Беседа 19

Conversation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Rom 11.7–8. What Israel sought, it did not receive, but received election; the rest were blinded. (The Apostle) said that God did not reject His people and, having explained in what sense He did not reject, resorted again to the prophets and proved from them that most of the Jews perished; but, so that they would not think that he accuses them arbitrarily, insults them with his speech and attacks them as an enemy, he resorts to David and Isaiah, saying: as it is written: God will give them the spirit of compunction. But it’s better for us to start with what was said above. (Paul), having mentioned what happened under Elijah and showing what grace is, added: “What else? What Israel sought, this you will not receive.” This is not only a question, but also an accusation. (The Apostle) says that the Jew fights with himself, seeks an excuse and does not want to accept it. Then, again depriving the Jews of justification, he proves their ingratitude by what some received, and says: “But you will receive election.” The chosen ones condemn the Jews, just as Christ said: “If I cast out demons because of Beelzebub, who will your sons cast out? For this reason there will be judges for you” (Luke 11.19). So that no one condemns the very nature of the matter, but everyone blames the mood of the Jews, (the apostle) mentions those who received it, and therefore used a very expressive word, depicting together both grace from above and their own efforts. He said “receive” - not with the aim of rejecting free will, but to designate the greatness of goods and the fact that more, although not all, was characteristic of grace. And we have a custom of saying about a person who has received a great benefit: so-and-so received or found, because most of it is acquired not by human labor, but by the gift of God. “The others went blind.” Notice when the apostle dared to call the rejection of others by its proper name. He spoke about this before, but he represented the prophets as accusers, and now he himself is already an accuser. However, here too he is not content with his own opinion, but again points to the prophet Isaiah; Having said, “Going blind,” he added: “As it is written: God will give them the spirit of tenderness.” Where did this blindness come from? (The Apostle) first explained the reasons for it and laid all the blame on the heads of the Jews themselves, proving that they were blinded for inappropriate stubbornness; and now he repeats the same thing. When he says: eyes cannot see and ears cannot hear, accuses nothing more than their stubborn will. Having eyes to see miracles, having received ears to hear wonderful teaching, they did not use either one or the other as they should. By the word “dade” we mean not assistance, but permission. Here (the apostle) calls tenderness a habit of the soul for the worse, completely incurable and incorrigible. And in another place David says: “For my glory will sing to you, and I will not be moved” (Ps 29.13), that is, I will not change. Just as one who is touched in piety does not easily change, so one who is touched in evil can also hardly evade it, because to be touched means nothing more than to strengthen and cleave to something. Therefore (the apostle), wanting to express that the will of the Jews is incurable and difficult to correct, he called this the spirit of tenderness. Then, to prove that the Jews will be subjected to extreme punishment for such unbelief, he again refers to the prophet, who threatens them with exactly what happened to them and was fulfilled. The Prophet specifically says: Rom.11:9–10. let their table be a net, and a catch, and a temptation, that is, let luxury and all blessings pass and perish, and let them be easily possessed by everyone. And so that it could be seen that the Jews endure this as punishment for their sins, (David) added: and as a reward to them. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and let their spine be cut off. Is any interpretation needed here? Isn’t this clear even to the completely unreasonable? Even before our words, the outcome of events that happened bore witness to what the prophet said. When were the Jews so easily captured, when were they so easily captured? When was their backbone so bent? When were they subjected to such great slavery? And the most important thing is that there will be no end to these disasters, as the prophet hinted. He didn’t just say: “the ridge... slap them,” but he also added: “I’ll take it out.” If you, a Jew, claim that the disasters will end, then judge the present by the past. You went to Egypt, but two hundred years passed, and, despite all your wickedness and the most serious of your fornication, God soon freed you from this slavery. Upon your release from Egypt, you worshiped the calf, sacrificed your sons to Beelphegor, desecrated the church, plunged into all kinds of vice, forgot nature itself, filled the mountains, wilds, hills, springs, rivers, gardens with vile victims, killed the prophets, overturned the altars and succeeded to the highest degree in vices and wickedness; however, God, having handed you over to the Babylonians for seventy years, again brought you back to your former freedom, returned to you the church, the fatherland, and the ancient image of prophecy; again you had prophets and the grace of the Spirit, or better yet, even during the captivity itself you were not abandoned, but even there you had Daniel and Ezekiel, and in Egypt Jeremiah and in the desert Moses. After this, you again turned to your former vices, indulged in debauchery and, under the wicked Antiochus, established the Hellenic way of life. But even then, having remained in the citizenship of Antiochus for three years or a little more, through the Maccabees you again erected famous victorious monuments for yourself. But now you have nothing like that, and everything has gone differently. And what is especially surprising is that the old vices have ceased, and the punishment has been increased, and there is no hope of changing your situation. Not seventy, not a hundred, or two hundred years have passed, but three hundred and much more, yet not even a shadow of such hope can be found, and even then, when you do not serve idols, do not do anything that you dared to do before. What is the reason for this? The one that the image is replaced by truth and the law is excluded by grace. Having predicted this from ancient times, the prophet said: “Take out their backbone.” Do you notice the accuracy of the prophecy, how it predicted unbelief, showed perseverance, revealed the subsequent judgment and indicated the endless punishment? Since many of the most rude people did not believe in the future and wanted to judge the future by the present, Christ, in this case, proved His power in a twofold way, both by exalting the believing pagans above the sky, and by the fact that He brought the disbelieving Jews into extreme poverty and subjected them to inevitable disasters. So, the apostle, having greatly amazed them with the image of their unbelief, as well as past and future disasters, again consoles them with the following words: Rom.11:11. I say for this reason: if you sin, let them fall away? It won't happen. When (the apostle) proved that the Jews were subject to countless disasters, he then came up with a consolation. And pay attention to Paul’s prudence: he borrowed the accusation from the prophets, but offers consolation from himself. No one will argue, says (the apostle), that the sins of the Jews are great, but let us see whether their fall is really so great that it cannot be helped and there are no means to correct the matter. No, it's not like that. Do you notice how he touches them again and, in anticipation of consolation, presents them as guilty of sins of which they themselves confess? But let's see what consolation he comes up with for them. What kind of consolation is this? When all the fullness of the pagans enters, then, says (the apostle), all Israel will be saved, that is, at the time of the second coming and at the end of the world. But he does not speak about this immediately (Paul), but after strong reproaches, after adding accusations to accusations, after once, twice, and many times he brought the testimony of one prophet after another - Isaiah, Elijah, David, Moses, Hosea, which all cry out against them. But so as not to plunge the Jews into despair and block the path to faith, and not to give the pagan believers a reason for arrogance, so that they, being proud, would not suffer damage to their faith, (the apostle) again consoles the Jews, saying: but those who fell are saved by the tongue. We must not just listen to what is said, but delve into the thought and intention of the speaker, into what he tried to achieve, which is what I always beg your love for. If we accept every word with such reflection, then we will not encounter difficulty in any of it. But in the present case, the main goal (of the apostle) is to destroy among the pagan believers the arrogance that could arise under the influence of what was said above; after all, the pagans, having learned modesty, will thus remain safer in faith, and the Jews, freed from despair, will more willingly approach grace. So, paying attention to this goal (of the apostle), let us listen to everything he said in this place. What is he saying? What proves that the Jews did not fall hopelessly and that they were not completely rejected? Pointing to the pagans, saying this: those who fall are saved by the tongue, in order to irritate them. These are not just the words of the apostle, but the parables in the Gospels have the same meaning. Thus, having arranged a wedding feast for his son, he then began to call from the crossroads, when those invited did not want to come (Matthew 22.9). And having planted a vineyard, he only gave it to other vinedressers when the first killed the heir (Matthew 21.38). And besides the parable (Christ) said: “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15.24). And when the Canaanite woman began to approach him, He said even more: “It is not good to eat bread to a child, nor to harm it to a dog” (Matthew 15.26). And Paul said to the Jews who rebelled against him: “It is not right for you to speak the word of God first: but because... you make yourselves unworthy,... we are all turned into tongues” (Acts 13.46). And with all this he shows that the order of events was as follows: first the Jews should come, and then the pagans; but since the Jews did not believe, the order was changed, and the unbelief and fall of the Jews caused the Gentiles to enter first. That is why (the apostle) says: “those who fell were saved by the tongue, in order to provoke them to anger.” And don’t be surprised if he calls what happened before what was the consequence: he wants to encourage their stricken hearts; and the meaning of his words is this: Jesus came to the Jews, but they, despite the great many miracles He performed, did not accept Him, but crucified Him; After this, He began to attract the pagans to Himself, so that their honor would be hurt by the insensitivity of the Jews and, at least by mutual competition, to convince them to come to Him, since it was necessary first to receive the Jews, and then us, which is why He said (the apostle): “For the power of God is for salvation to everyone who believes, but to the Jews first and to the Greeks” (Rom. 1.16). And since the Jews left, we - the second - became the first. You see what honor he derives from this for them. Firstly, the fact that we were called when they did not want to; secondly, the fact that we are called not for our only salvation, but so that they too become better, jealous of our salvation. Well, someone will say, would we not have been called and saved if it had not become necessary for the sake of the Jews? Of course, they would not have been called and saved before the Jews, but would have been saved in the proper order. That is why (Christ), when sending his disciples, did not just say: “Go... to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” but: “Go... rather” (Matthew 10.6), showing that after the Jews he should also go to the Gentiles. And Paul again did not say: it is not easy for you to speak the word, but: “it is not easy for you to speak the word first” (Acts 13.46), showing that in the second session it was necessary for us to preach. Nevertheless, this was done and said so that the Jews would not resort to the shameless excuse that they were ignored and therefore did not believe. Therefore, Christ, although he foresaw everything, nevertheless came to them first. Rom.11:12. If their transgression is the wealth of the world, and their falling away, the wealth of nations, how much more is their fulfillment? Here (the apostle) says something pleasant to the Jews. Even if they had fallen a thousand times, the pagans would not have been saved unless they accepted faith; and equally, the Jews would not have perished if they had not fallen into unbelief and stubbornness. But, as I said, (the apostle) consoles the fallen Jews, proving perfectly that they can hope for their salvation if they change. If, says (the apostle), so many received salvation when they (the Jews) stumbled, and so many were called while they were rejected, then think what will happen when they are converted. He did not say: how much more would it be to convert them, or to change them, or to correct them, but: “how much more to their fulfillment,” that is, when they all come to Christ. And with these words he shows that then there will be a large and almost complete measure of the grace and gift of God. Rom.11:13–14. I tell you with my tongue, since I am an apostle with my tongue, I glorify my service, lest I irritate my flesh and save someone from them. (The Apostle) again tries to free himself from evil suspicion and although, apparently, he strikes a blow at those who converted from the pagans, humbling their high opinion of himself, he slightly strikes the Jew; he is looking for something to cover up such a death of the Jews and to console them in this, but he finds nothing in the essence of the matter itself. Based on what he said, the Jews were worthy of even greater condemnation when others, being much lower than them, accepted what was prepared for them. Therefore, from the Jews he moves on to the pagans and places an introductory speech about them, wanting to show that he says all this in order to teach them modesty. I praise you, he says, for two reasons: firstly, because I have a need for it, as someone appointed to serve you, and secondly, so that through you I can save others. And he does not say: my brothers, my relatives, but: “flesh.” Then, pointing to their stubbornness, he does not say: “Can’t I somehow convince you,” but: “If I irritate you and save you,” and at the same time again he does not say: everyone, but: “some of them,” so hard-hearted were the Jews. And again, in the very reproach (the apostle) reveals the superiority of the pagans, although Jews and pagans mutually serve each other in the matter of salvation, however, unequally: the Jews bring benefits to the pagans through their unbelief, and the pagans to the Jews through their faith. From this it is clear that the pagans are both equal to the Jews and superior to them. But what can you say, Jew? If we had not been rejected, would you not have been called so soon? The pagan also says this: if I had not been saved, jealousy would not have arisen in you. And if you want to know in what we excel, then - I will tell you - I save you by believing, and you, having stumbled, gave us the opportunity to come before you. Then (the apostle), feeling that he had dealt a blow to the Jews, turns to his previous speech and says: Rom.11:15. What if their reconciliation to the world is postponed, what is acceptance, is it life from the dead? But this again accuses the Jews of how quickly others benefited from their sins, while they did not even take advantage of the good deeds of others. Do not be surprised if (the apostle) attributes to the Jews what happened out of necessity - he, as I have said more than once, speaks in this way in order to humble some and encourage others. Meanwhile, as I said above, if the Jews had been rejected a thousand times, and the pagans had not shown faith, then the latter would never have been saved. But (the apostle) helps the weak side and helps the weary. Consider also how he pleases the Jews, consoling them only in words. “If only their removal,” he says, “will bring reconciliation to the world.” What does it matter to the Jews? “What is acceptance, is it life from the dead?” But even this would be of no benefit to them if they were not accepted. And what (the apostle) says means the following: if God, being angry with the Jews, showed so much mercy to others, then what does He not grant them after He is reconciled with them? But just as the resurrection of the dead does not depend on their acceptance, so our present salvation does not depend on them. On the contrary, they were rejected for their foolishness, and we were saved by our faith and grace from above. And none of this can do them any good unless they show proper faith. Then (the apostle), as is his custom, moves on to new praise, but not real, but only apparent, imitating the most skillful doctors, who also encourage the sick, as far as the nature of the disease allows. What is he saying? Rom.11:16. If the firstfruit is holy, then so is the mixture: and if the root is holy, so are the branches. Here he calls Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, patriarchs and all those who were glorified in the Old Testament the firstfruits and the root, and the branches are those of their descendants who believed. Then, since the Jews opposed him with the large number of unbelievers, see how he refutes such an objection and says: Rom.11:17. Even if some have broken off from the branches. But above, you (Paul) said above that very many perished, but few were saved - how is it that here, speaking about those who perished, you use the word “unless”, indicating a few? “I do not contradict myself,” answers (the apostle), but I hasten to heal and attract the weary. Do you notice how in this whole speech he reveals one intention, namely the desire to console the Jews? And if you lose sight of this, you end up with a lot of contradictions. Pay also attention to the wisdom (of the apostle), how he apparently speaks in favor of the Jews and comes up with consolation for them, but imperceptibly strikes them with the words “root” and “firstfruits” (Rom. 11:16) - shows that they have no excuse. In fact, think about the worthlessness of the branches when they, having a sweet root, are not likened to him, and about the worthlessness of the mash when it does not change from the firstfruits. “If some were broken off from the branches.” Most of the branches were broken off, but (the apostle), as I said, wants to console the Jews, therefore he cites not his own words, but theirs, and thereby imperceptibly offends them, proving that they have departed from their kinship with Abraham; This is precisely what (the apostle) tried to say, i.e. that the Jews have nothing in common with Abraham. If the root is holy, and they are not holy, then that means they are far from the root. Then, apparently comforting the Jew, he again amazes him with his accusation of the pagans. Having said: “if ... there are no branches broken off,” he added: But you, O Divya Olive, have clung to them. How much less valuable was the pagan, the more the Jew grieves, seeing that he enjoys his property; the pagan is not so much ashamed of his insignificance as he is greatly honored by his change. And note the wisdom (of the apostle), he did not say: you are planted, but: “you are attached,” which again hurts the Jew and shows that the pagan stood on the tree instead of the Jew, and the Jew lies on the ground. Therefore, he did not stop there and, saying: “You are hooked,” did not finish his speech, although he had already said everything with this, but continues to describe the prosperity of the pagan and expands on the image of honor, saying: and a partaker of the root and ointment was created. And, apparently, (the apostle) put the pagan in the position of some kind of addition, however, he shows that he does not suffer any harm from this, but has everything that is characteristic of a branch that came out from the root. And so that you, having heard: “But you ... clung to you,” do not think that the pagan is humiliated in comparison with the natural branch, look how (the apostle) equals him, saying: “And you were made partaker of the root and ointment of the olive tree,” that is, he received the same nobility and the same nature. Then, saying reproachfully: Rom.11:18. do not boast on the branches, (the apostle), apparently, consoles the Jew, but in fact shows his low value and great dishonor. Therefore, he did not say: do not boast, but: “do not boast on the branches,” do not boast before them, as before those who were broken off, because you have been put in their place and are using what belonged to them. Do you see how he apparently reproaches the pagans, but in reality offends the Jews? If you boast,” he continues, “it is not you who bear the root, but the root for you.” What good does this do to the broken branches? Nothing. As I have already noted, (the apostle), apparently inventing some faint shadow of consolation, even by reproaching the pagans, deals a mortal blow to the Jews. Having said: “Do not boast on the branch,” and: “If you boast, do not you bear the root,” he showed the Jew that what had happened is worthy of boasting, although it should not be boasted; and by this he excites and encourages him to faith, presents himself as his protector, shows him the damage he has suffered and that others own his property. Rom.11:19. You say: if a branch breaks off, let me cling to it. Again, in the form of an objection, he reveals the opposite of the previous one, showing that not long before this he said what he said with no other intention, but solely to attract the Jews. The salvation of the pagans did not occur as a result of the sins of the Jews, and their sin is not the wealth of the world, and likewise we were saved not because they fell, but quite the opposite. (The Apostle) shows a special Providence about the pagans, although apparently the words express something else, and he presents this entire passage in the form of an objection, freeing himself from suspicion of hostility and making his speech acceptable. (The Apostle) praised what was said, and then again frightened him, saying: You broke off with unbelief, but you clung on with faith. Here again is new praise for the pagans and a new accusation for the Jews. But (the apostle) again overthrows the arrogance of the first, adding and saying: do not be arrogant, but be afraid. This is not a matter of nature, but a matter of faith and unbelief. And, apparently, he again stops the mouth of the pagan, but in fact he teaches the Jew that he should not pay attention to natural kinship, which is why he adds: “do not be arrogant,” and did not say: humble yourself, but: “fear,” since arrogance produces contempt and negligence. Then, intending to portray their misfortune in a sad way and make his speech less unpleasant, he puts it in the form of a warning to the pagan, and saying: Rom.11:21. Even though God has no mercy on natural branches, did not continue like this: and he will not spare you, but says: Yes, no matter what, he won’t spare you either. Thus, by eliminating harsh expressions from speech and encouraging the believer to be active, he attracts the Jews and humbles the pagans. Rom.11:22. See therefore the goodness and mercilessness of God: on those who have fallen away there is mercilessness, but on you there is goodness... if you continue in goodness, or if not, then you too will be cut off. (The Apostle) did not say: you see your merits, you see your labors, but: you see God’s love for mankind, showing by this that everything was accomplished by grace from above, and disposing you to trembling. The very basis of praise makes you afraid. The Lord has become merciful to you, so be afraid, because the benefits do not remain inalienable to you if you become careless; just as evil is not inevitable for the Jews if they change. And you will be cut off, says (the apostle), if you do not continue in the faith. Rom.11:23. And if they do not continue in unbelief, they will cling, because it was not God who cut them off, but they themselves were broken off and fell away. And the apostle said beautifully: they were broken off. God never rejected them like that, although they sinned many times and in many ways. Do you notice what is the power of freedom and what is the power of will? Nothing remains unchanged, neither your good nor his evil. Do you see how (the apostle) both restored the despairing Jew and humbled the arrogant pagan? And you, Jew, hearing about severity, do not despair; And you, pagan, hearing about goodness, do not rely on yourself. God did not spare you and cut you off so that you would want to return; but he showed kindness to you so that you would continue: he did not say (the apostle) - in faith, but - “in goodness” (Rom. 11:22), i.e. so that you do something worthy of God’s love for mankind, because more than just faith is required. Do you notice how (the apostle) does not allow some to lie down and others to be arrogant, but stimulates the first to competition, using the example of the pagans to show the Jew the opportunity to again take their place, just as the pagan took the place of the Jew in advance? So that the pagans do not boast before the Jews, (the apostle) frightens them with the example of the Jews and what happened to them, and inspires courage in the Jew with what was done for the Greeks. And you will be cut off, says (the apostle) to the pagan, if you are negligent. And the Jew is cut off, but he will cling to it if he tries, because you also cling to it. And quite reasonably (the apostle) turns his entire speech to the pagan, as he usually and always does, correcting the weak with a blow inflicted by a stronger one. He does the same at the end of the epistle, talking about pickiness in food. Then he proves the same thing not only to the future, but also to the past, since this convinces the listener more strongly. And intending to maintain an indisputable sequence of judgments, he first of all offers proof on the basis of the omnipotence of God. Although the Jews are cut off and rejected, and others have taken their place, yet do not despair. “God is strong,” he says, “but attach them again, for He also produces that which is beyond hope. But if you are looking for a series of events and a sequence of conclusions, then you yourself have a completely sufficient example. Rom.11:24. If you, - says (the apostle), - were cut off from the natural olive tree, and through nature you clung to the good olive tree: how much more will these, like those by nature, cling to their own olive tree? If faith was able to produce what is not according to nature, how much more will it produce what is in accordance with nature. If a pagan, cut off from his natural parents, was not united to Abraham by nature, how much more can you get your own. The pagan is by nature evil, since he was by nature a wild olive; goodness is not in his nature and it was not by nature that he clung to Abraham. But you, on the contrary, are good by nature; If you want to return, you will establish yourself not on someone else’s, like a pagan, but on your own root. So, can you be worthy of any apology when it became possible for a pagan to do what is not in his nature, and you were unable to do what was in your nature, and even ruined it? Then, since (the apostle) said: “through nature,” and: “thou hast clung,” so that you would not think that the Jew has some advantage over you, he again eliminates such a conclusion, saying that the Jew will also cleave. “How much more than these,” he says, “who by nature will cling to their olive tree?” And also: “strong... God... attach them.” And above he said: “Unless they continue in unbelief, they will cling” (Rom. 11:23). And whenever you hear that (the apostle) constantly uses the expression: “through nature” and: “according to nature,” do not think that he means here this immutable nature, but with these names he means both what is consistent and in accordance with nature, and what is incongruous with nature. Good and evil are not natural actions, but only actions of the mind and will. Notice how (the apostle) softens his speech. Having told the pagan that he will be cut off if he does not continue in faith, and also the Jews that they too will be grafted in if they do not continue in unbelief, (the apostle), keeping silent about the more unpleasant, mentions only the more pleasant and ends his speech there, giving the Jews great hopes, if only they themselves wish. That's why he continues: Rom.11:25. I don’t want you to know this secret, brothers, so that you don’t be wise about yourself. Here he calls the unknown and hidden something secret, in which there is a lot of both wonderful and incomprehensible. So in another place he says: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: for we will not all sleep, but we will all change” (1 Cor 15.51). What is this secret? Like a part of Israel was blinded. Here again he strikes at the Jew, although, apparently, he also humiliates the pagan. By this he means the same thing that he said above, namely, that there was unbelief not on the part of all the Jews, but only on the part of “part,” as he said: “if anyone insulted [me], do not insult me ​​less, but in part, let me not aggravate you all” (2 Cor 2.5); and in another place: “If first I will be satisfied with some of you” (Rom. 15.24). So here he expresses the same thing that he said above: “God will not cast off His people, whom I knew before”, and also: “If you sin, let them fall away? Let it not be” (Rom. 11:2, 11). And here he confirms this precisely, that not an entire people is rejected, but many have already believed or should believe later. And since he announced something important, he brings as a witness a prophet who says the same thing. That blinding occurred, (the apostle) does not present evidence, since this is obvious to everyone, but that the Jews will believe and be saved, he again points to Isaiah, who exclaims and says: Rom.11:26. He who delivers will come from Zion and will turn away wickedness from Jacob. Then, pointing to the sign of salvation, so that someone would not take it and apply it to past times, he says: Rom.11:27. and this is my covenant to them, when I take away their sins (cf. Is 59.20–21, 27.9). This will not happen when they are circumcised, make sacrifices, and perform other lawful deeds, but when they receive remission of sins. And if this was foreshadowed and has not yet been fulfilled among the Jews, who have not yet received remission of sins through baptism, then it will undoubtedly be fulfilled. That is why (the apostle) added: Rom.11:29. unrepentant for the gifts and calling of God. But he does not console them with this alone, but also with what has already happened, and at the same time he puts what happened subsequently as what happened before, saying this: Rom.11:28. according to the gospel, for your sake, defeat you; according to election, for the sake of your love, the father. So that the pagan would not be proud, saying: “Here I am before you, tell me not about what can happen, but what has already happened,” (the apostle) keeps him from this, saying: “For the sake of the gospel, defeat you for the sake of it.” Since you were called, they became more persistent. However, God did not stop your calling, but waits until all the pagans who are willing to believe come in, and then the Jews will also come. Then (the apostle) gives the Jews another new consolation, saying: “by election, for the sake of the father’s love.” What is this? Where there are enemies, punishment awaits them, and where there are beloved ones, the virtue of their ancestors will not bring them any benefit if they do not believe. However, as I noted before, (the apostle) does not cease to console them with words in order to attract them. Therefore, revealing what was said above in a different way, he continues: Rom.11:30–32. just as you sometimes resisted God, now you will quickly have mercy on them for the sake of resistance: in the same way, these now resist your mercy, so that you too will have mercy. For God shut everyone into rebellion, so that He may have mercy on everyone. Here (the apostle) shows that first the pagans were called, and then, when they did not want, the Jews were chosen, and that subsequently the same thing happened again: since the Jews did not want to believe, the pagans were called again. But (the apostle) does not stop there either and turns everything not to the fact that the Jews are rejected, but to the fact that they too will again be shown mercy. Look: he gives to the pagans the same amount as he previously gave to the Jews. Since you pagans, says (the apostle), were once disobedient, the Jews came; and again, since they became disobedient, you came. However, they will not completely perish, because God “locked... everyone into disobedience,” that is, he convicted everyone, showed them disobedient, not in order for them to remain disobedient, but in order to save others through the perseverance of some: Jews through the pagans and pagans through the Jews. Look, you were disobedient, and they were saved; then they became disobedient, and you are saved, but saved not in order to withdraw again, like the Jews, but in order to attract them too, encouraging them to compete. Rom.11:33. Oh, the depth of the wealth and wisdom and mind of God, for His judgment has not been tested! Here, turning his thoughts to the first times, reflecting on the ancient Economy of God from the beginning of the world to present events, considering how diversely God arranged everything, (the apostle) came into amazement and exclaimed, thereby assuring his listeners that what he said would undoubtedly happen. Otherwise, he would not have exclaimed and been amazed if this could not completely come true. And he knows that this is depth, but what depth he does not know. This is the speech of a man who is amazed, but not one who knows everything. Filled with surprise and amazement at the goodness, he announced it in two expressive words that he found: “wealth” and “depth”, he was amazed that God both wanted and was able to do this, and performed opposite actions to one another: “for His judgment was not tested.” It is not only impossible to comprehend this, but even to research it. And His path is unsearchable, that is, the methods of House Construction, because they are not only impossible to know, but even to research. And I, says (the apostle), have not found everything, but a small part, far from all; God alone knows His works perfectly. That is why (the apostle) added: Rom.11:34–35. Who understands the mind of the Lord? or who will be His adviser? or who gave to Him first, and will be rewarded to him? These words mean that God, being so wise, does not borrow wisdom from another, but He Himself is the source of good: that He, who has done so much for us and given us so much, did not give us what we borrowed from another, but poured it out from Himself; that He should not reward anyone except by taking something from another, but He Himself is always the main author of good. Wealth primarily consists of having abundance in everything and not lending anything to others. That is why (the apostle) added: Rom.11:36. as from That, and by That, and in Him are all things. He Himself created, He Himself created, He Himself supports, because He is rich and has no need to take from another, because He is wise and does not need advice. And what am I saying – in the council? No one can even know what belongs to Him; He alone is rich and wise. Great wealth was manifested in the fact that the pagans were thus enriched, and great wisdom in the fact that those who were lower than them were made teachers of the Jews. Then, after (the apostle) was amazed, he gives thanks, saying: To him be glory forever. Amen. He is always surprised to conclude his speech with a glorification, as soon as he speaks about something equally important and ineffable. This is what he does when speaking about the Son; and there, filled with surprise, he added the same thing as here: “from them is Christ according to the flesh, who is God blessed above all forever. Amen" (Rom 9.5). Let us also imitate the Apostle and will always glorify God by our care in life, and will not rely on the virtues of our ancestors, keeping in mind the example of the Jews. After all, Christians have no carnal kinship, but only closeness in the Spirit. Thus, the Scythian becomes the son of Abraham, and the son of Abraham becomes more alien to him than the Scythian. Therefore, we will not rely on the merits of our fathers, but even if you had an amazing parent in life, do not think that this is enough for you for salvation, honor and glory, if you do not become related to him in morals; and equally, if you had a bad father, do not think that you, as a result of this, will be subject to condemnation and shame, even if you yourself lived well afterwards. What was more inglorious than the pagans? However, through faith they soon became relatives of the saints. What was closer to God for the Jews? However, they too were alienated for unbelief. Carnal kinship is a matter of nature and necessity, according to which we are all relatives, because we were all born from Adam, and in relation to Adam and Noah and to the mother earth common to all, we are all related to each other to the same degree. That kinship is worthy of reward, which separates us from vicious people. In this regard, not everyone is related to each other, but only those who agree in their way of life. In this regard, we do not call the one who was born of the same mother with us a brother, but the one who shows the same jealousy as us. So Christ calls some children of God, and others sons of the devil, sons of disobedience, sons of hell, sons of destruction. So Timothy, through virtue, became the son of Paul and was called “a frequent child” (1 Tim. 1.2); and we do not know the son of Paul’s sister by name, although he was close to Paul by carnal birth, but did not receive any benefit from it, and Timothy was distant both by carnal birth and by place of residence, as a citizen of the city of Lystra, but he became closer to everyone. Therefore, we too will try to become sons of saints, or better yet, let us become sons of God. And that we can become sons of God, listen to what is said: “Be... perfect as your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5.48). That is why in prayer we call God Father and thereby remind ourselves not only of grace, but also of virtue, so that we do not do anything unworthy of such a relationship. But you ask: how can one become a son of God? If you are free from all passions, and behave meekly towards offenders and offenders. So does your Father do to those who blaspheme Him. And Christ, although he often spoke about many subjects, did not say anywhere: be like your Father, but when he said: “pray for those who do evil to you and ... do good to those who hate you” (Matthew 5.44), then he also mentioned this reward for the feat. Nothing brings us closer to God and makes us like Him like this perfection. Therefore, when Paul says: “be... imitators of God” (Eph 5.1), he means exactly this. We need all good deeds, but most of all love of mankind and meekness, because we ourselves need love of mankind. Since we sin a lot every day, we need a lot of mercy. Much or little is assessed not by the quantity of what is given, but by the wealth of the giver. Let the rich man not think too much of himself, and let the poor man not be discouraged, like one who gives little, because often the poor man gives more than the rich man. As a result of poverty, you should not consider yourself unhappy, since it gives us the opportunity to give alms more conveniently. He who has a lot is held back by both arrogance and the desire to acquire more, and he who has little is freed from the torment of both of these passions, and therefore finds more opportunities to do good. He easily goes to prison, visits the sick, gives a cup of cold water, but the rich man, arrogant with his wealth, will not allow himself to do this. So, do not complain about poverty, because poverty gives you a greater opportunity to gain heaven. Even though you have nothing, you have a compassionate heart, and for this you will be rewarded. That is why Paul commanded to “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12.15) and to treat prisoners as if we were “in chains with them” (Heb. 13.3). Having many sympathizers brings some comfort not only to those who are crying, but also to those in other difficult circumstances; sometimes one word can strengthen the dejected no less than money. And God commanded to give money to those in need not only to help them in poverty, but also to teach us compassion for the misfortunes of our neighbors. And the lover of money is hated not only because he despises those living in poverty, but also because he himself gets used to cruelty and inhumanity, and he who despises money for the poor is kind because he is merciful and humane. And Christ, when he pleases the merciful, pleases and praises not just those who give monetary alms, but those who do it with a good disposition. So, let us have such zeal for works of mercy, and all good things will follow. He who has a philanthropic and merciful disposition, if he has money, will distribute it if he sees someone in misfortune, will begin to cry and shed tears if he meets an offended person, will intercede, if he finds someone in need, will give him a hand. Having a treasure of blessings - a humane and merciful soul, he will pour out from it everything necessary for the brothers and receive all the rewards prepared by God. And in order for us to achieve them, let us first of all take care to make our hearts meek. Thus, in this life we ​​will accomplish many good deeds and be worthy of future crowns, the achievement of which may it be given to all of us by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: