Against the Jews about the brass serpent.

The Word of God, beloved, as we have often said before, is simple, clear, obvious to everyone and filled with much light; there are different actions in it, and hence the names (of it) are different; it is often called light, and life, and a lamp, and a luminary, and a sword, and a river, and a source, and an ax, and a door. It allows these names in accordance with its benefits in enlightening the thoughts of listeners and in raising our thoughts from what is with us to what is above us. From here our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the source of wisdom, during his conversation with the people, used parables, teaching the worldly things that are in the world, the invisible things visible, the divine things human. He offers sometimes a parable about a vineyard, sometimes a parable about fishing, sometimes about a net, sometimes about leaven; So today in a conversation with the Jews he said: “One man had two sons; and he, approaching the first, said: son! Go today and work in my vineyard” (Matthew 21:28). Since all this is in our life, we revolve among it, He leads us to premium wisdom; This is what He said from the very beginning. Yesterday the Savior said: “The kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house, who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard” (Matthew 20:1). Yesterday He offered the parable of the vineyard, and today the same. It is also necessary to identify the times in which the lord of the vineyard came out. He went out, they say, early in the morning, around the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hour. There are five times of invitation: early morning, three, six, nine and eleven. Nothing is idle with God. He threatens: “For every idle word... you will give an account” (Matthew 12:36); He himself, the source of wisdom, would certainly not use idle words. The divine teacher teaches us that God calls at different times. He is the same Lord, He has the same arable land, but He makes an invitation at different times to different generations. The day is the same, the Lord is the same, the vineyard is the same, but the times at which they are hired are not the same, but early in the morning, the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hour. When did He go out early in the morning to hire laborers for Himself? Morning calls the beginning of the divine dispensation. It was morning when Adam was created; in the beginning the Eternal shone forth the newly created sun; the newly created beauty of the moon and the splendor of the stars appeared. In the morning, Vladyka went out to hire. Which people did He hire first? Adam. He appointed work in paradise and protection. So this is the first hire from Adam to Noah, this is one invitation, one time. At that time Adam was hired to do the work, Abel to do the work of virtue, (also) Seth and Enoch, who was transferred for outstanding virtue. Before Noah (there was) the first time of calling. When Noah appeared, (it was) the time of the third hour, (and) He went out again to hire. After the destruction of the first generation, as a result of lawlessness, the human race again began to need a second invitation. He brings laborers into the vineyard a second time - (this is) from Noah to Abraham; (this is) a secondary invitation. Look carefully, please: the first hour is from Adam to Noah; the third hour is from Noah to Abraham; the sixth hour is from Abraham to Moses; the ninth hour is from Moses to Christ; the eleventh hour is from Christ to death. Just as the eleventh hour is the end of the day, so the time of advent is the end of the ages. Just as the eleventh hour indicates the end of the day, so the time of advent hints at the end. Therefore, the Apostle Paul says: “All these things happened to them as examples; but it is written for instruction to us who have reached the last centuries" ("this..., brethren, was taken in by him: but it was written for our instruction, in whom the ends of the ages reached") (1 Cor. 10:11). And look how amazing! The first, second, third, fourth and finally the fifth were hired - but the reward was not given to the first until the last arrived; they endured the same labor, and the rewards had not yet been received. God did not want to give the reward to the first until the fruits of the church came, and He commanded the steward: “...Give... from the last one to the first one” (Matthew 20:8). That God delayed giving reward to the first until the last came, Paul testifies in his letter to the Hebrews. He remembered Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the patriarchs and other prophets and righteous people, and added: “And all these, who testified in faith, did not receive what was promised, because God provided something better for us, so that they would not achieve perfection without us” (“these all obeyed by faith, but did not receive the promise; I foresaw the best for us, so that perfection would not be possible without us.” will receive" (Heb. 11:39–40). Just as here, brothers, He gave five times and invitations - I repeat: the first from Adam to Noah, the second from Noah to Abraham, the third from Abraham to Moses, the fourth from Moses to Christ, the fifth from the Savior to the end - so in another place, in the parable, He says: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Of these, five were wise and five foolish ones" ("like the kingdom of heaven is to ten virgins, even... who came forth to meet the bridegroom, five... wise men, and five holy fools") (Matthew 25:1-2). Why five and five? In every generation (there are) righteous and unrighteous. “Five wise and five foolish” - in each generation (there are) diligent and lazy, pious and impious. Look: everywhere there is agreement of times; these five invitations have their own activities and times. And just as farmers demand from each time its fruits: spring from spring, from winter its winter, from summer its fruits, from autumn its fruits - so God, demanding fruits, demands from each time the fruits characteristic of his kind. He does not demand from you today the fruit that He demanded from the first: He demands something different after the coming of Christ. Also, from those who (were) before you, you did not demand your fruits, but from each generation you demand their own fruits. Then there was one time, and with its own law; now the time is different, and with its own command; not because God is changeable, but because He conforms commands (with time). Therefore, Scripture often testifies about Noah: “And Noah was... righteous, perfect - how? - in his kind” (Gen. 6:9), - to compare those who were with him. Each one is required to serve his family, as Peter says about David: “David... having served his family by the counsel of God, he rested” (Acts 13:36). Each according to his own kind, (and) there are five generations. We say this not on our own, but following the Lord. The Savior showed His power: “returning to the city,” he saw a “fig tree,” and it had (nothing) “except only leaves” (Matthew 21:18–19), and he looked for fruit. He came up hungry. I find it very difficult to speak: I am afraid to say or think something indifferent about God, (when it is necessary) to follow the truth. Returning, it is said, in the morning, He became very hungry, and went to the fig tree to find fruit, but did not find it, because there was no time for figs. That's what it says. What kind of person - now I don’t understand God, nor the dignity of God - who is so unreasonable and senseless as to approach the fig tree at the wrong time? If (to judge) by humanity, then it is pointless to look for fruit at the wrong time; if by divinity, then how did He not know the limits of His own creation? Whether you want to examine this word according to humanity or according to divinity, it does not fit the Savior. Neither a reasonable person demands fruits from plants at the wrong time and cannot demand from the very beginning, nor God himself, who appointed order, time and laws for each planting and fruit, would demand outside their own boundaries. If you had appointed a decent time for a fig tree that did not bear fruit, but when the time came, it did not bear fruit, then this would depend on the will of God, who did not strengthen the planting. Therefore, brethren, this is rather a dispensation (of salvation) than a need (of the Lord). This is not Christ’s need, but dispensation: He wanted to foretell to the disciples the certainty of His suffering. Since, after this deed, immediately entering Jerusalem, He intended to undergo suffering - the attentive reader will find after this story the power of the cross - since (I say) He intended to go to Jerusalem and suffer, and the disciples were tempted by suffering, then, lest anyone think that He was suffering out of weakness, gives clear proof that He could wither His enemies like a fig tree. He shows His strength over the soulless fig tree, and His long-suffering over reasonable people, so that, having a fresh memory of the miracle, they understand that the wither suffered with a word according to (His) desire. That, brethren, this is the truth, and all this for the purpose of showing strength, may be seen from the following. The fig tree, they say, is a Jewish synagogue; (as if) He threatened the synagogue: “Let there be no fruit from you forever” (Matthew 21:19). So some wanted to understand; but the matter does not appear to be in agreement with this saying: after the cross, after this decision, myriads of Jews believed, and “let there be no fruit from you” does not agree with the fact that so many believed. I repeat what was said: if He spoke out against the Jews and the synagogue, that it would no longer bear fruit, and the fruits of the synagogue - the church, then after this decision it was necessary that none of the Jews should believe; But if many believe, listen to the Scriptures. One of Peter’s speeches to the people was received by three thousand, another of his instructions was received by four thousand, and there were seven thousand souls (Acts 2:41, 4:4). And in other places, when the word prospered, many Jews submitted to the faith. If in the end the word spread so much among the Jews that the apostles said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed” (Acts 21:20), if there are myriads of Jews who believed, if myriads believed, then how is the decision consistent with this: “Let there be no fruit from you forevermore”? After this decision there were myriads of fruits. But there is a sequence in this matter. Avoid strained foreign interpretations; it happens when Scripture itself allows one to see directly; happens when it teaches under an image. When something is offered that can only be seen or told, then do not strive for the unattainable, but use consistency in what you hear. There was a cross; suffering was about to appear. So that they do not attribute the economy to weakness, He shows strength over the soulless (fig tree), and preserves long-suffering for those who will have hope of salvation. The Savior knew that the cross was the salvation of people, and lifting Him up on the tree would catch the whole universe. Therefore, he says: “if I am exalted,” that is, “if I am crucified on the cross,” “I will draw everyone to Me” (John 12:32). Be careful, I ask. “I will be exalted” - what is it? If He himself does not explain this saying, then I cannot establish the meaning. The Savior says to Nicodemus: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must I be exalted.” to be the Son of Man, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). In the desert, the Jewish people once grumbled about the manna and, eating this food given from heaven, desired the Egyptian meal, and said: “we remembered the pots of meat that we ate in Egypt” (Ex. 16:3); and the Egyptian cauldrons were preferred to heavenly manna. What about God? Since the bread of heaven was rejected, He sends deadly snakes among the people; the snakes bit them and they died. And no other beast was sent - not a lion, not a bear - but snakes. Since at the beginning God said to the serpent: “You will eat dust all the days of your life” (Gen. 3:14), then He sent this beast against those who eat manna and murmur, eating and not complaining. He sent a poisonous serpent; his sting was accompanied by death. They beg Moses, Moses begs God, God promises healing to the wounds; He could drive away the snakes with a word, but leaves this disaster, and gives healing: “Make a brass serpent, and fasten it on the tree at the door of the tabernacle of the meeting, announce it to the children of Israel, and say: if anyone is bitten by the serpent, let him come and turn to this serpent fixed on the tree and, believing, he will live” (Num. 21:8 ). Was it really impossible to drive away snakes, impossible to destroy, impossible to heal with a word? But just as the word of God could pour out water from a rock, but the rock obeyed no sooner than it saw the sign of the cross, so it is here: it could drive away the snakes, but the snakes were not tamed until they saw the image of the cross, which killed the sting of the demons. Why did He make the snake the image of the Savior? What is the similarity between the image and the serpent? Here's a reminder: when you deal with the Jews, or with some enemies, starting from the Scripture and rebelling against the Scripture, (challenging) that you receive salvation and blessing from the one crucified on the cross, as it is written: “Cursed before God is [everyone] hanged [on a tree]” (“Cursed... is everyone who hangs on a tree”) (Deut. 21:23), then pay careful attention: if he says a Jew or other enemy of the church, snatching a saying from Scripture and taking up arms against Scripture: “How do you expect a blessing from the Lord crucified on the cross, when Moses clearly writes that “cursed... everyone hanged on a tree,” you tell him: “If you read the Scripture, understand it; It is not reading that is required, but understanding, as Philip says to the eunuch: “Do you understand what you are reading?” , and he wisely: “How can I..., Lord, if someone does not instruct me?” (Acts 8:30–31). If he says: “How do you expect a blessing from the one crucified on the cross, when it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree,” you tell him: “And how did the children of Israel receive a blessing from the serpent in the desert, when God at the beginning said: “Cursed are you above all the cattle of the earth” (Gen. 3:14)? And the serpent is cursed, and everyone who hangs on the tree is cursed. Don't stop at the construction of words, but notice the difference. Since the Savior intended to take upon Himself the curse that lay upon the world, and the first curse was: “dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19), He took this sentence upon Himself (as the apostle says: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13), and in advance uses the image of a serpent, and precisely the serpent. Like that The bronze serpent had the form and image of the serpent, but the poison and wickedness of the serpent were not there, so the Savior appears in the flesh under the form of sin; this flesh was sinful before him. He took on sinful flesh, and, without sinning, took away the sin of the world: “behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). So the Savior took on flesh that has an image and is true. the nature of the flesh, but not having the sin of the flesh: “he committed no sin, and there was no deceit in his mouth” (Is. 53:9). As poison is in the serpent, so is deceit in man; Scripture says about the evil ones: “the poison of asps is on their lips, their lips are full of curses and bitterness (Rom. 3:13-14; Ps. 9:28), “with their tongue they flatter” ( Ps.5:10). Just as (I repeat again) that serpent had the appearance and image of a serpent, but there was no poison and no guile, so in the body of the Savior there was a human image, but there was no human guile. Another comparison. There some snakes bite, and another suffers for them, because it was necessary to take one of the biting ones and crucify him on the cross; those who sting are released, but the one who has sinned nothing is crucified on the cross; whoever was not involved in the damage or death of the other snakes suffers nailing to a tree, since he was the image of the Savior - given the general sinfulness of people, none of those who have sinned are crucified for a sinner, but a sinless one. You understand the explanation; remember the words of the Lord to Nicodemus: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” - it is well said: suffering is considered humiliation, the Savior calls exaltation. The whole universe is exalted by the cross; the whole universe, lying down, is corrected by the dispensation of the cross. Therefore, “The Lord reigns; He is clothed with majesty, the Lord is clothed with power [and] girded: therefore the world is solid” (“The Lord reigns, clothed with beauty;... for he established the world”) (Ps. 92:1). He didn’t say “created.” He created it the first time and corrected it the second time. “So must the Son of Man be exalted, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish.” It is necessary to refer to the witness of this exaltation, (to) the prophet who clearly preaches that God is exalted. Listen to blessed Isaiah preaching about this exaltation. Even if he preaches very clearly about suffering, in the words: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearers is silent”; “he took upon himself our sins and bore our illnesses” (“and he suffers for us”); “I came to die for the sins of My people” (Is. 53:4, 7–8) - then, however, in another place he calls this suffering exaltation. What is he saying? “Sing praise to the Lord, praise His name,” proclaim His glory among the pagans, “for He has done great things” (“as He has done great things”). “Be glad and rejoice, ye that dwell in Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is exalted in your midst” (Isaiah 12:5–6). But against this a heretical voice rises and says: “Although he was exalted, he was exalted by the Father, because it is written: “Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil. 2:9-10), and so on. The enemies of truth always cling to the preaching of the truth. Such people do not need to be given an answer right away, but first of all ask them for the basis of their preconceived opinions, and then resolve what is being asked. Since you say that the Father “has highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name,” then first of all show me what the name is that is above every name; one cannot declare without circumlocution, but (it must be said) that it is affirmed in truth. When the evil one asks, you resolve the inappropriate question with a fair mutual question. The Savior today showed how one should respond to the treacherous. The Pharisees asked the Savior: “By what authority are You doing this? and who gave you such power? (Matthew 21:23). The Savior, wanting to show that one should neither satisfy anger nor answer inappropriate questions, says to the Pharisees: “I will also ask you about one thing; If you tell Me about this, then I will tell you by what authority I do this; Where did the baptism of John come from: from heaven, or from men? (Matthew 21:24–25). He, “having caught the wise in their wickedness” (1 Cor. 3:19), has imprisoned the evil ones; and when they ask Him, He does not answer them, but asks them in return. Therefore, the prophet says: “With the merciful you will act mercifully, with the sincere man - sincerely, with the pure - purely, and with the evil one - according to his wickedness” (“with the venerable you will be, and with the innocent man you will be innocent, and with the chosen you will be chosen, and with the obstinate you will be corrupt”) (Ps. 17:26-27). Many people think that this saying is spoken by God to people, but the prophet says this to God, namely, that “you deal mercifully with the merciful, sincerely with the sincere, purely with the pure, and with the evil one according to his wickedness.” And in order for you to be convinced of this, he adds: “For you have saved a humble people, but you have brought down haughty eyes” (Ps. 17:28). The Savior always tormented the Jews with his silence; anger, not satisfied, suffers even more. He was often asked, and He did not answer; The Jews tested Him, and He did not confirm them. He tormented their souls so much that the Jews once said to Him: “How long will You keep us in bewilderment? if you are the Christ, tell us plainly” (John 10:24), and yet He did not answer, but (said): “I have often spoken to you, and you do not listen; why then again do you want to listen?” Look how they expressed the torment of their soul: “How long will You keep our soul?” Was it not You who said: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7)? “You have read the Scripture, but did not understand what it says: “They will seek me, and will not find me” (“They will seek me with evil, and will not find me”) (Prov. 1:28). So that you know that it is the same feature of him who spoke in the Gospel and who spoke through the prophets, and what He said there and here - note: just as here he did not answer the question of the Jews, but connected them with mutual questions, so in the Old Testament God says to Ezekiel: “Son of man!” behold, the sons of the people come to Me to ask a word, “As I live, I will not give you an answer” to them” (Ezek. 20:3). You see: the same feature. Look how much torment, how many questions, how much probing, and He did not answer. And where to find a simple and believing soul, filled with light and simplicity, not only satisfies (answering) the question, but even teaches without a question. Once upon a time Jesus went near Samaria; finds a Samaritan woman drawing water and says to her: “Give Me a drink” (John 4:7); the giver of life says to her: “Give me a drink.” He was sitting (then) near the well, (there was) a source above a source. (I wish) to speak briefly, not intending to explain this story, but to return to my main subject. She asked Him about a question that occupied the Jews and Samaritans, since the Samaritans had worship near what is now called Naples, and the Jews in Jerusalem. She asked: “Lord, our Fathers worshiped on this mountain; as the Jews say, what is to be worshiped in Jerusalem?” (John 4:20). Look: an inquisitive soul, a pitiful wife, but high in strength. She went out to draw water, and draws from the source. “The Samaritans worship here, the Jews in Jerusalem: resolve the issue!” The Savior says: “Truly I tell you, woman, an hour is coming when they will worship the Father, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, because God the Spirit is, that is, everywhere, and those who worship Him in spirit and in truth must worship (John 4:21-24), not limit their worship to the place of worship, but glorify Him everywhere.” Since she could not clearly understand what the Savior was saying (this surpassed the wife’s thought), she said to Him: “I know that the Messiah will come, that is, Christ; when He comes, He will teach us all things” (John 4:25). Look: (this) soul has love before it sees. When the Jews saw it, they did not believe; this one, without seeing, waits. When Christ saw the simplicity of this soul, he said: “It is I who speak to you” (John 4:26). How much the Jews asked and were tormented: “how long” will you “keep” our soul, - and there was no answer from Him; this one said that she would “come,” and the preached one showed himself. This is what is said: “For wrong thinking separates one from God, ... and does not appear to those who do not believe Him” (“obstinate ... thoughts separate from God; ... does not appear to those who do not believe Him”) (Wis. 1: 2-3). Since the source of wisdom has taught us to resolve irrelevant questions, I ask the heretic, what is this “name above every name”? Say it as you think. What kind of "name" is this? Jesus? Christ? Savior? Tell me this "name". Name it first of all, so that when I bring divine testimony - prophetic, apostolic, you do not change this testimony in your favor. First of all, express your thought, tell me what name you mean, which is above every name? But what am I doing? I am among the faithful, and I do not want to leave the sons of the church in doubt because of enemies. Let us explain, and if any enemy is present, then let him take advantage, and be a friend instead of an enemy, an agreeable one instead of an adversary; Let him not consider it a defeat to be struck by the truth; let him not try to win with a bad victory, but be amazed by a good defeat. We will explain how they think. What name do you say was given to Him that is above every name? What was Jesus called? Previously, He was called that way by Joshua. What was Christ called? Every king and prophet is Christ. This is what David says about King Saul, although vicious, he nevertheless had the royal anointing. When some armor bearers plotted against him: “This is the day about which the Lord spoke to you: “Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hands,” smite him,” David says: “As the Lord lives, I will not lay my hand on him, “for he is the Lord’s anointed” (“for he is the Christ of the Lord”) (1 Sam. 24:5, 7). And not only (this) Christ, but there are many of them: “touch not my anointed, and do not harm my prophets” (“touch not my anointed, and do not deceive my prophets”) (Ps. 104:15); and Habakkuk (says): “You come forward to save Your people, to save your Christs” (Hab. 3:13). How is it above every name? If others had (this name) before, then how did the Father give Him the name that is above every name, or what kind of name is it? What was called the Savior? Many have been called saviors. Remember what was said before: what name is this above all? But since it is inconvenient for you to answer or you, knowing it, are deceitful and want to hide it, then learn. Scripture often calls by name not the name of God, but His glory; the name of God is called the glory of God. Thus, when (the Lord) performs miracles, the name for Him comes from the miracle; the blessed prophet says: “Where is... the one who was raised up by the right hand of Moses? He overcame the water before him, and brought His people out into the wilderness, and made him a name" (Isa. 63:11-13), that is, he made him famous. And we say: “a famous man,” not because he has a name (after all, everyone has a name), but because he is named everywhere. By name he calls the glory and the rumor spoken everywhere. Thus says God to Solomon: “and he made a name yours, as the name of the ancient kings" (1 Chron. 17:8). He did not change his name, he did not cease to be called Solomon, but "he made your name known," that is, glory. So here it is said: "he gave Him a name," that is, glory. the graves, and every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil. 2:9-11). You see: he called His name the glory, the worship of the universe, that He is glorified everywhere and proclaimed throughout the entire universe. “Exactly,” he says, “I accept the explanation, but I do not deny that the Father gave Him this name.” You want to understand a nickname as a name; you want to understand fame by name; if you wish - word of mouth; do you want fame? I still do not refuse that (that) “Therefore God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name.” So, we need to examine: it turns out that this glory is, as it were, a reward given to the Savior, because Paul says: “For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him a name that is above every name" ("let this be understood in you, even in Christ Jesus: He who is in the image of God is not equal to God by admiration; but he made himself of no reputation, and took on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of mankind, and being found in the likeness of man: he humbled himself... even to death, the death of the cross. And so also his God exalted him, and gave him a name above every name." Here it is shown that because He suffered, He received the reward of falling away; since He humbled Himself to the point of death, for this God exalted Him; “therefore” expresses the reason He gives Him glory. This glory, this exaltation, is the reward for suffering. Who suffered? Who received the award? In order not to allow you to go crazy against God, Paul added: “He humbled himself, becoming obedient even to death, even death on the cross.” Look carefully: first of all, he called the image of God: “being the image of God”; then in the image of a slave: “having taken the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man”; and (all this) in order to show that the image of the slave, the man, received this name as a reward. There are two (things) here. Since the Savior laid down His soul - and He had a soul because He was a whole man - then the flesh itself, which served the Savior’s Word, receives a reward of serving it above every name, and “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.” I'll tell you something else briefly. If after the cross He received this, and if, as a result of His humiliation to death, God, rewarding Him, gave Him a name, if, apparently, He did not have this name before the cross, then He received glory by grace. Help me, because the thought is subtle and deep. They say: “Because Christ suffered.” They read the apostle without understanding the apostle that because he suffered, “Therefore God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Before the cross He received his reward. If the Only Begotten is not worshiped to the cross, and every knee is not bowed before the Only Begotten, then truly He received a reward that He did not have, He accepted grace; and if it turns out that all creation worships before the cross, and before suffering, and before being exalted, then why is there idle talk here? Why, unfortunate one, don’t you realize what an eternal dignity this is, what an image of the incarnate economy this is? Distinguish between the image of God and the image of the servant who takes and is received; do not mix up the order, do not violate the truth, or better yet, do not be destroyed by the truth. Now we will show that if every tribe worships and if we worship the Only Begotten before the dispensation, then He did not receive worship from the Cross, but He had worship of Himself before the Cross and before the ages. Listen to what blessed Isaiah says: “This is what the Lord says: “I am the Lord God,” and there is no other... righteous and I am the Savior, there is none besides Me. Turn to Me, and you will be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other” (Is. 45:21-22). And after this: “I swear by myself: out of my mouth comes righteousness”; I am God, there is no other; there is no righteous and Savior besides me; I am God, and again there is no other (Is. 45:23). The third time He repeats and says: “Turn to me... I swear by myself: out of my mouth comes righteousness, the unchangeable word, (i.e., my word does not go out in vain) before By me every knee will bow, and every tongue will glorify the true God” (Is. 45:23). Who says this? The heretic desires this not to honor the Father, but to deprive the Son of his own glory. But as a believer and the church, I think that the Father says this, the Son says this, the Holy Spirit preaches this. I theologized about this this way: there is no difference here, because it is said: “I am righteous, and there is no other.” Let us ask them: “Who is saying this?” But they, like the Pharisees, have to say within themselves: “If we say this, this will answer us.” So that it does not seem, brothers, that I am speaking on my own, or according to my own invented meaning, I will turn to simple speech: I will present Paul’s testimony from this very prophecy. Let's look at this prophecy from Paul: “I swear by myself, to me every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess” (Rom. 14:11). Let's see on what occasion Paul said this. He wrote to the Romans. There was disagreement with each other among the Jews who believed and the Hellenes who became Christians. Christians from the Hellenes accepted all foodstuffs indifferently, and from the Jews they wanted to worship Christ and observe Jewish food. One part reproached the other: those of the Jews reproached those of the pagans as not keeping the law; and these reproached those as not walking according to the grace of the Gospel. They said to the Jews: “If the law justifies, why did Christ come? And if Christ came, why, having abandoned the law of Christ, do you follow Jewish customs?” The Romans were enlightened by Paul's admonition: “If justification is by law, then Christ died in vain” (Gal. 2:21). Those who were pagans were convinced that without Christ it was impossible to be saved otherwise, and they should not observe Jewish rituals. Paul found the struggle, found (this) strife; he steps into the middle of the disputants and divides them into two parts. And look: first of all, Paul does not demand thoroughness from everyone, but thinks about firmness, (since) preconceived opinions are insoluble, and habit is destroyed only by time. He did not want to turn the Jews away from the faith by forcing them to eat food, but first of all (wanted) to root in them faith in Christ. What are Christians and Jews? Since they saw themselves convicted that they had not yet believed in Christ - they observed Jewish food and abstained from pork meat, then, out of a desire to cover up their weakness, they pretended that they did not eat meat at all, but vegetables; by completely not eating meat, reproach for the old habit was eliminated. Paul steps forward, stops fighting, and shows who is good at reasoning and who is weak; he says: “brothers, “some are confident that everything can be eaten,” like a Christian, like a faithful one, “but the weak eat vegetables” (Rom. 14:2). “Some are confident that everything can be eaten,” knowing that by faith everything is cleansed: “for every creation of God is good, and nothing is condemnable if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is sanctified by the word of God” (1 Tim. 4:4–5); “but the weak eat vegetables” (i.e. f.) calls following Jewish customs weakness. “But the weak eat vegetables.” Many people think that these words were spoken regarding ascetics and those who eat indiscriminately; but the sacred language would not say such a strange thing as to call ascetics weak, and those who eat everything faithful; he says to distinguish between those who observe Jewish dishes and accept everything to the point of indifference: “some are confident that you can eat everything” like a Christian, “but the weak eat vegetables.” In addition, he eliminates the struggle: he showed the difference that this belongs to faith, and then to weakness; and when he denounced, he united them in love: “Whoever does not eat, do not condemn the one who eats” - i.e., let the Jew not condemns the Greek that he eats contrary to the law of Moses - and “whoever eats, do not despise the one who does not eat,” because they despised them. “You have not become Christians, you have not yet believed: “whoever eats, do not disparage the one who does not eat; Who are you, judging another man’s slave?” Look how amazing it is: in the same way he stops the struggle and shows the Jews that they need correction: “Who are you, condemning someone else’s slave?” This is what he says to the pagan Christian. “Who are you, judging another man’s slave?” He calls him a stranger because he was apparently under the law. “Before his Lord he stands, or he falls. And he will be raised up, for God is able to raise him up” (Rom. 14:3-4). So about the Judaizers (he speaks). “He will be raised up, for God is able to raise him up.” (Paul) stopped the fight, and again established peace. So: “Who are you, judging another man’s slave? Before his Lord he stands, or he falls. And he will be raised up, for God is able to raise him up.” So: “One distinguishes day from day, and another judges every day equally” (Rom. 14:5). What does “One distinguishes day from day” mean? Since among the Judaizers, some completely abstained from pork dishes, and others between the wonderful days honored only the Sabbath, he says: “Some distinguishes day from day,” observing the law, “but another judges every day equally.” Then: “He who distinguishes the days distinguishes for the Lord; and he who does not discern the days does not discern for the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord... and whoever does not eat, does not eat for the Lord” (Rom. 14:6). See how he stops the fight: “Who are you, judging another man’s slave? He who eats, do not disparage the one who does not eat; and whoever does not eat, do not judge the one who eats.” “We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10). Note here: “I swear by myself that every knee will bow to me.” Eliminates the struggle of those who are fighting - he says: “Who are you, condemning someone else’s slave? ...We will all appear at the judgment seat of Christ.” Where is this from? “For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me.” So why do you condemn your brother? “We will all appear at the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will confess the true God” (Rom. 14:11). It is said to this: if He received the reward of worship after the cross, then how did the prophets preach about worship before the cross? But let what has been said be enough! Let the teaching of the Spirit imprint our thoughts, and let us all together bring glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and in the Patrology of Min, classified as Spuria. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith”