Беседа 33

Hebrews 12:28–29. So we, having received an unshakable kingdom, will keep grace, with which we will serve God acceptably, with reverence and fear, because our God is a consuming fire. 1. Just as in another place (the apostle) says: “What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18), and from here he takes consolation in the disasters to which we are subjected in this life, so he acts exactly here, and says: “Let us keep grace,” i.e. Let us thank God, let us be strong. We must not only not grumble in present disasters, but also give God the greatest gratitude for them for the sake of future blessings. “By which we will serve God pleasingly,” that is, then we serve God pleasingly when we thank Him for everything. “Do everything,” he says, “without murmuring or doubting” (Phil. 2:14). No matter what deeds a person who grumbles does, he is humiliated and loses his reward, like the Israelites - and you know what kind of punishment they suffered for grumbling. Therefore, do not complain, says (the apostle). It is impossible to serve (God) pleasingly without giving Him gratitude for everything - both for temptations and for consolations. “With reverence and fear,” that is, we will not say anything impudent, nothing shameless, but we will arrange ourselves in such a way as to earn respect; This is what the words mean: “with reverence and fear... Let brotherly love remain among you. Do not forget your love of hospitality, for through it some, unknowingly, showed hospitality to angels” (Heb. 13:1-2). Look how (the apostle) commands them to keep what they already had, and does not add anything else; he did not say: be brotherly loving, but: “Let brotherly love remain among you”; did not say: be hospitable, as if they were not like that, but: “Don’t forget your hobbies,” because this could happen from sorrows. Then he adds something that could especially encourage them: “for through him some,” he says, “unknowingly, showed hospitality to the Angels.” Do you see what an honor, what a benefit? What does it mean: “without knowing”? They entertained (the angels) without knowing it. For this Abraham received a great reward because he entertained the angels, not knowing that they were angels; and if he had known, it would not be at all surprising. Some think that (the apostle) means Lot here and says this about him. “Remember the prisoners, as if you were in bonds with them, and the suffering, as you yourself are in the body. Let marriage be honorable in all, and the bed of fornicators and adulterers shall be judged by God. Have a disposition that does not love money, being content with what you have" (Heb. 13:3-5). And before he said: “Try to have peace and holiness with everyone”; and again: “lest there be any fornicator or wicked man among you” (Heb. 12:14, 16); and now he says: “God will judge the fornicators and adulterers.” Moreover, everywhere the prohibition is combined with the threat of punishment, and - pay attention here - exactly how. “Try,” he says, “to have peace with everyone and holiness,” and adds: “without which no one will see the Lord”; and here: “God judges fornicators and adulterers”; He said in advance: “Let everyone’s marriage be honest and the bed undefiled,” and then he added the threat of punishment, showing that he rightly made a further increase. After all, if marriage is permitted, then the fornicator is justly punished and the adulterer is justly tortured. Here he directs his speech against heretics. Moreover, he did not say: no one should be a fornicator, but, having already said this once before, he adds it as a general commandment, without directing it directly against them. “Have a disposition that does not love money, being content with what you have.” He did not say: do not acquire anything, but: “Have a disposition that does not love money,” i.e. let your mind be free, let your thoughts express wisdom; and this will be revealed if we do not look for what is superfluous, if we are satisfied only with what is necessary. Above he said: “and they accepted the plunder of your goods with joy” (Heb. 10:34); and here he exhorts not to be lovers of money; “being content,” he says, “with what we have.” He further adds consolation here so that they do not despair: “So we say boldly: The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear: what will man do to me?” ( Heb. 13:6 ). Here again is consolation in temptations! “Remember those who teach you” (Heb. 13:7). He tried to instill this above when he said: “Try to have peace and holiness with everyone”; He commanded the same to the Thessalonians when he told them to honor their teachers “with love” (1 Thessalonians 5:13). “Remember your teachers, who preached the word of God to you, and, considering the end of their lives, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7). What is the sequence of thoughts here? Very good; looking, he says, at their “lives,” that is, at life, imitate their faith, because faith comes from a pure life. Or does he call faith here a firm conviction. How? They, he says, firmly believed in the future, and therefore led an excellent life; they would not have led a pure life if they doubted or hesitated about the future. He inspires the same thing here. “Jesus Christ yesterday and today and forever The same: Do not be carried away by different and strange teachings; for it is good to strengthen the hearts by grace, and not by foods from which those who practice them have not benefited” (Heb. 13:8-9). 2. Here the word: “yesterday” (apostle) means all past time; the word: “today” means the present; in a word: “forever” - the future, without end. And the meaning of his words is as follows: you heard the high priest, but the high priest is not temporary; He is always the same. Perhaps then some said that the Crucified is not the expected Christ, but another will come; therefore he says: “yesterday and today and forever,” expressing that the Christ who came again will come, that He is the same and was before, and is, and will be forever centuries. And now the Jews say that another (Christ) will come; they, having rejected the one who has come, will give themselves up to the Antichrist. “Do not be carried away by different and alien teachings”; he wants them not to be carried away not only by strange, but also by different teachings; he knew that from both of them comes destruction for those who are drawn away. Here he alludes to those who prescribe rules regarding food. For faith, everything is pure; “We have an altar, from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat” (Heb. 13:10). What we have, he says, is not like the Jews, so that even the high priest (Jewish) is not allowed to participate in our (sacraments). When he said: do not observe (the teaching about food), he apparently refuted his own actions; therefore he again turns to the same thing. And we, they will say, don’t we observe this? We observe, and very strictly, so that even the (Jewish) priests are not allowed to participate in our (sacraments). “Since the bodies of animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest to cleanse sin, are burned outside the camp, Jesus also, in order to sanctify the people with His blood, suffered outside the gates” (Heb. 13:11-12). Do you see a clear prototype? There, he says, “outside the camp”; and here “outside the gate.” Just as the sacrifices offered for sins were a certain type and were burned outside the camp, so Jesus, who offered Himself for our sins, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, we must imitate the One who suffered for us, and be outside the world, or, better, outside the affairs of the world. This (the apostle) further expresses: “Let us therefore go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb. 13:13), i.e., enduring the same thing, participating in His sufferings. Just as He, being condemned, was crucified outside the gates, so we will not be ashamed to withdraw from the world; this is suggested (by the apostle) with the words: “outside the camp,” and “outside the gates.” “For we have no here,” he says, “a permanent city, but we are looking for the future. Therefore, through Him let us continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that glorify His name” (Heb. 13:14–15). “Through him,” that is, as a high priest, in relation to the flesh. “Glorifying His name”: as if he says: if we must confess Him, then we will not say anything blasphemous, nothing shameful, nothing reckless, nothing arrogant; but we will do everything and speak with fear and reverence. He says this not without reason, but because he knew about their suffering; and in suffering the soul despairs and is irritated. Here (the apostle) again says the same thing that he said above in the words: “Let us not forsake assembling ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). In this way we will be able to do everything with fear; Often, being ashamed of people, we abstain from many bad things. “Do not forget also to do good and to communicate for others, for such sacrifices are acceptable to God” (Heb. 13:16) 3. Thus spoke Paul then; So I say now, and I speak not only to the brothers present, but also to those who are absent. No one has taken your property; and if something is taken away, then show kindness from the rest. What excuse will we have when this was said to the listeners (of Paul) after their property had been plundered? And note: here he says: “Do not forget also charity”; and above he said: “Don’t forget your love of strangers,” meaning not something different, but expressing the same thing in different ways. He didn’t say: don’t forget strangeness, but: “love of strangeness,” i.e. do not just receive strangers, but with love. And he did not point to the future and upcoming reward, so that they would not again become careless, but (pointed) to the reward that had already been given: “for through him some, he says, without knowing, showed hospitality to the Angels.” However, let's turn to the above. “Let everyone’s marriage,” he says, “be honest and the bed undefiled.” Why is marriage fair? Because it keeps the believer in chastity. Here (the apostle) means the Jews, who considered the marriage bed unclean and said that anyone who rises from the bed is unclean. No, reckless and insensitive Jew, it is not bad that comes from nature, but that which comes from the will. If marriage is honest, then it is pure: how do you think that (a person) is defiled by it? “Have a disposition,” he says, “not a lover of money.” Since many, having squandered property, then try to acquire it under the pretext of alms, he says: “Have a disposition that does not love money,” that is, we will seek only what is necessary and necessary. What do you say if we don’t have this too? No no; (the Lord) himself said, and he said it truthfully: “I will not leave you nor forsake you, so we boldly say: The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid: what will man do to me?” . It’s as if (the apostle) says this: you received a promise from (God) himself - do not doubt; He promised himself, don’t hesitate. The words: “I will not leave you and will not forsake you” are spoken not only about property, but also about everything else. “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear: what will man do to me?” Not in vain, he quotes the words of the prophet; with them he imprints his words so that (the listeners) will be more encouraged and not despair. Let us also say the same in all temptations and not be embarrassed by human affairs; if God favors us, then no one will overcome us. Just as when He opposes us, there will be no benefit, even if everyone were our friends, so when He is disposed towards us, there will be no harm, even if everyone rebelled against us. That is why it is said: “I will not be afraid: what will man do to me? Remember your teachers, who preached the word of God to you.” Here, it seems to me, he is talking about mutual assistance; This is precisely the meaning of the words: “who preached the word of God to you, and, looking at the end of their lives, imitate their faith.” What does it mean: “looking”? Constantly turning to that, reasoning within ourselves, reflecting, carefully examining and testing, as you please. He said well: “to the end of their life,” that is, life to the end, because their life had a good end. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The meaning of these words is as follows: do not think that (Christ), who then performed miracles, now does not perform miracles; He is the same; and if He is the same, then there is no time when He cannot do the same. Perhaps this is what (the apostle) meant when he said: “Remember your teachers.” “Do not get carried away by different and alien teachings,” i.e. contrary to what you heard from us. “Different”, i.e. varied; such teachings do not have anything solid in themselves, but there are disagreements, especially regarding differences in food. That’s why he directly points out this, continuing: “It is good to strengthen hearts with grace, and not with food.” Such teachings are different; such teachings are strange. Here he condemns them for superstitiously distinguishing between foods and shows that from such observance they fell into heterodoxy and were carried away by various and strange teachings. And note: he does not dare to say this directly, but says covertly: ““Do not get carried away by different and alien teachings”; and: “It is good to strengthen hearts with grace, and not with food”; this is almost the same as Christ said: “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a person” (Matthew 15:11). He proves that faith is everything; if it strengthens, then the heart is safe. Faith strengthens, but reason shakes, because faith is contrary to reason. “From which,” he says, “those who practiced them received no benefit.” What is the use, tell me, of such a distinction? Doesn't it cause more harm? Doesn’t it plunge such (a person) into sin? If there is anything to beware of, then it is something from which those who are on guard can benefit. It is good to beware of evil, to maintain a right heart, reverence for God, and right faith. “From which,” he says, “those who practiced them received no benefit,” i.e. have always observed this. One observance is commendable - abstinence from sin. And what good is it when some are so unclean that they cannot partake of the sacrifices? Nothing saves them, although they try to keep themselves (from certain foods); this will not help them at all, because they have no faith. Further (the apostle) reveals the transformative sacrifice and turns his speech to the prototype: “just as the bodies of animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest to cleanse sin, are burned outside the camp, so Jesus, in order to sanctify people with His Blood, suffered outside the gates.” Consequently, the former was a type of the latter, and thus Christ fulfilled everything by suffering outside (the gate). Here also (the apostle) expresses that (Christ) suffered voluntarily; proves that those sacrifices were not simply established, but were some kind of prototype, and that the dispensation itself was not completed without suffering, but the blood (of Christ) was ascended to heaven. 4. Do you see that we partake of the blood that is brought into the holy, the true holy, we partake of the sacrifice that one high priest used? In this way we become familiar with the truth. We do not participate in the reproach (of Christ), but we participate in what is holy. Reproach is the reason for sanctification, and just as He endured reproach, so (we must endure) us. Therefore, we will become His partners if we go out to Him. What does it mean: “let us go out to Him”? Let us be partakers of His sufferings; we will endure His reproach. It was not in vain that He suffered outside the gates, but so that we too would take His cross, remain outside the world and try to remain there. He was reviled as a criminal; so will we. “Through Him let us continually offer sacrifice to God.” What sacrifice is he talking about? He himself explains this when he says: “the fruit of lips that glorify His name,” that is, prayers, songs, thanksgiving; it is the fruit of the lips. They brought sheep and oxen, giving them to the priest; we will not offer anything like that, but gratitude and imitation of Christ in everything possible: this is what should grow from our lips! “Do not forget also to do good and be sociable, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Let us offer Him, he says, such a sacrifice that He will lift it up to the Father; she is not exalted except by the Son, or, better said, by the contrite heart. All this speaks thus to the listeners, who were still very weak; and it is known that grace also belongs to the Son: otherwise why is equal honor attributed to Him (with the Father)? “That all may honor the Son,” says (Scripture), “as they honor the Father” (John 5:23). And how will equal honor be given to them if with the glorification of the Father the Son is not glorified along with him? If “the fruit of lips glorifying His name” consists in gratitude to Him for everything, and for the fact that He suffered for us, then we will endure everything with gratitude, whether illness, or poverty, or anything else happens to us, because He alone knows what is good for us. “For we do not know,” says (the apostle), “what to pray for as we ought” (Rom. 8:26). If we do not know what to ask when we are not taught by the Spirit, then how can we know what is good for us? So, let us try to give Him gratitude for everything, and courageously endure everything that happens to us. Whether we fall into poverty or illness, we will give thanks; if they slander us, we will give thanks; whether we suffer, we will give thanks. This brings us closer to God; through this God becomes our debtor. And when we prosper, then we ourselves become debtors and respondents before God; sometimes, and often, this serves to condemn us, while sometimes it serves to cleanse our sins. That (disaster) disposes to mercy and philanthropy; and this (prosperity) leads to arrogance, plunges into carelessness, makes one arrogant and relaxes. That is why the prophet says: “It is good for me, Lord, that I suffered in order to learn Your statutes” (Ps. 119:71). When Hezekiah received blessings and was free from disasters, then his heart became proud; and when he fell into illness, then he humbled himself, then he became close to God. “When He killed them,” says (Scripture about the Jews), “they sought Him and turned, and from early morning they ran to God” (Ps. 77:34). On the contrary, when “he became fat, fat and fat, (then) he left God” (Deut. 32:15); The Lord is known when He executes judgment. The greatest good is sorrow. The path (to heaven) is narrow; grief moves us along this narrow path; but he who does not endure tribulation cannot enter. He who indulges in sorrow on this narrow path also receives consolation; but whoever loves breadth does not enter into it, or suffers, as if being pushed by force. Listen to how Paul entered this narrow path. “I pacify and enslave,” he says, “my body” (1 Cor. 9:27). He killed his body in order to be able to enter (that path); therefore, in all his sufferings, he constantly thanked God. If you lost property, this greatly reduced the breadth (of your path). If you lost glory, it was also breadth. If you were subjected to slander, do they believe what was said on you, but what you yourself are not aware of - rejoice and be glad. “Blessed are you,” said (the Lord), “when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly for My sake, rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12). Paul wanted to be freed from them and often prayed to God, but did not receive this: “three times” precisely means often. “Three times I prayed to the Lord to remove him from me. But the Lord said to me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”" (2 Cor. 12:8-9). By weakness here we mean sorrows. So? Having heard this, he endured them with gratitude and said: “Therefore I am content with my weaknesses” (2 Cor. 12:10), that is, I rejoice, I find pleasure in sorrows. So, let us give thanks for everything, both for comfort and for sorrow; let us not grumble, let us not be ungrateful. seek glory; you entered into life lacking not only wealth, but also fame and honor. Imagine how much evil often comes from wealth; or, better yet, listen to what Christ says: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). Do you see to what benefits wealth is an obstacle; but you want to get rich, and are you not happy, being in poverty, that this obstacle has been destroyed? So narrow is the path leading to the kingdom (of heaven); so wealth is widespread, burdensome and embarrassing! That is why (the Lord) said: “Sell your possessions” so that you can enter this path (Matthew 19:21). Why do you want wealth? This is why God deprived you of it, in order to save you from slavery. So the native fathers, seeing that their son is being corrupted by some harlot and no admonitions convince him to leave her, drive the harlot away. Such is the abundance of wealth. Therefore, the Lord, caring for us and wanting to save us from the harm resulting from this, deprives us of wealth. Let us not consider poverty an evil; evil is only sin. Equally, wealth in itself is not a good thing; One good thing is to please God. So let us desire poverty, let us seek it. In this way we will reach heaven and receive heavenly blessings, of which may we all be worthy by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: