our neighbors from it, and first of all our neighbors, ourselves. Let us take care that we do not become possessed by a demon; let us carefully look after ourselves. But sin is more fierce than the demon, since it also makes people humble. Don’t you see how the possessed, when they receive relief from this illness, are sad and meek, what bashfulness is expressed in their faces, how they are afraid to even look around them? Look at the incongruity that emerges: they are ashamed of their suffering, but we are not ashamed of our deeds; they are ashamed when they endure evil, but we are not ashamed when we commit evil; their position is worthy not of shame, but of compassion, philanthropy, condescension, great surprise and a thousand praises, if only they, resisting the demon, endure everything with gratitude; and our situation is worthy of ridicule, shame, condemnation, punishment, torment, extreme disasters and Gehenna itself, and does not deserve any leniency. Do you see how sin is worse than the demon? Those from their suffering receive two benefits: firstly, they are taught and become more wise; secondly, having suffered punishment here for their sins, they go to the Lord clean. We often talked about this and taught that those punished here, if they endure complacently, can get rid of many sins. From sins there is a twofold evil: the first is that we stumble, the second is that we become worse. Pay attention to my words. Not only do we suffer from the evil that we sin, but also that the soul acquires a bad habit, just as happens with the body. This will be clearer with an example. Just as someone possessed by a fever not only suffers the evil of being sick, but also becomes weaker after the illness, even though he has already recovered from a long illness, so after committing a sin, even if we are healed, we still need greater strength. Imagine a person who has offended someone and has not received punishment: not only because he is worthy of tears because he has not suffered punishment for the offense, but also for another reason. Which one? Because his soul became more shameless. From every sin, no matter how soon it is done and finished, some poison remains in our soul. Do you not hear how some, having been healed of a certain illness, say: “I still do not dare to drink water?” Although he recovered, the illness also caused this harm. Those, suffering greatly, give thanks; and even in our prosperity we blaspheme God and murmur against Him; and truly, you will find those who do this more in health and wealth than in poverty and weakness. The demon stands (before them) like a true executioner with strong threats, or like a teacher with a raised whip, not allowing any joy. If some do not become wise at the same time, then at least they suffer punishment. And this is not unimportant. As from the insane, as from the insane, as from children, an account of their actions is not demanded, and from them; and there is no person so cruel as to punish for what was done out of ignorance. Thus, we - those who sin - turn out to be much worse than those who are mad. But we do not spew foam, we do not distort our eyes and hands? Oh, if only we did this with the body and not with the soul! Do you want me to show you how the soul spits out unclean foam and perverts the mental eyes? Look at those who are angry and raging with rage, do they not spew out words that are more unclean than all foam? They truly seem to exude stinking saliva. And just as they do not recognize anyone present, so do these. With their darkened minds and perverted eyes, they do not distinguish between friend and foe, between a respectable person and a despised person, but they look at everyone (simply). You can see them shaking, just like those ones. But they don't fall to the ground? For this reason their soul falls low and lies in trembling; if she had stood straight, then what happened then would not have happened to her. Isn’t it truly typical of a low and self-conscious soul to do and say what those raging with rage do and say? But there is another kind of fury, even worse. Which? The one when they don’t want to give up their anger, but harbor within themselves the memory of malice, like some kind of home executioner. They themselves are the first to be tormented by memory malice even here, not to mention the future. Think about what kind of torment a person suffers, indignant in his soul, thinking every day about how to take revenge on the enemy? First of all, he torments himself and languishes, getting irritated, annoyed with himself, getting excited. It’s as if a fire is constantly burning in you, and when the fever intensifies to such an extent, you do not weaken it, you think about how to cause some harm to another; and meanwhile you torment yourself, constantly carrying a strong flame within you, not allowing your soul to calm down, constantly becoming fierce, and keeping your mind in anxiety and confusion. 5. What is worse than this fury - to always be tormented, irritated and inflamed? And such are the souls of the vindictive. As soon as they see the one they want to take revenge on, they immediately lose their temper; if they hear his voice, they fall and tremble; whether they lie on the bed, they come up with thousands of torments, how to hit and tear their enemy to pieces; and if at the same time they see him prospering, oh, what a punishment for them! Forgive the other for his misdeeds and save yourself from torment. Why do you constantly torture yourself, so that one day you can strike and punish him? Why do you inflict debilitating illness on yourself? Why do you continue your anger when it is ready to stop? Let not (your anger) continue even “until the evening,” says Paul (Eph. 4:26); he, like some kind of aphid and moth, eats away at the root of our soul. Why keep this wild beast inside you? It is better to put a serpent or viper on your heart than anger and bitterness; From those we could soon be freed, but this one remains constantly, sinking his teeth, letting in his poison, arousing evil thoughts. I do this, you say, so that he does not laugh at me, does not despise me? Pathetic and reckless man! Do you not want to be a laughing stock for a slave like you, but are you subject to the displeasure of your Master? Don’t you want to be despised by your equal slave, while you yourself despise the Master? You cannot bear contempt (from a person), but don’t you think that you are angering God, laughing at Him, neglecting Him, not showing obedience to Him? And the fact that he will not laugh at you is obvious. If you begin to take revenge, there will be great laughter, great contempt, since this is a matter of cowardice; if you forgive, then there will be great surprise, since this is a matter of generosity. But he, you say, won’t recognize this? Let God know so that you may have a greater reward for it. “Lend,” He says, “expecting nothing” (Luke 6:35). Let us do good to those who do not feel that they are being favored, so that by giving us praise or something else, they will not reduce our reward. If we receive nothing from people, then we will receive even more from God. What is funnier, what is ruder than a soul that is constantly angry and desires revenge? This is a woman's and child's desire. Just as that (angry wife) gets angry at soulless things and, although she doesn’t stomp on the floor, does not leave her anger, so these (vindictive ones) want to take revenge on their offenders and become worthy of laughter, because it is typical for a child’s mind to be carried away by anger, but a mature one to overcome it. So, it is not we who will be mocked when we show wisdom, but they (the offenders). Not giving in to passion is not the work of despicable people; and the despised tend to be afraid of the laughter of others to such an extent that because of this they decide to submit to their own passion, offend God and take revenge for themselves. This is truly worthy of laughter. Let's avoid this. Let him say that he caused us a thousand evils, but he himself suffered nothing (from us), let him say that even if he scolds us again, he will also not tolerate anything. If he had wanted to praise us, he would have preached about our virtue in no other way, nor would he have used any other words than these, with which he thinks to humiliate us. Oh, if everyone said about me that “this is a cold and pitiful person; everyone insults him, but he endures; everyone attacks him, but he does not avenge himself! Oh, if they added that “he can’t even do this, even if he wanted to,” my praise would come from God, and not from people! Let them say that we do not take revenge out of cowardice. This does not harm us at all; God sees and prepares greater treasure for us. If we started looking at those people, we would lose everything. Let us look not at what they say about us, but at what we should do. Some say: let him not laugh at me, let him not mock me. Oh madness! No one who insulted me, you say, laughed at me, that is, I took revenge. But that is why you are worthy of ridicule because you took revenge. Where did these words come from - shameful and disastrous, destroying our lives and society? Is this not an echo of resistance to God? What makes one equal to God, i.e. innocence, then you consider it funny. Don’t we ourselves and the Greeks have the right to laugh at us when we say so in defiance of God? I want to tell you something that happened in ancient times, concerning not anger, but property. One man had a field in which a treasure was hidden, which the master knew nothing about. He sold this field. The purchaser, while digging up the land to develop and plant it, found a hidden treasure. The seller, having learned about this, came to the buyer and began to forcefully demand the treasure for himself: I, he says, sold the field, not the treasure. He refused, saying that he had bought the field along with the treasure and did not want to know anything more. They began a lawsuit, one hoping to receive, and the other, trying not to give. Having found a man, they approached him with this matter and asked him: who should the treasure belong to? He did not give an answer, but said that he would resolve their litigation: let him be the master (of the treasure). Having taken it for himself with their consent, he subsequently experienced a lot of evil from this treasure and in fact became convinced that it was not in vain that they abandoned him. We should act in a similar way in relation to anger - we should try not to take revenge, and those who offended should admit themselves guilty. But maybe it seems funny. When this madness grows too strong, prudent people laugh, and among the multitude of those who are furious, one who is not involved in their fury also seems to be furious. Therefore, I exhort you, let us be patient and not lose our temper, so that, having been cleansed from this disastrous passion, we may be made worthy of the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and bounty of His Only Begotten Son, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. These conversations were delivered by the saint in Constantinople in 400 or 401. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: