Беседа 14

Eph.4:25–27. Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, every one of you, to your neighbor, for we are members of one another. When you are angry, do not sin: let not the sun go down on your anger; and do not give place to the devil. The bad consequences of enmity and the way to curb it. - How to lift your tongue. - Harm from slander. 1. Having presented the general teaching about the old man, (the apostle) then depicts it in detail, because the teaching about any subject, set out in detail, is more understandable. What is he saying? “Therefore, having rejected falsehood.” What lie? Does he not understand idols? No. Although idols are a lie, we are not talking about them here, since (the Ephesians) had no communication with idols. He tells them about lying towards each other, that is, about wickedness and deception: “Tell the truth, every one of you, to your neighbor,” and presents a strong incentive for this: “for we are members of one another”; therefore let no one deceive his neighbor. The Psalmist speaks about this everywhere: “flattering lips speak from a feigned heart” (Ps. 11:3). Nothing, absolutely nothing, produces enmity as much as lies and deceit! Notice how everywhere (the apostle) shames them, pointing to (the mutual fidelity of the members of) the body. The eye, he says, does not deceive the feet, nor the foot the eyes. If, for example, there were a deep ditch, and on top of it rods were placed on the ground and covered with earth, so that the eye deceptively appeared to have solid ground here, would not (the eye) use its foot to find out whether the space below is empty, or whether there is a solid place on which one can hold on? Will the foot lie and not reveal what is? And if the eye sees a serpent or a beast, will it deceive the foot? Wouldn't he immediately let her know about this, so that, having learned this from him, she would walk carefully? In the same way, when neither the eye nor the foot has the means of recognizing a harmful poison, but everything will depend on the sense of smell, can the sense of smell lie to the lips? No way. Why? Because in this case it will destroy itself. On the contrary, as it (the sense of smell) presents itself, so it says. Does the tongue deceive the stomach? Does he not throw away what he finds disgusting and swallow what is pleasant? This is the mutual exchange of services (between members of the body). Notice how truly, and at the same time, so to speak, sincerely, this mutual warning is carried out. So we will not lie if we are members of one body. This will be a sign of our friendship, and the opposite of this will be enmity. But what can I do, they say, when so-and-so is plotting against me? Know the truth: if he creates fetters for you, then he is no longer a member (of the body). And (the apostle) said: do not deceive the member of the member. “If you are angry, do not sin.” Notice the wisdom: he talks about how we should not sin, then he does not leave those who did not listen to this instruction: this is how he values ​​​​his spiritual generation! Just as a doctor, having given instructions to a sick person regarding how he should behave, does not leave him under his care even when the patient does not fulfill his instructions, but, having convinced him to use this instruction, heals him again, Paul does the same. The doctor, who cares only about his own glory, is offended when (the sick) neglect his instructions; but whoever always cares about the health of the patient has only one thing in mind: how to get him out of bed. This is exactly what Paul is. He said: don't lie. If it happens that a lie incites someone to anger, then he offers medicine against this. What is he saying? “If you are angry, do not sin.” It's good not to be angry; but if someone falls into this passion, then, at least, not for a long time: “let the sun,” he says, “not go down on your anger.” You cannot restrain yourself from anger? Be angry for an hour, two, three; but let not the sun set, leaving us as enemies. It rose by the goodness (of the Lord), but let it not go down, shining on the unworthy. If the Lord sent him out of much of his goodness and he himself left you your sins, but you do not leave them for your neighbor, then think what a great evil this is. Moreover, other evils can come from it. Blessed Paul fears that the night, having captured a person in solitude who has suffered an offense and is still burning (with anger), will kindle the fire even more. During the day, while many things still irritate you, you are allowed to give room to anger; but when evening comes, reconcile and extinguish the evil that has arisen. If the night finds you (in anger), then the next day will not be enough to extinguish the evil that may grow in you during the night. Even if you destroy most of it, you will not be able to destroy it all, and the next night you will give the remaining fire the opportunity to intensify more. Just as the sun, if its daytime warmth is not enough to dry and purify the air, which has been filled with clouds and vapors during the night, gives rise to a thunderstorm, when the night, having captured the remainder of these vapors, adds new vapors to them, so it also happens in anger. “And do not give place to the devil.” So, to be at enmity with each other is to give room to the devil. Whereas we should unite together and rebel against him, we, having abandoned enmity against him, allow ourselves to turn on each other. Truly, nothing helps the devil to find a place among us more than enmity. 2. Thousands of evils are born from here. Just as stones, as long as they are united and do not have a void, are difficult to split, but as soon as a hole appears in them, even as small as the point of a needle, or a crack appears into which only one hair can be threaded, they fall apart and are destroyed, so it is with (attacks of) the devil. As long as we are closely united and close to each other, until then he will not be able to introduce (among us) any of his (evil slander). But when he divides us even a little, then he invades like a stormy stream. Everywhere he needs only the beginning - this is the most difficult thing for him; when the beginning is made, then he moves everything forward of his own accord. So, as soon as he opened (your) ears to slander, the liars already gain (your) trust, because (the warring ones) are guided by their hatred, (all) condemning, and not by the truth, which rightly judges. Just as in friendship you don’t want to believe even true bad rumors, so in enmity, on the contrary, false rumors are accepted as truth. Then we have a different mind, a different court, listening not with calmness, but with great passion and prejudice. Just as the lead placed on the scales weighs everything down, so does the heaviest lead weigh the weight of enmity. Therefore, I ask you, we will try in every possible way to extinguish our enmity before sunset. When you do not curb your enmity on the first and the next day, you will often continue it for a whole year, and, finally, it will intensify on its own to the point that it will no longer need anyone’s (excitement). It forces words that are spoken in one sense to be taken in another, it forces one to suspect movements and interpret everything that is for the worse, and thereby hardens and irritates (a person), making him worse than the possessed, so that he does not want to say or hear the name of the one against whom he is at enmity, but to utter (against him) all sorts of swear words. How can we soften our anger? How do we put out this flame? If we think about our own sins and how guilty we are before God; if we think that we are taking revenge not on the enemy, but on ourselves; if we think that (by enmity) we bring joy to the devil, this enemy, our true enemy, for whose sake we offend our fellow man. Do you want to be vindictive and quarrel? Be an enemy, but against the devil, not against your fellow man. This is why God gave us wrath as a weapon, so that we would not strike our own bodies with the sword, but so that we would plunge its entire edge into the chest of the devil. And this will happen when we spare each other, when we are peacefully disposed towards each other. Let me lose my money, let me ruin my glory and honor: my penis is more valuable to me than anything else. This is what we will say to each other; Let us not insult our nature in order to acquire money or gain fame. “He who stole,” he says, “do not steal in the future” (Eph. 4:28). Do you see what members the old man has? Lies, maliciousness, theft. Why didn’t he say: let the one who steals be punished, let him be subjected to torture and torment, but let him not steal? “But rather, labor, doing with your own hands what is useful, so that there will be something to give to the needy” (Eph. 4:28). Where are those who call themselves pure, who, being filled with all uncleanness, dare to call themselves so? After all, in order to remove the accusation from oneself, one must not only renounce sin, but also do something good. Look how one should atone for sins: they stole - this means committing a sin; this does not mean atone for sin; The apostle wants us not only to do, but to work, to give to others. And the one who steals does the same, but does evil. “Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth” (Eph. 4:29). What kind of word is this, “rotten”? Do you see how he cuts off the very roots of anger - lies, theft, rash speech? He said the words: “Don’t steal in advance” not so much in order to show leniency to those (who stole), but in order to instill meekness in those who suffered from this and convince them to be content with the fact that they will no longer be subjected to this. By the way, he also teaches regarding words, because we will give an answer not only for deeds, but also for words. “But only,” he says, “what is good for edification in the faith, so that it may bring grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29). That is, say only what edifies your neighbor, and nothing superfluous. 3. God gave you a mouth and a tongue so that you would thank Him and edify your neighbor. If you destroy a building, then it is better to remain silent and say nothing. And the hands of the artist, assigned to build walls, but instead learned to destroy them, would be rightly cut off. So the Psalmist says: “The Lord will destroy all flattering lips” (Ps. 11:4). The tongue is the cause of all evil, or better, not the tongue, but those who use it poorly. From here - insults, slander, blasphemy, passion for pleasure, murder, fornication, theft, everything is born from here. How, they say, do murders come from here? From an insulting word you will become angry, angry you will begin to fight, a fight is not far from murder. In what way – fornication? They will tell you that so-and-so is especially disposed towards you, she speaks highly of you; these words will shake your firmness, and then impure desires will arise in you. That is why Paul said: “only good.” Since there are a great many words, he rightly expressed himself vaguely, commanding their use, and giving a rule on how to conduct speech. What is the rule? “So that it may bring grace,” he said. In other words, say: (speak this way) so that the one listening to you will be grateful to you. For example, your brother has committed misconduct: do not revile him with offensive words, do not mock him. You will not bring any benefit to the listener, but you will definitely harm him if you insult him (with your words). If you admonish him how he should act, then you will earn great gratitude from him. If you teach him to have kind lips, teach him not to slander, then you will teach him a lot and earn his gratitude. If you talk to him about repentance, about modesty, about almsgiving, all this will soften his soul. For all this he will express his gratitude to you. If you excite laughter, utter an obscene word, and even more so if you praise vice, then you will upset and ruin everything. This is how one can understand the words (of the apostle). Or these words mean: to make them (those who listen) blessed. After all, just as ointment gives grace to those anointed with it, so does a good word. That is why someone said: “Your name is like spilled ointment” (Song. 1:2). It (the good word) fills (the listeners) with its fragrance. Do you see: what he instills everywhere, he speaks about this even now, when he commands everyone to edify their neighbor to the best of their ability? So, exhorting others to do this, much more (predispose) yourself. “And do not grieve,” he says, “the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 4:30). These are words that lead to fear and horror, which (the apostle) repeats in his letter to the Thessalonians. And there he expressed something similar, saying: “So he who is disobedient is not subject to man, but to God” (1 Thess. 4:8). So it is here: if you say an offensive word, if you upset your brother, you will not upset him, but you will offend the Holy Spirit. At the same time, (the apostle) also points to the good deed (received from the Holy Spirit), so that the accusation would be even stronger: “And do not grieve,” he says, “the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed on the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). He (the Holy Spirit) made us the queen's pasture, freed us from all previous (evils), did not leave us among those who are subject to the wrath of God, and - do you insult Him? Look at the fear there (instilled): “So, the disobedient one,” he says, “is disobedient not to man, but to God,” and here he shames with the words: “And do not offend the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you are sealed.” Let these words lie like a seal on your lips; do not destroy these signs. Mouths sealed by the Spirit do not utter anything like that (indecent). Don’t say: it doesn’t matter if I say a bad word, if I offend this or that. That is why this is a great evil, because you consider it insignificant. An evil that is considered insignificant is easily neglected, and if left neglected it grows stronger, and when it gets stronger, it becomes incurable. Are your lips sealed with the Spirit? Remember what word you uttered now, after your birth, remember the dignity of your lips. Do you call God your Father and at the same time revile your brother? Think about why you call God your Father. (Is it because He is the Father) by nature? But therefore you could not (call Him that). For virtue? No, and not for that. Why? By one love for mankind (of God), by His mercy, by His great mercy. So, when you call God Father, then keep in mind not only that by insulting (your brother), you are acting unworthy of this nobility, but also that you have this nobility due to the goodness (of God). Do not disgrace your nobility, which you yourself received by grace, by cruel treatment of your brothers. Do you call God your Father and insult (your neighbor)? This is not characteristic of the son of God! The business of the son of God is to forgive his enemies, to pray for his crucifiers, to shed blood for those who hate him. This is what is worthy of the son of God: to make your enemies, the ungrateful, the thieves, the shameless, the treacherous, your brothers and heirs, and not to insult your brothers like slaves. 4. Think about what words your lips have uttered, what kind of meal they are rewarded with; think about what they touch, what they eat, what food they take. Do you think that by slandering your brother you are not committing an important crime? How, then, do you call him brother? And if he is not your brother, then how can you say: “Our Father”? After all, the word “our” indicates a plurality of persons. Think about who you stand with during the mysteries: with the cherubim, with the seraphim. Seraphim do not slander, but their lips have only one occupation - to glorify and glorify God. How will you say with them: “Holy, holy, holy,” after you have uttered slander with your lips? Tell me: if the royal vessel, which was always filled with royal dishes and designated for such use, was used by one of the servants for uncleanness, would he then dare to again put this one filled with uncleanliness along with other vessels used at the royal table? Not at all. Such is slander, such is insult (of one’s neighbor)! "Our Father". And is that the same thing you say? Consider also the following words: “he who is in heaven.” Now you said: “Our Father who art in heaven,” and these words aroused you, inspired your thoughts, inspired you to believe that you have a Father in heaven. Don’t do anything, don’t say anything earthly. They elevated you to the highest rank, added you to the heavenly face. Why are you throwing yourself down? You stand before the Royal throne and utter slander! Are you not afraid that the Tsar will consider your action an insult to himself? When a slave, before our eyes, strikes another slave and reviles him, then, even if he did it rightfully, we immediately retaliate, taking such an act as an insult to ourselves; and you, placed together with the cherubim before the throne of the King, revile your brother? Do you see these holy vessels? They have one purpose: who would dare to use them for another? And you are holier than them and much more holy: why do you defile yourself and stain yourself with dirt? Do you stand in heaven and indulge in slander? Do you live with angels and speak evil? Have you been rewarded with the kiss of the Lord, and are you uttering slander? God has adorned your lips with so many angelic songs, deigned them to be not angelic, but beyond angelic - His kiss and His embrace, and do you indulge in slander? Leave it alone, please. Such behavior produces great disasters and is not characteristic of the Christian soul. Have we really not convinced you with our words, have we not shamed you? In this case, it is necessary to intimidate you. Listen to what Christ says: “Whoever says to his brother, ‘You fool,’ will be subject to fiery hell” (Matthew 5:22). So, if he threatens Gehenna to the one who says the easiest (of offensive words), then what does the one who utters more daring reproaches deserve? Let us teach our lips good speech. From this comes great benefit, and from slander comes great harm. There is no need to spend money here, we will only put a door and a lock (to our lips), we will reproach ourselves as soon as an offensive word leaves our tongue, we will beg God, we will beg the one who has been offended by us, so that we do not suffer innocently - after all, we have upset ourselves, not him - we will turn to medicine, to prayer and to reconciliation with the offended. If we must observe such caution in words, then even more so in deeds we will be strict with ourselves. Will it be your friends, or will it be someone else whom you have slandered and reviled, apologize to them and ask them to punish you. Let us at least know that slander is a sin. If we know this, we will sooner leave him behind. May the God of peace preserve your mind and tongue and protect you with a strong wall - His fear, in Christ Jesus and our Lord, with Whom glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit. You might be interested in: