Беседа 55

Acts 28:17–20. Three days later, Paul called together the noblest of the Jews and, when they came together, he said to them: Men and brethren! Having done nothing against the people or the customs of my fathers, I was handed over from Jerusalem in chains into the hands of the Romans. They, having judged me, wanted to set me free, because there was no guilt in me worthy of death; but since the Jews contradicted, I was forced to demand a trial from Caesar, although not in order to accuse my people of anything. For this reason I called you, to see and talk with you, for for the hope of Israel I am bound with these bonds. Paul's foresight and wisdom. 1. He acts well and decently by inviting the noblest of the Jews for a conversation. He wanted to justify both himself and others: himself so that they would not blame him, which could harm them, and those so that they would not think that everything (that happened) was their doing. Of course, the rumor spread that he had been betrayed by the Jews; and this could touch them. Therefore, he immediately draws attention to this and meekly speaks in his own defense. And look at the words with which he expresses his justification: “Men and brethren! Having done nothing against the people or my father’s customs, I was handed over from Jerusalem in chains into the hands of the Romans.” After this, since some of the listeners would probably say: how can you prove that you are betrayed without guilt? - he adds: “having judged me, they wanted to free me,” and as if he were saying this: witnesses to this are the Roman leaders who tried and wanted to free me. Why weren't they released? “But since the Jews contradicted,” he says. Do you see how he mitigates their guilt? If he wanted to exaggerate, he could have said much more strongly. Then he adds: “then I was forced to demand judgment from Caesar”; all this is to be commended. Then, so that someone doesn’t say: what? didn't you do it to accuse them? - he rejects such an assumption, adding: “however, not in order to accuse my people of anything,” i.e. I demanded a trial from Caesar not to accuse you, but to avoid danger. For you, I am “surrounded by these bonds.” I am so far, he says, from enmity towards you that I am even surrounded (for you) with chains. What are they? They were so carried away by his speech that they began to justify not only themselves, but also their fellow tribesmen, as (the writer) shows, continuing: “they said to him: we did not receive any letters about you from Judea, nor did any of the brothers who came know about you or say anything bad. However, it would be desirable for us to hear from you how you think; for we know that this doctrine is disputed everywhere” (Acts 28:21–22). As if they say this: neither through a letter nor through people did they tell us anything bad about you; however, we would like to listen to you. And at the same time, they already express their opinion in advance, adding: “for we know that this teaching is being argued about everywhere.” They did not say: we contradict, but: “they argue everywhere,” in order to ward off condemnation. “And having appointed a day for him, very many came to his inn; and from morning to evening he expounded to them the doctrine of the Kingdom of God, bringing evidence and confirming them about Jesus from the law of Moses and the prophets. Some were convinced by his words, while others did not believe” (Acts 28:23–24). Have you seen how he does not immediately answer them, but appoints a day on which they should come and listen; and when they came, he spoke from the law of Moses and the prophets. “Not being in agreement with each other, they left when Paul said the following words: Well the Holy Spirit said to our fathers through the prophet Isaiah: Go to this people and say: You will hear with your ears, and will not understand, and with your eyes, you will see, and will not see. For the heart of this people has become hardened, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, so that I may heal them” (Acts 28:25-27). When they left without agreeing with each other, then he quotes the words of Isaiah, not to reproach these (who did not believe), but to confirm (those who believed). What words? “You will hear by hearing, but will not understand.” Do you see how he shows that they are not worthy of forgiveness if, having a prophet who foretold this of old, they did not convert? And the word: “good” expresses that they are rightly rejected; the pagans were given the knowledge of this mystery. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that they contradicted; this was predicted from ancient times. Then he again arouses competition in them, pointing to the pagans with the following words: “So let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the pagans: they will hear. When he had said this, the Jews left, arguing a lot among themselves. And Paul lived for two whole years on his own account and received everyone who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness without restraint” (Acts 28:28-31). Here (the writer) shows how Paul was finally free; in Rome he preaches without restrictions, while in Judea he encountered obstacles and remained there teaching for two years. 2. But let's turn to the above. “For this reason,” says (Paul), “I called you, to see and talk with you,” i.e. This is why I wanted this, so that no one could accuse me and, out of his own opinion, says that I, having escaped the hands of the Jews, came here to accuse them; I came not to do evil to others, but to get rid of evil myself. “We would like to hear from you how you think.” Look how they, too, meekly express themselves: “We would like to hear,” they say; and together they want to justify those too; That’s why they came on the appointed day. This proves that they considered themselves not entirely right and felt timid; if they had not felt timid, they would have come together and immediately attacked him; and now, not daring to do this, they did not come suddenly; their frequent arrival also proves that they felt timid. “Some,” says (the writer), “were convinced by his words, while others did not believe. Being not in agreement with each other, they left”, i.e. those who did not believe left. Look: now they are not plotting intrigues against him, like in the Jews, where they seemed to dominate. Why did (God) arrange for him to retire there and say to him: “Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly” (Acts 22:18)? In order for both the malice (of the Jews) and the truth of Christ’s prophecy that they would not accept the testimony to be revealed, and for everyone to see how ready he was to suffer, and also so that those who were in Judea would receive consolation from it; after all, even there he suffered many disasters. If he suffered this when he proclaimed the teachings of the Jews, then what would they not have done if he had preached the glory of Christ? If he was intolerable to them when he accepted the cleansing, how would they have tolerated him if he had offered to preach? What are you accusing him of? What did you hear from him? He didn’t say anything like that: he just appeared, and everyone rebelled against him. Therefore, it is right that salvation was handed over to the pagans, and it is right that he was sent far away to speak to the pagans there. But look, here too he first calls on the Jews, and having explained the matter to them, he then turns to the pagans. The expression: “The spirit said” is not at all surprising; (sometimes) the angel is also credited with what the Lord said. “Well said,” he says, “the Holy Spirit”; Here it’s like this, but elsewhere it’s different. Sometimes they don’t even say about the words of an angel: the angel said well, but: the Lord said well. “Well said the Holy Spirit”: as if he were saying: It is not me that you do not believe, but the Spirit; God foresaw this from ancient times. “They, having judged me,” he says, “wanted to free me”; those. not finding anything worthy of condemnation in me, they wanted to free me; whereas the Jews should have let me go, they delivered me into the hands of the Romans, and such was their insolence that even they, although they could not accuse me of anything, left me bound. “I was forced,” he says, “to demand a trial from Caesar, however, not in order to accuse my people of anything,” i.e. I did this not in order to cause harm to others, but in order to rid myself of evil, and not of my own free will, but being forced. Look how his words are filled with love: he does not consider himself a stranger, but close to them, saying: “my people”; again instills the teaching (of love). He did not say: I am not slandering, but: “not in order to accuse,” although I suffered so much bad from them. He does not remind them of anything like this, so as not to make his words painful for them; however, he does not flatter them, and therefore does not (directly) speak, but only in a hint and in passing, since he mainly wanted to express that the Jews betrayed him to the Romans as a prisoner. They should have condemned those (Jews), they should have accused them; and they justify them, but by their justification they accuse themselves. “For we know,” he says, “that this teaching is being argued about everywhere.” True, this also happens, but you also accept faith everywhere. “By bringing evidence and confirming it about Jesus,” says (the writer), “from the law of Moses and the prophets.” See how he again stops their mouths not with signs, but with words from the law and the prophets, as he did everywhere; although he could perform signs, even then they would not believe; and even that great sign speaks from the law and the prophets. Then, so that it does not seem strange that they remained unbelievers, he also adds a prophecy: “You will hear by ear,” he says, “and you will not understand,” even more now than then, “and you will look with your eyes, and will not see,” even more now than then. This was said to those who did not believe, and he did not want to reproach, but to prevent temptation. “Let it be known to you,” he says, “that God’s salvation has been sent to the pagans: they will hear.” Why are you telling us? Didn't you know this? Knew; but I speak in my own defense, so that they can be convinced and no one has a pretext (to accuse me). “And Paul lived for two whole years,” says (the writer), “preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness without restraint.” He added this well, because one can teach with boldness, but also with obstacles; and nothing hindered Pavlov’s boldness; he spoke without restraint. “And Paul lived,” he says, “for two whole years on his own support”: so he was moderate, or better, so imitated his Teacher in everything, that he had a home not at the expense of others, but at the expense of what he himself earned; This is exactly what the words mean: “at your own expense.” And that the Lord did not have a dwelling, listen to how He himself answered the one who thoughtlessly said: “I will follow You wherever You go,” He says, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has not where to lay His head” (Matthew 8:19-20). Thus, by his own example, He taught not to seek anything and not to become too attached to everyday objects. “And he received everyone,” he says, “who came to him, preaching the Kingdom of God.” Look: he did not say anything about the present, but everything about the kingdom of God. Do you see God's arrangement? With this, the writer ends his story and leaves the eager listener to fill in the rest with his own conclusion. External (pagan) writers also do this, because knowing everything can lead to laziness and negligence. This is what he does and does not talk about what follows, considering it unnecessary for those who carefully read what is written and learn to supplement the rest from what is said. Of course, as the former was, so was the subsequent. However, listen to what (Paul) himself says about what follows in his letter to the Romans: “As soon as I take the road to Spain, I will come to you” (Rom. 15:24). 3. Do you see how this holy and divine head, this man highest in heaven, having a soul capable of embracing everything, the supreme Paul, foresaw everything? For those who know it, his name alone is enough to awaken the soul to wakefulness, to drive away all sleep. Rome received him bound, arriving by sea, having escaped from a shipwreck, and was freed from the worries of delusion. Like some king who had been in a naval battle and won, he entered the royal city. He speaks about this in his letter: “When I come to you, I will come with complete blessing: ... to come to you and rest with you” (Rom. 15:29, 32); and again: “Now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints” (Rom. 15:25); This is also what I said before: “I came to give alms to my people” (Acts 24:17). He was already close to the crown; Rome saw him bound, and (then) saw him crowned and glorified. Then he said: “calm down with you”; then: “I am going to Jerusalem to serve.” The latter was the beginning of a new trend; tireless, he added trophies to trophies. Corinth had him for two years, Asia for three, this (Rome) now for two, and then he came there a second time, when he died. “When I first answered,” he says, “no one was with me” (2 Tim. 4:16). Thus, now he did not suffer death, and then, when he filled the entire universe with preaching, he was released from life. Would you like to know the following? It is the same as the previous one: bonds, suffering, struggle, imprisonment, intrigues, slander, daily death. Have you seen a small part of it? Imagine the rest of them the same way. Like the sky, no matter how much you see it, everything is exactly the same, seeing one part of the sky, wherever you go, you will see it the same everywhere; or just as by the rays of the sun, even if you have seen them in part, you can conclude what the sun is like, so in relation to Paul. You have seen his deeds in part; they are all the same, full of disasters. This man is the sky that contained the Sun of Truth, and not this sun; that is why he himself is higher than the sky. Is this not enough? Don't think. When you name an apostle, everyone immediately understands him, just as when you name the Baptist, they immediately understand John. What can his words be likened to: the sea or even the ocean? Nothing can compare to them. Their streams are much more abundant, purer and deeper than the sea, so it would not be a mistake to call Paul’s heart both sea and sky, sky in purity, sea in depth. This is a sea that does not move those who sail on it from city to city, but from earth to heaven. Whoever sails on this sea will sail with a fair wind. There are no winds on this sea, but instead of winds, the Holy Spirit of God accompanies the floating souls. There are no waves, no pitfalls, no animals, everything is quiet here. This is the sea, calmer and safer than any pier, having nothing bitter, but containing within itself a source pure and flowing with the sweetest streams, more transparent and brighter than the sun; a sea containing neither precious stones nor purple, but much better treasures. Whoever wants to plunge into this sea does not need navigation tools or oil, but wisdom, and he will find in it all the blessings of the kingdom of heaven; he can become a king, acquire the whole world and be in the greatest honor. Whoever sails on this sea will never be shipwrecked, but will recognize everything well. But just as the inexperienced drown in an ordinary sea, so it is here - which is what happens to heretics who encroach on what is beyond their strength. Therefore, you need to know this depth, or not dare (plunge into it). If we want to sail on this sea, we must be tightly girded. “And I could not,” he says, “speak to you, brethren, as spiritual, but as carnal” (1 Cor. 3:1). Let no one who is incapable of patience swim in this depth. Let's prepare ships for ourselves, i.e. zeal, zeal, prayers to pass this depth safely; for this water is living water. Just as he who has tempered steel, so he who knows Paul is strong; Just like someone who wields a sharp sword, this one is impregnable. But to understand Paul, this requires a pure life; That’s why he said: “You need milk, because you have become unable to listen” (Heb. 5:11-12). Sometimes, indeed, there is weakness of hearing. Just as the stomach cannot accept healthy and solid food when it is weak, so an arrogant and irritable soul, becoming powerless and weakened, cannot accept spiritual words. Listen to what the students said: “What strange words! who can listen to this? (John 6:60) And when she is healthy and strong, then everything is easy for her, everything is convenient; becoming sublime and light, it strives more and more towards the mountain and reaches heights. Knowing this, let us keep our souls healthy, let us compete with Paul, let us imitate this valiant and adamantine soul, so that, following in the footsteps of his life, we can sail the sea of real life, reach a serene harbor and be worthy of the blessings promised to those who live worthy of Christ, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, is glory, power, honor, now and forever and ever. 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: