Беседа 11

1 Timothy 3:8–10. Deacons must also be honest, not double-tongued, not addicted to wine, not selfish, keeping the sacrament of faith in a clear conscience. And such people must first be tested, then, if they are blameless, they must be allowed to serve. Responsibilities of deacons. - How to use money. 1. Having spoken about bishops and drawn their image, and shown what they should have and what they should avoid, (the apostle) lowers the order of presbyters and moves on to deacons. Why is this so? Because the distance between presbyters and bishops is small. And the first also received the gift of teaching and are also the primates of the Church - therefore, the same thing that he said about bishops applies to presbyters. The former alone (the right to perform) ordination are superior to the latter, and in this alone lies their visible advantage over the elders. "Deacons too". That is, they should have the same thing. What exactly is this? To be blameless, chaste, hospitable, meek, not quarrelsome, not lovers of money. And what he said: “also”, wanting to see them like that, he points to this when he says further: “honest, not bilingual”, that is, unsmart and unsophisticated. Indeed, nothing makes a person more dishonest than cunning, and nothing does so much harm in the Church as cunning. “Not addicted to wine, not greedy, keeping the sacrament of faith in a clear conscience.” By this he shows what it means to be blameless. Look, however, what he says here too: not one of the converts. The expression: “even such people must first be tested” means the same as what he said about bishops; in this way it shows the (internal) connection, because there is nothing in between. That’s why he used the expression there too: not converts. Is it not, in fact, reckless, in a private house, to entrust a newly purchased slave with any household work before he, as a result of a long trial, presents evidence of his disposition, but in the Church of God, one who has entered from outside is immediately placed among the most noble? Wives, that is, deaconesses, “should be honest, not slanderers, 6 sober, faithful in everything.” (1 Timothy 3:11). Some believe that this is simply said about women; but it's unfair. What, in fact, could he mean by inserting a few words about women in the middle of his speech? He speaks here about such women who are endowed with the title of deaconesses. “A deacon must be the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:12). It was appropriate to say this about women deaconesses, since this (title) is very necessary, useful and worthy of respect in the Church. “A deacon,” he says, “must be the husband of one wife.” Do you see that he demands the same virtue from deacons? Although they are not equal in rank to the bishop, they must be just as blameless, just as pure. “He rules well over his children and his household. For those who have served well prepare for themselves the highest degree and great boldness in the faith in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 3:12-13). Everywhere he talks about managing children so that others do not have a reason to be tempted. “For those who have served well,” he says, “are preparing for themselves the highest degree, that is, perfection and great boldness in the faith in Christ Jesus.” He seems to say this: those who have shown themselves to be sober in the lower (degrees) will soon reach the rest. “I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon, so that if I delay, you will know how you ought to act in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:14-15). So that, when giving instructions regarding such subjects, the disciple would not be plunged into sorrow, (the apostle) says: I am not writing this because I will no longer come to you; on the contrary, I will come; If it happens that I slow down, then, he says, don’t worry about it. Thus, he writes this to Timothy with the aim of alleviating his grief, and to others - to raise them up (from inactivity) and make them more zealous, since his presence, even if it was only promised, could do a lot. However, do not be surprised that (the apostle), foreseeing everything in spirit, reveals ignorance when he says: “I hope to come to you soon, if I delay,” because this is characteristic of someone who does not know. Since he was led by the Spirit and did nothing of his own free will that he did, he probably did not know this either. “So that,” he says, you know how you should act in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (Consequently, this church) is not the same as the previous, Jewish one. Faith and preaching are encompassed by this, because the truth is the pillar and foundation of the Church. “And unquestioningly,” he says, “the great mystery of piety: God appeared in the flesh, justified Himself in Spirit" (1 Tim. 3:16). That is, the economy of our salvation. Do not speak to me about the bells, nor about the holy of holies, nor about the high priest: Think about the mystery, and trembling will take hold of you: this is a mystery, and a great one, and an indisputable mystery, and cannot be sought, since it is beyond all doubt. (the apostle), talking about the priests, did not say anything that is said in the book of Leviticus, then he raises it to another subject and says: “God appeared in the flesh,” that is, he says, the Creator was visible in the flesh, “Justified Himself in the Spirit.” By this he says that wisdom was justified from his sons, or that (Jesus Christ) did not act flatteringly, as the prophet said: “for he committed no sin, neither was there any deceit in his mouth” (Is. 53:9). “He showed himself to the angels” (1 Tim. 3:16). Consequently, the angels saw the Son of God together with us, but they had not seen Him before. Truly a great mystery. “Preached to the nations, accepted by faith in the world.” All over the universe they heard about Him and believed in Him. The prophet also points to this when he says: “There is no language, and there is no speech where their voice is not heard” (Ps. 18:4). Don't think that these are just words that have no meaning. No, they are not like that, on the contrary, they are full of hidden meaning. He ascended in glory, that is, on the clouds. “This Jesus,” it is said, “who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven.” (Acts 1:11). Pay attention to the prudence of blessed Paul. Wanting to instruct those who were awarded the deaconate so that they would not indulge too much in wine, he did not say: do not (should) get drunk, but: “Do not be addicted to wine.” And rightly so, because if those who entered the sanctuary did not touch the wine at all, then even more so they should not have done so. Wine, he says, produces insanity and, even if it does not cause intoxication, weakens the strength of the strength of the soul and leads it to distraction. Notice that everywhere he calls the economy of our salvation a mystery. And rightly so, because it is not known to all people; or rather, it was not even revealed to the angels; otherwise how would it be revealed through the Church? Therefore he says: “And unquestioningly is the great mystery of piety.” And it is truly great - because God became Man and man God, sinless man appeared, man ascended, was preached in the world; The angels saw Him with us. Therefore it is a mystery. Therefore, let us not reveal the secret, let us not divulge it everywhere, let us live in accordance with the dignity of this secret. Those who are entrusted with secrets are, in a sense, great people. If the king entrusted us with some secret, then tell me, would we not consider this a sign of great favor towards us? Meanwhile, now God entrusts His secret to us, and we, as if this good deed was not great, remain ungrateful to the Benefactor. Let us tremble (realizing) that we remain insensitive to this benefit. This is a secret that everyone has learned, or, better to say, which not everyone knew before, but now it has become known to everyone. 2. Let us therefore become trustworthy guardians of the secret. He entrusted us with such a great secret, but we do not even entrust our acquisitions to Him. While He himself says: put them with Me, no one will be able to snatch them, neither moth nor thief will harm them, and promises to reward a hundred times more - we do not listen. If we had deposited our property with someone, we would not have received anything more back. On the contrary, we should feel grateful if we get back everything we put in. Meanwhile, here, even if a thief stole, he says: This is blamed on me; I won’t tell you: a thief took it away, or a moth ate it. Here He rewards a hundredfold, and there, in addition, He grants eternal life - and despite this, no one puts (his acquisitions) in storage. But He is too slow, you might say, to reward me. This is precisely what serves as the greatest sign of His generosity, that it is not here, in this corruptible life, that He rewards us; It’s better to say, and here he repays a hundredfold. In fact, tell me: didn’t Paul leave his chisel here? Or Peter's cane and fishing rod? Or Mytnitsa Matthew? Was not the whole universe more open to them than to kings? Didn’t they lay all their acquisitions at their feet? Were they not made the stewards and rulers of everything? Didn’t they even entrust their souls to them? Didn’t you make yourself completely dependent on their will? Wasn't everyone registered as their slave? And even today, don’t we see a lot of similar things happening? In fact, often many, (coming from) a low and little-respected rank, only with a hoe in their hands, and not even being abundantly endowed with the necessary food, having only the name of a monk, became more famous than anyone else and were honored by the kings. Is it unimportant? But think that this constitutes an increase; and the main thing is prepared for the next century. Despise acquisitions if you want to acquire acquisitions. If you want to get rich, become poor. Such are the wonderful works of God. He does not want you to be rich through your own efforts, but through His grace. Leave this to Me, He says, and you take care of the spiritual, so that you will recognize My power; run away from slavery and the yoke of acquisitions. You are poor as long as you are attached to them; when you begin to neglect them, you will become doubly rich - both because they will flock to you from all sides, and because you will not need what many (need). After all, to be rich does not mean to acquire a lot, but not to need much, so if there is a need, then the king is no different from the beggar. Poverty consists of the fact that we need others. Thus, for this reason, the king can be called a beggar, since he needs his subjects; But this is not the way of the One who was nailed to the cross: he lacks nothing; His hands are sufficient for His sustenance. “These hands have served my needs,” says (the apostle), “and the needs of those who were with me” (Acts 20:34). This was said by the one who in another place said: “We are poor, but we make many rich” (2 Cor. 6:10), - the one who was counted as God in Lystra. If you want to acquire worldly goods, look for heaven. If you want to enjoy the present, despise it. “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Why are you surprised by what is unimportant? Why do you crave something that is not even worth talking about? How long will you remain poor? Until when beggars? Look at the sky, think about the wealth that is found there, laugh at gold, learn how to use it. We use it only in the present, only in real life, which is vague like sand, or better, like a drop in comparison with the boundless abyss, then real life in comparison with the future. This does not constitute acquisition, but only use; this does not constitute true possession: otherwise why, when you are near death, do others take everything that you have (regardless of whether you want it or not), and again pass it on to others, and these again to others? We are all aliens. The owner of the house, perhaps, is more likely to be the one who rents the house. Often, when the former dies, the latter stays and uses the house for a longer time. If the latter (uses it) for a certain fee, then the first for a fee, since he created, worked, arranged. Possession exists only in name, but in reality we are all owners of someone else's property. What we send there belongs only to us. And what is here is not ours, but those who live, or better, even when we live, it leaves us. That which belongs only to us is what constitutes our spiritual deeds, namely, alms and philanthropy. And the rest is also called external by outsiders, since it exists outside of us. Let us therefore try to make this an internal property. We do not have the opportunity to leave with money, but we can leave by taking alms. We will send her there most of all, in order to prepare for ourselves a dwelling in the eternal abodes. 3. The name of money comes from use, not from possession; and property itself consists of use, not domination. In fact, tell me: how many owners did each field belong to, and how many more will it belong to? There is one very wise saying - you shouldn’t neglect folk sayings when they contain some wise thought. O field, they say how many masters you have had, and how many more you will have! The same should be said about houses and money. Virtue alone can accompany us; virtue alone passes into the future life. Therefore, let us free ourselves and extinguish our addiction to money in order to ignite within ourselves the desire for heavenly things. After all, these two aspirations cannot be combined in one soul. “For either one,” they say, “will be hated, and the other loved; or he will be zealous for one and neglectful of the other” (Matthew 6:24). Do you see, tell me, a man who has a large retinue, proudly walking through the square, dressed in silk clothes, riding a horse, stretching his neck? Don't be amazed, but laugh at him. Just as you laugh when you see children pretending to be bosses in games, so laugh here too. One is no different from the other; The first is then more pleasant, because it is a consequence of childhood and is associated with the greatest simplicity. There is laughter and pleasure. And there the person becomes funny and full of shamelessness. Praise God for delivering you from such a spectacle and such arrogance. If you wish, then you who walk on the earth will be higher than the one who sits on a chariot. How? So that his body rose a little from the ground, but his soul clung (to the ground): “my flesh stuck,” it is said, “to my bones” (Ps. 102:6); and you are rushing in heaven with your mind. But he has numerous servants who clear his way? So what more honor is there for him than for a horse? What could be more unreasonable than to disperse people so that an animal can pass more freely? But to ride on a horse? is it honorable for the horse? However, the servants also take part in this. Meanwhile, there are those who are so blinded that, without any need, they force their servants to walk behind them. What's more meaningless than that? They want to gain fame through horses, precious clothes and companions. What is more insignificant than such glory, which consists of horses and servants? If you are virtuous, do not seek anything like this: wear your own attire and do not adorn yourself with the presence of others. Dishonest, vicious, and ignorant people, and all those richly endowed with wealth, can have this. Both jesters and dancers ride horses; and a servant also goes before them. And, despite this, they remain jesters and dancers, and do not become more worthy of respect through horses and servants. When such people do not have any virtue in their souls, then in vain and without benefit we would begin to apply anything from the outside. And just as a half-destroyed wall or a decayed body, no matter what you put on it, they would remain ugly and decayed, so here, the soul does not receive any benefit from external blessings, but remains the same as before, even if you surrounded it with countless golden decorations. Let us not be surprised at all this, let us leave what is temporary and cling to what is better, spiritual, to what truly makes us worthy of respect, so that we may be worthy to receive future blessings (about Christ Jesus, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen). These conversations were delivered by the saint, probably in Antioch around 397. Instead of: slanderer, Chrysostom reads: bilingual. You might be interested in: