Беседа 34

Hebrews 13:17. Obey your teachers and be submissive, for they are vigilantly watching over your souls, as those who must give an account; so that they do this with joy, and not sighing, for this is not good for you. 1. Anarchy is evil everywhere, the cause of many disasters, the beginning of disorder and confusion; especially in the Church, the more dangerous its power is, the greater and higher it is. If you remove its leader from the choir, the choir will not be in order and agree; if you take away the leader from a detachment of warriors, then their actions will not be carried out in harmony and order; if you deprive a ship of a helmsman, then you will sink the ship, and so it is here: if the flock does not have a shepherd, then everything will be distorted and destroyed. Anarchy is evil and the cause of confusion; but no less evil is the disobedience of subordinates, since the same thing happens from it. A people that does not obey a leader is the same as a people that does not have one, and perhaps even worse; there (those without a boss) can be excused for disorder, but here (those who have it) are inexcusable and worthy of punishment. But, someone will say, there is a third evil - when the boss is bad. I know; This is no small evil, and even much greater than lack of leadership, because it is better not to be governed by anyone than to be governed by a bad boss. In the first case, the people are sometimes exposed to danger, and sometimes saved; in the latter, he is always in danger and is drawn into the abyss. Why does Paul say: “Obey your leaders and be submissive”? He said above: “and considering the end of their lives, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7); and then he says: “Obey your teachers and be submissive.” What, you say, when (the boss) is bad, then there is no need to obey him? Not good, in what sense are you saying? If in relation to faith, then run away from him and do not communicate with him, even if he were not only a man, but even an angel who descended from heaven; if in relation to life, then don’t worry about it. I will give you an example not from myself, but from Divine Scripture. Listen to what Christ says: “The scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses.” Having previously said a lot of accusatory things about them, He then says: “The scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses; So whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do; But do not walk according to their works” (Matthew 23:2-3). They have, he says, dignity, but are unclean in life. And you pay attention not to life, but to their words; no one will receive harm from the behavior of (others). Why? Because it is obvious to everyone, and such (a person), even if he was bad a thousand times, will never teach something bad. But shortcomings regarding faith are not obvious to everyone, and a bad person in this regard will not be ashamed to teach (others). Also, the words: “Judge not, lest ye be judged” (Matt. 7:1), refer to life, and not to faith, as the following show: “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye” (Matt. 7:3)? “Whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do” refers to activity, not faith, “but do not walk according to their works.” Do you see that we are not talking about dogmas here, but about life and deeds? However, Paul first introduced them from the outside (dignity), and then says: “Obey your teachers and be submissive, for they are vigilantly watching over your souls, as those who are obliged to give an account.” Let not only subordinates, but also superiors listen, that just as subordinates must be obedient, so superiors must be vigilant and vigilant. What are you saying? The boss is awake, bringing danger upon his own head, subject to punishment for your sins, experiencing such fear because of you, and you are lazy, reluctant, vain and do not want to obey! That is why (the apostle) adds: “so that they do this with joy, and not sighing, for this is not good for you.” Do you see that a boss, if he is neglected, should not take revenge, but his tears and sighs serve as the best revenge? And fair enough. Likewise, a doctor, encountering disrespect from a patient, should not take revenge, but cry and sigh. If your boss sighs, then God will avenge you, because if, by groaning over our sins, we win God over, then how much more by sighing over the pride of others and the contempt from them? Do you see that He will not allow the boss to endure insults? Do you see what wisdom there is? One who is disrespected, despised, and spat on should sigh. But even a subordinate, do not dare to think that you will not be revenged; the groaning (of the boss) is worse than any revenge. When the sigher himself cannot do anything, then he calls on the Lord; as a teacher and educator, when a child does not obey him, another, more strict one is called in - so it is exactly here. Oh, what danger! What can we say about those unfortunate people who plunge themselves into such an abyss of suffering? You, (boss), must give an account for everyone over whom you are in charge - for wives, husbands and children; You are throwing your head into such a fire. I doubt whether any of the leaders can be saved, and I am surprised when I see how, with such threats and real negligence, some still covet and strive for this burden of government. After all, if those who are driven by necessity (to accept power) do not receive forgiveness and justification when they carry out their work poorly and carelessly - so Aaron, of necessity, accepted power and was in danger, and Moses was in danger, although he repeatedly refused power, and Saul, having received special power after refusing it, was in danger because he mismanaged it - then are not those who make efforts and strive for it themselves much more so? Such a person is much less deserving of any justification. One must fear and tremble, both because of conscience and because of the burdensomeness of power; one should neither refuse when attracted to it, nor strive oneself when one is not attracted, but run away, presenting the greatness of the dignity, and when someone is restrained, then show reverence. There should be no excess in anything, but “everything should be decent and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). Before you become (a boss), if you foresee this, run away, considering yourself unworthy of this matter; and if restrained, then be reverent, showing prudence in everything. “Pray for us,” says (the apostle), “for we are confident that we have a good conscience, because we desire to behave honestly in everything” (Heb. 13:18). 2. You see that he is justifying himself, as if addressing such people who were dissatisfied with him, turned away from him, looked at him as an apostate, and did not even want to hear his name. From those who hated him he demanded what others could demand only from those who loved him, and therefore now he says the following: “for we are confident that we have a good conscience.” Do not, he says, make accusations against me: our conscience does not accuse us of anything; We do not realize that we are harming you. “Because we want to behave honestly in everything,” that is, not only between the pagans, but also between you; we did nothing out of greed, nothing out of hypocrisy. He was probably accused of this. And what they really slandered about him, listen to what James says: “They have heard a lot about you, that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to apostatize from Moses” (Acts 21:21). I write this, says (Paul), not as an enemy, and not as your adversary, but as a friend; this is clear from what follows: “I especially urge you to do this, so that I may be returned to you sooner” (Heb. 13:19). To ask them to pray in this way is characteristic only of those who love them deeply. Not just, he says, pray, but with all zeal, so that I can come to you as soon as possible. To want to come to them and ask them to pray for him is characteristic of someone who is not aware of anything about himself. Therefore, having asked for prayers from them in advance, he then himself asks them (from God) for all the best. “The God of peace”: he says this because there were disagreements between them. If God is the God of peace, then do not separate from us. “He raised up from the dead the Shepherd of the sheep” - this is said about the resurrection (of Christ), - “great” - another addition. Here and further to the end he instills in them the doctrine of the resurrection. “By the blood of the everlasting covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ, that He may perfect you in every good work to do His will” (Heb. 13:20-21). Again testifies to their greatness (merits), because that which has begun and continues to be fulfilled is accomplished; therefore, he greatly desires this for them. And note: in other epistles he prays at the beginning, “by bringing about in you what is pleasing to Him through Jesus Christ, to Him be glory forever and ever!” “I wrote to you a lot” (Heb. 13:21-22). Do you see that he wrote to them what he did not write to anyone? “I did not write to you much,” that is, I did not bother you with verbosity. It seems to me that (the Jews) were not hostile to Timothy; That’s why (Paul) puts him in first place. “Know that our brother Timothy has been released, and I, together with him, if he comes soon, will see you” (Heb. 13:23). “Liberated,” he says. Where? I think he was put in prison; and if not so, then “released” from Athens, as it is narrated in Acts (Acts 17). “Greet all your teachers and all the saints. The Italians greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen” (Heb. 13:24–25). Look how (the apostle) inspires that virtue does not come entirely from God alone, nor from us alone; He explains this with the words: “may he perfect you in every good deed,” and the following, as if he were saying: you have virtue, but you need to improve it. And when he says: “in every good word and deed” (2 Thessalonians 2:17), he inspires that one must have both a life and a right teaching. He made a wonderful addition: “working in you what is pleasing to Him,” he says, because the greatest virtue is to do what is pleasing before God. This is what the prophet says: “according to the purity of my hands in His sight” (Ps. 17:21, 25). Having written so much, (the apostle) calls it small, comparing it with what he wanted to write, as in another place he says: “(which I wrote briefly above), then by reading you can discern my understanding of the mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:3-4). And look at his wisdom. He did not say: I ask you, accept the word of exhortation, but: “accept this word of consolation 13,” i.e. encouragement, encouragement; no one, he says, can be burdened by the vastness of what has been said. How? Was this really what they were burdened with? No; but he wants to inspire and tell them: you are cowardly; It is precisely such people (cowardly people) who tend to be burdened by prolonged speech. “Know that our brother Timothy has been released, and I, together with him, if he comes soon, will see you.” This was enough for them to observe meekness if he and his disciple were ready to come to them. "Salute all your teachers and all the saints." Look what honor he did them by writing a message to them, and not to these (mentors). “The Italians greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen." What applied to everyone, he said after everything. And when does grace happen to us? When we do not insult this benefit, when we do not neglect this gift. Indeed, what is grace? Absolution, cleansing; it is with us. Who, by insulting grace, can preserve it and not lose it? (God) granted you remission of sins: how will grace be with you, i.e. good disposition or the work of the Spirit, if you do not keep it with good works? This is the reason for all good things, so that the grace of the Spirit may always remain with us; she guides us to everything (good); and when it flies away from us, we remain abandoned and perish. 3. So let us not remove it: it is up to us whether it remains with us or goes away. The first happens when we care about heavenly things; and the latter when - about everyday things. “The Spirit of truth,” says (the Lord), “Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him” (John 14:17). He calls a vicious and shameful life peace. Do you see that a soul devoted to the world cannot have the Spirit? It takes a lot of zeal on our part for Him to remain with us, arrange all our affairs and keep us safe and in perfect peace. Just as a ship sailing with a fair wind does not encounter obstacles and does not sink as long as it enjoys a favorable and constant wind, but even after sailing it acquires glory among the helmsmen and travelers, of whom he brought peace to the first and freed them from the difficult work of the oars, and freed the latter from all fear, and by its very flow gave them a most pleasant sight - so the soul, guided by the Divine Spirit, stands above all everyday worries, travels the path leading to heaven faster than any ship - because her sails are clean and filled not with the wind, but with the Comforter himself - and rejects everything that is relaxing and harmful from her thoughts. And just as the wind, striking a weakly stretched sail, cannot act, so the Spirit cannot dwell in a weak soul, but requires great tension and effort. Therefore, we need to have a flaming mind and always perform our actions with strength and tension. For example, when we pray, we must do it with great care, straining our soul towards heaven, not with ropes, but with strong zeal. Also, when we perform works of mercy, we must act with effort, so that neither the care of the house, nor the care of children, nor pleasing the wife, nor the fear of falling into poverty, does not weaken our sail. If we strain this sail from all sides with the hope of future blessings, then it will well accept the action of the Spirit; nothing corruptible and fleeting will enter into it, and if it does, it will not harm it in the least, but will be immediately reflected by its hardness and will be thrown away. So, we need great tension, because we too are crossing a great and vast sea, filled with many animals and many rocks, presenting us with a lot of troubles and, in the midst of clear weather, raising a most severe storm. Therefore, if we want to sail safely and safely, we must tighten our sails, i.e. our free will: that is enough for us. So Abraham strained his devotion to God, presented his perfect will - and did he need anything else? Nothing; but “he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Faith comes from sincere intention. He brought his son and although he did not slay him, he received a reward as if he had slaughtered him; although the deed was not accomplished, the reward was given. Let our sails be clean and new, and not old, because everything that grows old and decays is close to destruction (Heb. 8:13), and let them not be torn, so that they hold back the action of the Spirit: “A natural man,” it is said, “does not receive the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14). Just as a web cannot hold back the blow of the wind, so a soul devoted to the world and a spiritual person can never accept the grace of the Spirit. Our judgments are no different from this (web), which represent only an apparent sequence, but in reality are devoid of any force. But our judgments will not be such if we remain awake; then, no matter what happens, a person will endure everything, will be above everything, stronger than any whirlwind. A spiritual person, even if countless calamities attack him, does not hesitate and is not caught by any of them. But what am I saying? Let poverty, illness, insults, slander, slander, wounds, all kinds of punishment, all kinds of ridicule attack him; slander and insults; but since he lives outside the world and is free from bodily passions, he will laugh at everything. And that these words are not boasting, I can now imagine many examples, namely in the person of people who retired to the desert. But this, you say, is not at all surprising? Then I will say that there are such men in the cities, although you do not suspect their existence. If you want, I can point out some of the ancients. To be convinced of this, remember Paul. What calamity has he not experienced? What have you not been exposed to? But he endured everything courageously. Let us also imitate him; In this way we can please God and reach a quiet haven with great profit. Let us direct our minds to heaven, let us be imbued with this aspiration, clothe ourselves in spiritual fire and protect ourselves with this flame. He who carries a flame with him is not afraid of those who meet him, be it an animal, or a man, or many nets; while he is surrounded by flame, everything gives way to it, everything moves away from him. This flame is unbearable, this fire is unbearable and all-destroying. Let us clothe ourselves with this fire and send up glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” In the Synodal translation, the word “admonitions” is used here, but the Slavic is closer to the original (consolations - “της παρακλησεως”), this is precisely the meaning that Chrysostom has in mind. You might be interested in: