ЧУДЕСА

In the Gospel, the Savior began to teach no earlier than he performed miracles. He performed the first miracle by turning water into wine, and before this miracle He does not act as a teacher, since it was necessary for the deed to precede and the word to follow. Therefore, the writer says: “I wrote the first book to you, Theophilus, about everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning” (Acts 1:1). How could the Savior teach that He is the Creator of the world? If he had not enlightened the eyes of the blind, they would not have believed Him when He said: “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). If He had not raised up Lazarus, the hearers would not have believed when He said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). If He had not spat on the ground, created clay and anointed the blind man, they would not have believed that He was the One who took dust from the earth and created Adam. If He had not walked on the sea, He would not have revealed Himself as the Lord of the sea. If He had not forbidden the wind, He would not have shown Himself as the Lord of the winds. That is why, revealing Himself as a man, He made Himself known and glorified as God through miracles. The Savior amazed the disciples, and they said: “Who is this, that both the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41). He first showed that the elements obey Him, and then explained in words that everything happened through Him. If He had not shown in advance that creatures obey Him, then the Evangelist John would not have deserved faith when he says: “All things came into being through Him” (John 1:3). How could the apostles, who spoke in simple language when they preached about God the Word, Creator, Savior, and all-wise Teacher, turn out to be worthy of faith? But the tongue of the apostles worked miracles, through the mouth of the apostles the dead were raised from the dead, and the lame walked. And that faith follows miracles, Scripture testifies to this, saying: by the hands of the Apostles many signs and wonders were performed among the people, and everyone was amazed and amazed, but more and more believers were added to the Lord, many men and women (Acts 5:12, 14, 2:7, 47). Miracles shone in front, and teaching followed them (5). Whenever something special and unusual happens, or when any new way of life is introduced, God usually gives signs, as if as a guarantee of His power for those who are to accept His laws. Thus, intending to create man, He first created the whole world and then gave him a well-known law in paradise. So, when he wanted to give the law to Noah, he again performed great miracles, changed the entire creation in its foundations, commanded a terrible flood to hold the earth for a whole year and, in the midst of such a great storm, preserved the righteous unharmed. So he protected Abraham with many signs; granted him victory in battle, struck Pharaoh with blows and delivered his forefather from danger. So before promulgating the law to the Jews, He showed wondrous and great miracles, and then gave the law (6). If you want to perform miracles, then free yourself from your sins - and everything will be done by you. Beloved, sin is the most evil demon. And if you drive him out of yourself, you will do more than those who cast out thousands of demons. Listen to how Paul puts virtue above miracles: “Be zealous,” he says, “for great gifts, and I will show you an even more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31); and further, showing this path, he did not mention either the resurrection of the dead, or the cleansing of lepers, or anything else like that, but instead of all this he said about love. Listen to what Christ says: “Do not rejoice in this because the spirits obey you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). And before, in another place: “Many will say to Me in that day: Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name did we perform many miracles? Also, before the Passion of the Cross, calling his disciples, he said to them: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John. 13:35), - and not because you will cast out demons. And again: by this everyone will know that You sent Me (see John 17:23) - not because they will raise the dead, but because they will be one. Miracles often benefit others, but harm the one who performs them, either by leading him to pride and vanity, or in some other way; but nothing of the kind can be expected from good deeds: they benefit both those who do them and many others. So let us do them with all diligence. If you have become merciful from a hard-hearted person, then you have healed a withered hand; if, leaving the spectacle, he went to church, then he corrected his lame leg; if he turned his eyes away from the harlot and from the beauty of another man’s wife, then he opened his blind eyes; If instead of satanic songs you learned spiritual psalms, then, being previously dumb, you began to speak. These are the greatest miracles! These are wonderful signs! If we continually perform such miracles, then through them we ourselves will become great and amazing, and we will attract all the wicked to virtue, and we will achieve the future life (6). You might be interested in: