Господь Спаситель – Учитель истины и Великий Чудотворец

The Lord Jesus Christ wanted to give some rest to the apostles, who needed it after the labors of preaching throughout the country of Judea, where the Lord sent them, gradually preparing them for worldwide preaching, and meanwhile the people constantly surrounded both the Savior himself and His disciples, so that they did not even have time to eat. And the Lord himself wanted to evade the malice of Herod Antipas, who strenuously sought to see Him, imagining in his restless conscience that in the person of the Savior, John the Baptist, who had been killed by him, at the instigation of the lawless wife Herodias, had been resurrected. In order to temporarily leave the borders of Galilee, the Lord and his disciples got into a boat and secretly went to the other side of the sea, to the desert located in the vicinity of Bethsaida Julia (in the possession of Philip). However, many of the people noticed the departure of the Lord and ran along the dry route in the direction of His boat, so that when Jesus Christ came ashore, it was all dotted with people. The Lord took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; He preached to them for a long time and healed many sick people. When the day began to turn towards evening, the disciples suggested that Jesus Christ let the people go to the surrounding villages and buy food for themselves, but the Savior told them: “Give them something to eat.” The Apostle Philip answered Him: “Two hundred denarii will not be enough bread for them, so that each of them gets at least a little.” Jesus Christ said: “go, see how much loaves you have.” They went. Soon the Apostle Andrew returned and said: “One boy here has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for such a multitude?” The Lord said: “Tell them to lie down.” When everyone lay down on the grass and settled down in the correct order, one hundred and one fifty people at a time, it turned out that the entire people, except women and children, numbered about five thousand. Jesus took the loaves and both fish and, having given praise to God, blessed them, then began to break them and distribute them to the disciples, and the disciples to those reclining, as much as anyone wanted. When everyone was satisfied, the Lord ordered the remaining pieces of bread and fish to be collected. They were collected and filled as many as twelve baskets. Seeing this great miracle, many of the people began to say: “This is truly the prophet who should come into the world,” and they wanted to take Jesus by force and take him to Jerusalem to proclaim Him king. Jesus did not allow the people to enter into an agreement with the disciples and ordered them to immediately get into a boat and cross to the other side of the Sea of ​​Galilee, while He Himself quietly withdrew to the mountain and there spent the whole night in prayer. The feeding of five thousand with five loaves and two fish shows that the poor Jewish people, who followed the Divine Mentor in great numbers, needed more than just spiritual bread, and the Gospel indicates two cases when it was necessary to strengthen them with bodily food. Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself not only as a herald of truth, but also as a great Wonderworker, who fed thousands of hungry people with several small loaves of bread, after which there were still whole baskets of pieces of bread left. The Savior’s motivation for performing miracles was mercy for the poor and needy; the purpose of the miracles was to help poverty, heal the sick, and remove the unfortunate from the power of the age-old enemy of the human race, the tormentor and murderer of the devil. Along with this, the royal power of the Lord the Savior was revealed over nature and its formidable and destructive elements, over illness and death, over the devil and his demons. Blessing of the loaves. From a painting by a class artist of the 1st degree, Foma Rodionovich Railyan, 1870−1930. Healing of the paralytic at the Sheep's font In Jerusalem, near the church at the gate through which the sheep were driven for sacrifice, there was a special house, like an almshouse, called in Hebrew Bethesda (that is, the house of mercy). It had a healing bath, and around it were five covered passages (or galleries), which housed many sick, paralytic, blind, and lame. They were all waiting for the opportunity to bathe in the healing waters of the pool in order to be healed of their illnesses, because every year the angel of the Lord went to the pool and disturbed the water. Whoever was the first to throw himself into the water immediately upon its indignation was healed, no matter what illness he was suffering from. Right there among others was a paralyzed man, that is, paralyzed, as we say. For thirty-eight years he had been waiting for the opportunity to throw himself into the water as soon as he heard its movement, and he could not wait. And how difficult is it for such unfortunate people to make any movements? He did not have a close relative who could help him. The situation is pitiful and hopeless. However, he did not lose hope. He trusted in one God. The less hope there is in people, the stronger the faith and trust in the Lord. “When Jesus saw him lying down and learned that he had been lying there for a long time, he said to him: Do you want to be healthy?” (John 5:6). The sick man said to Him: “Yes, Lord: but I do not have a man who would lower me into the pool when the waters are troubled. When I arrive, another has already gone down before me” (John 5:7). What meekness in responding to a stranger! These thirty-eight years were not in vain for the patient. They instilled in him a spirit of patience and meekness. It was not in vain that the Lord waited so long to show him His great mercy. Jesus says to him: “Get up, take up your mat and walk. And he immediately became well, and took up his bed and walked” (John 5:8). In our days, a healing font has appeared from a source, caused, through the prayers of the Sarov ascetic St. Seraphim, by the rod of the Mother of God from under the depths of the earth. Thousands of people who come to her receive miraculous healing from illnesses and infirmities. But an even greater miracle takes place in the church. Not once a year, but every day, and not the angel of the Lord, but the Holy and Life-giving Spirit descends into the font of baptism and spiritually revives human nature damaged by sin, from which (sin) all diseases arise. Healing of the paralytic at the Sheep's font. From a painting by Prof. Alexander Alexandrovich Kiselev (1838 − 1911). The Lord Jesus Christ was returning from the country of the Gadarenes to the city of Capernaum. Before this, He performed two great miracles: he tamed the raging sea with two words: “be silent, calm down,” and an incomparably greater storm that raged in the heart of the unfortunate demoniac, expelling a whole legion of demons from him. As soon as He came ashore, He was met by a large crowd of people. From this crowd came Jairus, a respected man in the city, the leader of the synagogue, fell on his knees before Him and asked with tears: “My daughter is dying, but come, lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” The Lord Jesus Christ went with him and His disciples. Jairus, although he asked for God's mercy, was too overwhelmed by grief and faint in spirit. To revive his spirit and strengthen his faith, the Lord, on the way to him, healed a woman who had suffered for twelve years. Her healing took place secretly, from one touch of His clothes, but the Lord called her before everyone to confess the mercy shown to her, and said: “Be of good cheer, daughter, your faith has saved you, go into the world and be well from your illness.” Faith in Jairus's soul was revived, but she had to withstand the test. Servants came from the house and told him: “Your daughter is dead, do not bother the Teacher!” The Lord supported the unfortunate father here too, saying: “Do not be afraid, just believe: your daughter will be saved.” We approached Jairus's house. There was great confusion there. They were already preparing to bury the deceased, which was done by the Jews on the day of death itself. In addition to relatives and friends, the courtyard was crowded with hired mourners and flute players, and weeping and sobbing could already be heard. The Lord said: “Why are you embarrassed and crying? The girl is not dead, but she is sleeping.” These words seemed strange to many, and some (the hired mourners) even allowed themselves to laugh at Him. Then He sent everyone out of the house, took with Him only the father and mother of the girl and three chosen disciples - Peter, James and John, and entered the room where the deceased lay. The Lord approached her, took her hand and said to her: “talifa, kumi,” which means: “maiden, stand up.” The girl immediately got up and walked away. She was about twelve years old, but probably due to a serious illness, she became weak. To strengthen her, the Lord ordered to give her something to eat. Those who saw this miracle were in great amazement, but the Lord strictly forbade them to disclose it. This story is very instructive. The Lord not only performs a miracle, but also helps the unfortunate father so that he does not lose heart and can accept the mercy of the Lord. Jairus's daughter was twelve years old, and the woman suffered from illness for twelve years, healed by the Lord on the way to Jairus' house and with her faith reviving faith in his suffering soul. The wife and maiden, who did not know each other, in the ways of divine Providence existed for each other. So deep and mysterious are these paths. How many deep thoughts, what a rich subject for reflection these words of the Lord provide: “The maiden is not dead, but sleeps.” Some see a kind of gradualism, a kind of gradation or ladder in the Lord’s resurrection of the three dead. Jairus' daughter had just died. Her soul hovered around her body. Therefore, to revive it, two words were enough: “talifa, kumi,” which, as it were, were deliberately preserved in the Sirian (the ancient name of Syriac) language. The young man, the son of the widow of Nainskaya, remained longer in the sleep of death. He was already being carried to burial. Therefore, in the words of the Lord one can see the exaltation of strength and power: “young man! I’m telling you, get up!” (Luke 7:14). In order to call the soul of Lazarus, who was already buried and had already been in the tomb for four days, the Lord, says the Gospel of John, called out with a loud voice: “Lazarus, get out” (John 11:43). But the resurrection of the three dead will not limit the power of the Lord: the commanding power of this all-reviving voice will one day extend to all of us. The three dead men raised by the Lord are only our predecessors on this mortal field: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the time is coming, and has already come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and having heard it, they will live” (John 5:25). Resurrection of Jairus' daughter. From a painting by Prof. Ilya Efimovich Repin (1844 − 1930). Academy of Arts. The Lord Jesus Christ, a few days before the glorious Transfiguration, asked his disciples: who do they take Him for? Here the Apostle Peter expressed the liveliness and firmness of his faith, answering for everyone: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this confession he was awarded special praise from the Divine Teacher. But this same ardent disciple of Christ, and following this confession of a living and firm faith, discovered hesitation regarding the words of the Savior about the suffering and death that lay before Him in Jerusalem, for which he was condemned by the Lord. From the conversation of the Lord with the disciples, it was revealed that they believe in Him, but at the same time they are horrified by the suffering that awaits Him. Therefore, He wanted to at least confirm some of them in a special way both in the truth of His Divine mission and in the need for Him to suffer for the salvation of the human race. The Lord took the apostles Peter, James and John with Him and went up the mountain to pray. According to church tradition, it was a beautiful Mount Tabor, covered with rich vegetation from the base to the top. The Lord devoted himself entirely to prayer, and the apostles soon got tired and fell asleep. Suddenly a strong light woke them up, and they saw the Lord Jesus Christ in extraordinary glory. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became white as snow. The prophets Moses and Elijah stood near Him in heavenly glory and talked with Him about the suffering and death that awaited Him in Jerusalem. At this wondrous vision, the apostles felt inexplicable bliss and listened in silence to the conversation of the Lord with the prophets. But Peter noticed that the prophets wanted to depart from the Lord, and in an excess of emotional excitement he exclaimed: “Lord, it is good for us to be here, if you want, we will make three tabernacles (tents) here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He himself did not realize what he was saying. As if in exchange for the tabernacle offered to him, a bright cloud appeared. The apostles knew that a bright cloud in ancient times (at Sinai, in the tabernacle, in the church) meant a special appearance of God, and they were afraid, especially when they felt that they themselves were entering under the shadow of this cloud. Suddenly a voice was heard from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: listen to Him.” The apostles fell to the ground in fear. After some time, the Lord came up, touched them and said: “Get up, don’t be afraid!” He was already in His usual form and forbade them to tell about this vision until He rose from the dead. Transfiguration. From a painting by Prof. Vladimir Egorovich Makovsky (1846 - 1920) for the Church in the village of Borki. Healing a demon-possessed deaf-mute youth When the Lord Jesus Christ and His three disciples, witnesses of His glorious transfiguration, descended from the mountain, they saw below, around the remaining disciples, a multitude of people and scribes arguing with them. The sudden appearance of the Lord was joyfully greeted by the people. Many ran up to Him and greeted Him. Approaching the scribes, the Lord asked: What are you arguing about? At that moment, one man separated from the crowd of people, approached Jesus, fell on his knees before Him and exclaimed: “Teacher, Lord, have mercy on my son, he is the only one I have. He is possessed by a mute spirit and goes berserk on the new moon. The evil spirit grabs him so that he suddenly screams, torments him so that he emits foam and becomes ossified, and forcibly retreats from him when he has already tormented him. I brought him to Your disciples and asked them to drive out the evil spirit, but they could not heal my son.” Jesus Christ, in response to this, said: “O faithless and corrupt generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? “Then he commanded his father: “Bring your son here.” And they brought him to Him. But as soon as the demoniac saw Jesus Christ, the demon immediately shook him; the unfortunate man fell to the ground, began to roll around and emit foam. Jesus Christ asked his father: “How long ago did this happen to him?” - He answered: “since childhood; and many times he threw him into the fire, then into the water, to destroy him, but if you can, have mercy, help us.” Jesus Christ told him: “If you can believe, all things are possible for him who believes.” - And suddenly the father of that youth cried out with tears: “I believe, Lord! help my unbelief!” “Jesus Christ, seeing that the people were running together, said to the unclean spirit: the spirit is dumb and deaf! I command You: get out of it and do not enter it again!” And, screaming and shaking the boy greatly, the spirit came out; at these moments the boy seemed to have died, so many said: “he died.” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him up and gave him to his father. The disciples, left alone with the Lord, asked Him: “Why couldn’t we drive him out?” “According to you, it is wrong,” the Lord answered, for truly I tell you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed and say to this mountain: move from here to there, then it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” And then he added: “this race (of demons) can only be driven out by prayer and fasting.” Healing of a demon-possessed deaf-mute youth. From a painting by Ivan Efimovich Kryukov (1823 – 1857). In 1850, for the execution of the painting, he was awarded the first gold medal and received the title of class artist. In Bethany, Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, became seriously ill. His sisters sent him to tell the Lord: “The one you love is sick.” The Lord answered the messengers: “This illness does not lead to death, but to the glory of God,” and stayed in the place where he was for two days, as if completely forgetting about Lazarus. On the third day He said to the disciples: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. I'm going to wake Him up." The disciples said: “Lord, if you fall asleep, you will recover.” The Lord told them directly: “Lazarus is dead. And I rejoice for you that I was not there, so that you might believe; but let’s go to him.” While Jesus Christ was walking to Bethany, Lazarus was already buried. Martha was the first to meet the Lord and said to him: “Lord! if You had been here, my brother would not have died, but even now I know that whatever You ask, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” “I know that he will rise again,” said Martha, “on the resurrection, on the last day.” Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? Martha replied: “Yes, Lord! I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, Who was about to come into the world.” After this, Martha went to her house and said to her sister: “The teacher is here and is calling you.” Mary immediately stood up and went to Jesus. There were many Jews in their house at that time, who had gathered to console the sad sisters. Seeing that Mary hurriedly left the house, they thought that she had gone to cry at her brother’s tomb, and they also followed her. Mary fell at the feet of Jesus and said the same as Martha: “Lord! If you had been here, my brother would not have died!” When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who came to her crying, He himself was grieved in spirit and shed tears. Then he asked: “Where did you put it?” They told him: “Come and see.” It was a cave, and the entrance to it was blocked with stones. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, protecting her brother’s grave peace, objected: “Lord! already stinks: for he has been in the grave for four days.” But He remarked to her: “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God!” The stone was taken away. The Lord Jesus Christ raised his eyes to heaven and said: “Father, I thank You that You heard Me. I knew that You would always hear Me, but I said this for the people standing here, so that they would believe that You sent Me.” After this he cried out with a loud voice: “Lazarus, get out.” And the dead man came out, entwined on his hands and feet with burial cloths, and his face was tied with a scarf. Amidst general amazement and fear, the Lord calmly said: “Untie him: let him go.” The Raising of Lazarus. From a painting by Pavel Alexandrovich Svedomsky (1849 – 1904). Kyiv. Vladimir Cathedral. Solemn entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem On the occasion of the approaching Easter holiday, people flocked to Jerusalem in large numbers. Everyone was talking about the new great miracle of the Lord - the resurrection of the four-day-old Lazarus and, knowing the determination of the high priests to kill Him, they asked each other: “Do you think He will come to the holiday.” It became heard that the Lord was not far away, in Bethany. Many wanted to go there to see Him and Lazarus. And the high priests decided to kill Lazarus along with Jesus. In the midst of such excitement, a rumor suddenly spreads among the people that the Savior is going to Jerusalem. Instantly there is a desire among the people to solemnly greet Him as a king. And a multitude of people, taking palm branches, went out to meet the Lord. The Lord voluntarily and solemnly went to Jerusalem, despite the evil intent of His enemies. Having reached the village of Bethagia, He sent two disciples there, and they brought to Him a donkey and a colt, put clothes on the colt, and the Lord sat on top of them. The donkey walked behind. Then the Jews who came from Jerusalem met Him and began to spread their clothes along the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them along the road. Walking ahead and accompanying the Lord, the people exclaimed: “Hosanna (grant salvation, help God) to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest” (may they hear the cry of our joy and the cry of our prayer in heaven!) At the same time, everyone joyfully remembered and told each other about the miracles performed by the Lord. But amidst the general joy, the Lord was sad. When Jerusalem opened from the Mount of Olives, He shed tears and said: “Oh, if only on this day you knew what serves for your peace! But this is hidden from your eyes. Behold, the days will come when your enemies will ruin you, beat your children and leave not one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” In Jerusalem, the Lord directed a procession to the church and, entering it, expelled all those trading there. After this the blind and lame came to Him, and He healed them. Meanwhile, every effort was made by the Jewish leaders to calm down the popular unrest, and the people, fearing the leaders, fell silent. But they could not stop the children, who continued to exclaim within the walls of the church: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Hearing these exclamations and seeing the miracles of Christ, the high priests indignantly said to the Lord: “Do you hear what they say?” The Lord answered them: “Have you never read: from the mouths of babes and sucklings You have built praise” (Ps. 8:3), and, prophesying about the day of His suffering, added: “If they also remain silent, then the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). The solemn entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. From a painting by Pavel Alexandrovich Svedomsky (1849 – 1904). Kyiv. Vladimir Cathedral. On the eve of His suffering on the cross, on Thursday morning, the Lord Jesus Christ commanded the apostles Peter and John to go to Jerusalem and prepare everything necessary for the celebration of Easter. In the evening he himself came here with the other apostles. His face shone with special love for his disciples. “Having loved those who were on earth,” says the Evangelist John, “he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). And during the supper, one might think, at the very beginning of it, knowing that the Father had given everything into His hands and that He came from God and was going to God, with all the representation and awareness of His Divine power and the glory awaiting Him for the feat ahead, the Lord Jesus Christ showed the disciples a wondrous sign of His humility and love: “He got up from the supper, took off His outer garment, and, taking a towel, girded Himself. Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and wipe them with the towel with which he was girded” (John 13:5). He approaches Simon Peter, and he says to Him: “Lord! Should you wash my feet? (John 13:6). Jesus answered him: “What I do you do not know now, but you will understand later” (John 13:7). Peter says to Him: “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8). Simon Peter says to Him: “Lord! not only my feet, but also my hands and my head” (John 13:9). Jesus tells Him: “He who has been washed needs only to wash his feet, for he is all clean. And you are clean, but not all of you” (John 13:10). For He knew His betrayer, and that is why He said: “You are not all clean” (John 13:11). When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes, he lay down again and said to them: “Do you know what I have done to you?” (John 13:12). “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say it rightly, for indeed I am” (John 13:13). So, if I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, then you should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14), “for I have given you an example, so that you should do the same as I have done to you” (John 13:15), that is, to serve each other. After this, the Jewish Passover was celebrated with the rituals adopted for it. “I greatly desired,” said the Lord, “to eat this Passover with you before My suffering, for I tell you that I will no longer eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God,” that is, until everything that it symbolizes for the salvation of the human race is fulfilled. Then came the most important moments in the history of the Church and the World. New bread was served - not unleavened bread, but leavened bread. The cup was filled with new wine. The Lord Jesus Christ took bread, thanked God the Father for all the mercies He had shown to the human race, blessed the bread, broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying: “Take, eat, this is My Body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins.” Having then taken the cup, he also thanked God the Father, blessed it and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink from it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.” Having given communion to the apostles, the Lord said to them: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Thus, the most important of the sacraments of the Christian faith was established - the sacrament of Communion. The Lord united in him everything that He acquired for us through His voluntary humiliation and suffering on the cross for us and gave us the highest gift of His ineffable and boundless love for us - His body and blood. During the celebration of the Supreme Testament Passover and at the Last Supper, the Lord admonished His betrayer several times. After hinting that not all the disciples were pure, He said: “Truly I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me” (John 13:21). The disciples were horrified and began to anxiously ask: “Isn’t it me, Lord.” Judas was silent. Then the Lord, in order to have a stronger effect on his hardened heart, said: “The Son of Man goes (to suffer), as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed; It would have been better for this person not to have been born.” Excitement began again between the apostles and questions began to pour in: “Isn’t it me, Lord?” Fiery Peter gave a sign to John, who was reclining closest to Jesus Christ, to ask Him about the traitor. John fell to the Lord’s chest and quietly asked: “Lord, who is this?” (John 13:25). The Lord revealed to His friend the secret of the traitor, saying “he to whom I will dip a piece of bread and give it” and, having dipped the piece, gave it to Judas Iscariot (John 13:26). Only John only understood the significance of this action, but in the eyes of others it was a sign of the Lord’s special attention to Judas. Finally, Judas decides to break the silence and asks Jesus Christ along with others: “Lord, is it not me?” “You,” the Lord answers him, but so quietly that no one except Judas heard this word. The Gospel does not say whether Judas was awarded communion of the Holy Mysteries, but it can be assumed that the Lord did not deprive His traitor of this highest sign of His love and, after receiving the bread (i.e., unworthy communion), Satan entered Judas and finally took possession of him. Seeing his anxiety, the Lord said: “Whatever you want to do, do it quickly” (John 13:27). Judas immediately got up from the table and went out (John 13:30). And now no one except John understood the words of the Lord, and everyone thought that the Lord was commanding Judas either to buy something for the holiday, or to give to the poor, since he had common money (John 13:29). Washing the feet. From a sketch by Prof. Vasily Petrovich Vereshchagin (1835 – 1909) (performed in his workshop). Last Supper. From a painting by Pavel Alexandrovich Svedomsky (1849 – 1904). Kyiv. Vladimir Cathedral. The suffering of the Lord Savior on the Cross was preceded by His feat of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was on Thursday, late in the evening, shortly after the Last Supper. Despite the fact that at this supper there was Judas the traitor, who, along with others, was awarded the washing of his feet and participation in the supper, and from this supper he left to do his evil deed, the mood of the Lord and the disciples, as depicted in Scripture, cannot be imagined otherwise than the most joyful. The Lord rejoiced that He taught His disciples, and through them the countless multitude of believers, the highest gift of His love - His body and blood; For the first time, the disciples felt the joy of communion, which we, sinners, value as the highest of the joys of life. This joy was reflected in the singing of the solemn Easter songs with which the participants of the supper left the Zion upper room - this first Christian church in the world, and its spirit can be heard in that touching farewell conversation with the disciples, which even now evokes tears of heartfelt emotion in those who reverently listen to it. But the closer it was to the end of the journey, the more and more a terrible cloud began to approach the soul of the Savior: it was the abyss of our countless sins opening up before Him from all generations that have ever existed, those that exist and those that will exist. As an omniscient and knower of hearts, the Lord knew these sins and saw this abyss in all its terrifying depth and nakedness, and now He had to accept all that sin of the world on His clear conscience and feel all the abomination of it and all the weight of the terrible responsibility for it. And so, having approached a place familiar to all of them at the foot of the Mount of Olives - this is the famous garden of Gethsemane - the Lord singles out three disciples especially close to Him from among the others, takes them inside the garden and reveals to them His spiritual yearning: “My soul hurts to death, stay here and watch with Me” (Matthew 26:38). Then, he walked away from the apostles to throw a stone (i.e., how far can you throw a stone) (Luke 22:41), fell on his face and prayed like this: “Abba, Father! Everything is possible for You. Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! However, not My will, but Yours be done!” (Luke 22:42). Three times the Lord offered this tender prayer to His Father. The subsequent prayer differs from the first in incomparably greater self-control and decisive submission to the will of the Father. He seemed to be convinced (humanly speaking) that there was no other means except His suffering for the salvation of people, and he completely surrendered Himself to the will of the Father. “My Father! “- He said, “if this cup cannot pass from Me, lest I drink it, Thy will be done!” The Lord prayed the third time in the same way as the second, but His prayer was even more diligent, so that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44). After this great feat of prayer, an angel of the Lord appeared to Him and strengthened Him (Luke 22:43). What about the students? Did they share the sorrow and work of the Teacher and the Lord? Alas, no. As if on purpose, in these most important moments of their lives, a terrible dream oppressed them. The Lord approached them twice, awakened them while they were sleeping, and asked them to stay awake, not for Him, but for themselves. They will get up, look, listen stupidly, and again, like the dead, fall to the ground. “Go to sleep and rest,” He said to them, coming the third time. But they won’t let you sleep; here comes the one who betrays Me!” At that moment Judas appeared with the soldiers and servants of the bishop to take the Lord Savior, after which the lawless trial against Him began that same night. Gethsemane prayer. From a painting Fyodor Antonovich Bruni (1799 – 1875), St. Petersburg. Museum of Emperor Alexander III. Nowadays it is the State Russian Museum. The Flagellation of the Lord Savior The Jewish leaders sentenced the Lord Jesus Christ to death, but this sentence had to be confirmed by the Roman ruler of Judea, who was Pontius Pilate at that time. He was a man cold to faith, without firm moral rules, searching, double-minded, generally an unjust judge, at the same time power-hungry and cruel. Pilate clearly saw that before him stood a Man innocent of anything, accused only of the malice and envy of the Jews, but instead of acting directly and decisively to justify Him, he sought out various extraneous reasons for this. First he sends the Lord to the ruler of Galilee, Herod, taking advantage of this opportunity to strengthen the connection with him in the form of politics, then he orders the soldiers to beat Jesus Christ, believing that this will saturate the anger of the Jews. At his command, the soldiers took the Lord inside the courtyard and there, tying Him to a pillar, beat Him with whips, then wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, dressed Him in a scarlet robe (a red cloak, similar to the one that kings sometimes wore) and began to greet Him with ridicule: “Hail, King of the Jews,” and beat Him on the cheeks. And so Pilate places Jesus, beaten and tormented by cruel soldiers, before the eyes of the people and proclaims: “Behold a man.” Look how he would tell the people how he was tormented and wounded! Don't you really feel sorry for Him? The people were amazed at the sight of the Divine Sufferer, but then, incited by the high priests and leaders, they again began to demand His execution: “Crucify, crucify Him.” Pilate decided to let Jesus go; but the Jews knew the weak side of the two-minded ruler and threatened him with the judgment of Caesar, as if he did not protect his honor and power. “If you let Him go,” they said, “then you are not a friend of Caesar.” One must be amazed at how quickly this threat had an effect on the double-minded judge. Pilate suddenly hurried, hastily sat down in his judge's seat and began to quickly end his lawless trial. In impotent anger at the Jews, he reproached them, with a pathetic attempt at irony, saying: “Behold your king, shall I crucify your king.” The Jews persistently answered: “We have no other king but Caesar.” Pilate demanded water and, having washed his hands in front of the people, said: “I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One: look,” and for this, with these washed hands, with the publicly declared consciousness that he was condemning the Righteous One to shameful execution, he signed His death sentence. The Flagellation of the Lord Savior. From a painting by Prof. Alexey Egorovich Egorov (1776 – 1851). SPb. Academy of Arts. 1814. Oil on canvas. 260 x 207 cm. Now – State Russian Museum According to the approval of the death sentence by the Roman ruler, the Lord Savior, accompanied by Roman soldiers, was led to crucifixion, and He Himself had to bear the cross. This cross, according to rough calculations, could not have contained less than three pounds (50 kg). Exhausted by previous sufferings, Jesus Christ stopped several times and fell under the burden of the cross. At this time, a certain Simon of Cyrene was coming to meet the Savior and probably showed on his face compassion for the Divine Sufferer. The soldiers immediately stopped him and forced him to carry the cross of the Lord, but so that no one would think that Simon was being led to execution, they ordered Jesus Christ to go ahead, and Simon followed Him and carried His cross. Simon, bearing the cross behind the Lord the Savior, is the image of every Christian: every believer take the cross that the Lord sends you for your salvation, and follow the Divine Sufferer, steadily trying to imitate His patience and love and being strengthened in prayer by His life-giving power. A crowd of people followed the Lord, and women wept bitterly for Him. The Lord turned to them and said: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, weep for yourselves and for your children.” According to an ancient legend, one of these women, named Veronica, made her way through the crowd and wiped the Savior’s face with a towel soaked in cold water. For this zeal, the suffering face of the Savior was imprinted on her towel. Finally, through the so-called Judgment Gate, they reached the place of execution. It was a small hill (200 steps from the Gate of Judgment), called “Golgotha” or the place of execution. Way of the Cross. From a painting Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848 – 1926) Carrying the Cross. From a painting by Prof. Nikolai Andreevich Koshelev (1840 – 1918). Church at the Palestinian Orthodox Mission. Koshelev Nikolai Andreevich. “Do not weep for me, daughters of Jerusalem! " Cross of the Lord. Sign at the hour of the Savior's death on the cross Before being nailed to the cross, Jesus Christ was given vinegar mixed with myrrh, as bitter as gall, to drink. This drink, somewhat dulling the senses, alleviated suffering. Having experienced this bitterness, the Savior did not want to drink it, because he wanted to suffer and die with full consciousness. According to Roman custom, a tablet was nailed over the head of the crucified person indicating his guilt. Pilate, wanting to take at least some revenge on the Jews, ordered to write in three languages ​​- Hebrew, Greek and Latin - on a tablet to the cross of the Lord: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” When the crosses were placed, the soldiers lifted the Lord Jesus Christ, spread His arms and nailed Him to the cross. On both sides of the Savior the thieves brought with Him were crucified. The Lord, during the crucifixion, did not utter a single word of complaint or murmur, but prayed for His enemies: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” At the hour of Christ’s death, the curtain in the church separating the sanctuary from the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom, the earth shook, the rocks crumbled and the tomb caves in them were opened. At the same time, some of the dead saints were resurrected and, after the resurrection of the Savior, appeared to many in Jerusalem. The Jews returned from Golgotha ​​in trepidation, with bowed heads, striking themselves in the chest, and the centurion standing at the cross and the other soldiers with him, seeing everything that happened, said with fear: “Truly He was the Son of God!” Crucifixion. From a painting by Prof. Vladimir Egorovich Makovsky (1846 – 1920) for the complex in the village of Borki. Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said: Father! I commit My spirit into Your hands. And having said this, he gave up the ghost (Luke 23:46). From a painting by Pavel Alexandrovich Svedomsky (1849 – 1904). Kyiv. Vladimir Cathedral. The Gospel very rarely, and then only briefly, mentions the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ according to His humanity, as if the sacred writers deliberately avoided mentioning Her, in reverence for Her wondrous humility or yielding to requests for this from the Mother of God herself. But the Holy Church, the Mystery of Grace, in touching expressions depicts the suffering state of the Ever-Virgin Mother, both during her standing at the Cross of the Lord Savior, and after the death of her Divine Son. Here are some of those images. “I see You now, my beloved Child and beloved, hanging on the cross, and I am bitterly wounded in my heart,” the Pure speech, “but give the word, O Good One, to Thy servant.” “Now I have been deprived of my hope, joy and gladness of my Son and Lord: alas for me, I am sick at heart” - Pure weeping verb. “Behold, my sweet Light, my hope and my good life, my God is extinguished on the cross, I am burning in the womb” - the Virgin lamented the verb. Having received Him with tears, put Him on your knee, begging Him with tears and kissing, while the mountaineers weep and exclaim: “I had only one hope and life, my Master Son and God, in the sight of the light of Your servant, but now I would be deprived of them to You, my sweet Child and beloved.” “Sickness and sorrow and sighing have come upon me; alas for me, seeing You, my beloved Child, naked and secluded and anointed with the stench of the dead.” “Woe is me that I see! Where are you going now, my Son, and leaving me alone?” “Heal my spiritual ulcer now, my child; rise again and satisfy my illness and sorrow; You can, Vladyka, as much as you want, and do it, even if you were buried by your will.” Lamentation of Our Lady. From a painting Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848 –1926). SPb. Museum of Alexander III. Now the Russian Museum. The Descent from the Cross and Burial of the Lord Jesus Christ After the Lord Jesus Christ surrendered His spirit to God the Father, Joseph, a rich man from the city of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, went to Pilate and asked him for permission to bury Him in his garden, located near Golgotha. Joseph was still a secret disciple of the Savior and did not take part in His condemnation. Having received permission from Pilate, he brought a clean linen (shroud), and another famous member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, who came to Him at night and was also His secret disciple, brought an abundance of fragrant ointments, myrrh and aloes. They reverently removed the body of Jesus Christ from the cross, anointed it with ointments, wrapped it in a shroud and, with funeral singing, carried it to Joseph’s cave and blocked the entrance to it with a large stone. This cave was carved out of solid rock, and no one had ever been buried in it. Mary Magdalene, Mary of Joseph and some other pious women were present at the burial ceremony. At the end of the burial, they sat in inexpressible grief in front of the stone that hid the body of the Lord. But the same love for the Savior, which shed bitter tears from their eyes, also encouraged them. Seeing with what honor Joseph and Nicodemus buried the Savior, they, for their part, wanted to express their zeal to Him and anoint His body with precious myrrh. They hurried to the city to prepare myrrh, but the evening had already arrived, from which Easter Saturday began, and they had to postpone their intention until the day following this holiday. The high priests, however, did not know peace even on Easter Saturday. Early in the morning they came to Pilate and said to him: “Sir, we remembered that this deceiver said: after three days I will rise again. So, order His tomb to be guarded until the third day, so that His disciples do not steal Him at night and tell the people: He has risen from the dead. Then this last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them: “You have a guard, go and guard as best you can.” They went, placed a guard at the tomb and put their seal on the stone. Thus, although the high priests tried to denigrate even the memory of the deceased Lord, they did so that His tomb, as truly royal, was guarded by soldiers. Descent from the Cross. From a painting Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848 – 1926). SPb. Museum of Alexander III. Now the Russian Museum. Burial of the Savior. From a painting by Prof. Koshelev Nikolai Andreevich (1840 – 1918). SPb. Museum of Alexander III. Nowadays it is the Russian Museum. In the introduction to the collection of paintings from the life of the Savior, it was said that, despite all the successes of painting, the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, God who appeared in the flesh, still remains an unresolved problem for artists, and the final solution to this problem cannot be foreseen, since the ideal presented here to the minds of artists is essentially unattainable. Nevertheless, this ideal moves the mind and imagination of artists to at least in a small way come closer to its implementation. Attempts to draw the face of the Savior represent a whole story, very interesting and instructive. In the first centuries of Christianity, our Lord Jesus Christ was mostly depicted under various symbols, of which the most common were the images of the Shepherd who sought the lost sheep, and the Lamb who accepted the sin of the world. In these images we do not see Christ himself as a historical person, but only one allusion to Him, and the difference in the forms of these allusions in other cases is so great that it is not without difficulty that we have to recognize the same face in two different images. On ancient monuments of the 2nd and 3rd centuries there are also direct images of the Savior raising Lazarus, multiplying the loaves, etc., but here we also see diversity: sometimes He appears in one form, sometimes in another. The features of ancient heroes were sometimes applied to these images. From this presentation of the case it is clear that there were no definite, so to speak, portrait features of the Savior’s face, and the artists depicted Him at their own discretion. However, over time, a certain type of depiction of Christ the Savior becomes more and more clear. From the 4th century, this type was finally strengthened in Christian art and finally became unchanged. Of the descriptions of the features of this type, the following description, belonging to St. John of Damascus, deserves special attention: Jesus Christ, according to Damascus, was tall and slender, had beautiful eyes, a straight nose, curly hair, a black beard, a head bowed slightly forward, a yellowish body color like wheat, like His Mother. Another Christian writer of the 14th century, Nikephoros Callistus, describes this type with similar features. According to him, Christ had a beautiful face, had light brown hair, not particularly thick, black eyebrows not particularly slanted, light brown and cheerful eyes, a long nose, a short beard, a slanted neck, a round face, an expression without anger, important and intelligent, etc., in everything like His Mother. The same thing, with some variations, is repeated by the apocryphal letter of Publius Lentulus to Pilate, our iconographic originals and the compilers of individual articles about the appearance of the Savior in our Slavic-Russian collections (Essays on monuments of Orthodox iconography and art by N. Pokrovsky. St. Petersburg, 1894). The approval of this type of image of the Savior was undoubtedly influenced by the legend about the miraculous image of the Savior given to the Edessa prince Abgar. This tradition is set forth by Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, called the father of church history, who lived in the 4th century. Known under the name of the one not made by hands is another image given to Veronica, who, according to legend, approached the Lord the Savior when He, who had suffered greatly, was going to be crucified, and wiped His face with a cloth soaked in cold water, on which His face was imprinted. But in the church the first tradition was better known and enjoyed greater respect. The image of Avgar differs from Veronicin in that the features of the Lord’s face on it are wonderfully calm and royally majestic, while in the other image Veronicin the features are mournful and suffering. But since this miraculous image given to Abgar did not survive (it was stolen by the Venetians and drowned in the waves of the Sea of ​​Marmara), then, having given direction to artists in their search for the face of Christ, he leaves them complete freedom for the sublime flights of their creative imagination, which declares its more or less powerful powers, both in the depiction of the face of the Savior in general, and in particular in the outline of His image not made by hands. In our collection we present an image of the face of the Savior, given by our famous artist Makovsky, and belonging to the famous brush of the famous artist Vasnetsov. Face of the Savior. From a painting by Prof. Vladimir Egorovich Makovsky (1846–1920) for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, erected in 1891–1894 in the village of Borki on the site of the crash of the imperial train in 1888. The icon was painted in 1890. The church was looted after the revolution and destroyed during the Patriotic War. The message of Publius Lentulus, sent to the Senate during the Savior’s earthly life, speaks about the Appearance of Jesus Christ. The senator wrote: “This man is tall and built. His brown hair falls smoothly to the bottom of his ears and from there falls in wavy curls to his very shoulders. They are divided at the top of the head, like the Nazarenes. The nose and mouth are very regular, the beard is quite thick, small, the same color as the hair on the head, and is divided into two parts on the chin. The eyes are blue and extremely lively. He was never seen laughing, but he was seen crying." Saint John Chrysostom (c. 347 - 407) in Discourses on the Gospel of Matthew (Conversation 27, paragraph 2) spoke about the Divine beauty of the Lord, referring to the psalmist who exclaimed: “You are more beautiful than the sons of men; grace poured out from Your mouth; therefore God hath blessed thee forever” (Ps. 44:3). Image Not Made by Hands. From a painting Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848 – 1926). While working on the image of Christ, Vasnetsov wrote: “I am again looking for the face of Christ - no small task, the task of entire centuries! My search in the cathedral, of course, is a weak attempt to find his image, but I truly believe that it is the Russian artist who is destined to find the image of the World Christ... And how joyful it is that our art has such a great ideal - it has something to live for.” “I believe that in Rus' there is no holier and more fruitful task for a Russian artist than decorating a church - this is truly both a people’s work and a work of the highest art.” The most merciful Lord not only descended from heaven to earth, ascended to the cross and descended into the earth during burial, but also descended into hell, for our salvation, and visited there the dead human race, which had been going there since the very days of Adam. Our spiritual Sun went underground and rose in another, so to speak, spiritual hemisphere, in the world of souls who have departed from here, in order to illuminate them with the light of faith and lead them out of darkness into the kingdom of light. Having foretold the imminent appearance of the Savior of the World on earth and pointed the people to Him, Saint John the Baptist also went there to proclaim to those in hell God who has appeared in the flesh and who gives Sunday to everyone. The patriarchs, forefathers and fathers of God's chosen people, among whom the Savior of the World appeared, awaited His appearance, led by the first-created Adam and the foremother Eve, who, succumbing to sinful temptation, with faith accepted the great promise of the seed of the woman - the Savior of the World, and were the first to accept here the joyful news of the accomplished reconciliation with the truth of God. The Apostle Peter extends the effect of the saving message to a boundless space, confirming in his message that the Lord, having descended, preached to the spirits in prison, who were once disobedient to God’s long-suffering waiting for them, in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved from the water (1 Pet. 3:20), and the most corrupt perished in the flood waters, people who have become completely fleshed out and rejected God. The descent into hell, representing the extreme degree of condescension of the Savior to the fallen human race, represents at the same time the beginning of His ascension into glory, ending with His ascension into heaven and sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Descent into hell. From a painting by Prof. Evgraf Semenovich Sorokin (1821–1892). Moscow. Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ After midnight from Saturday to the day after it (now Sunday), our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of His deity, rose from the dead. The guard stood at the tomb cave, the stone lay, and the seal was intact. The earth only shook when the Lord came out of His tomb. Following this, the Angel of the Lord appeared, rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it. His appearance shone like lightning, and his robe was white as snow. The soldiers assigned to the coffin died of fear. Having come to their senses, they started to run. Having run to the city, they told the high priests about everything that had happened. The high priests, having held a conference with the elders, gave the guards money and said: “Tell everyone that His disciples came at night and stole Him while you were sleeping. If rumors about this reach the ruler, we will persuade him and save you from trouble. The soldiers, having received the money, did as they were ordered. But this lie, which exposes itself like any lie (the disciples slept and saw), could not hide the great and luminous truth, and Christians from the first centuries solemnly glorify the Risen Lord, joyfully singing the Easter hymn: “Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those who are in sin.” Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The author of the painting is Mikhail Nikolaevich Vasiliev (1830–1900) - Russian artist, academician and adjunct professor at the Academy of Arts, professor of historical painting. The painting was placed in the Zhitomir Cathedral. During the Soviet pre-war era and the German occupation, the interior of the cathedral was seriously damaged. Altars, icons and part of the interior decor were looted or completely destroyed. The painting was destroyed. Appearance of the Risen Lord to Mary Magdalene According to ancient church tradition, the Lord Jesus Christ, after the resurrection, appeared first of all to His most blessed Mother, but this appearance is not mentioned in the Gospel. Mary Magdalene is mentioned here as the first person to see the Lord (Mark 16:9) (Luke 24:10). Having received deliverance from the Lord Savior from the seven demons that tormented her, she surrendered to Him with all the strength of her loving soul. In the strength of her zeal, in her ardor and devotion to grateful love, she surpassed all the wives who accompanied the Lord and served Him, and is always mentioned first among them. By the power of love, she alone had the courage to stand at the very cross of the Lord together with the Mother of the Lord, the sister of the Mother of God Mary of Cleopas and His beloved disciple John. She went first among the other wives to the tomb of the Lord to anoint His body with myrrh, and forestalled them far ahead. Before anyone else, she approached the tomb cave and saw: the terrible stone had been rolled away from the tomb (John 20:1). She quickly ran back to the apostles Simon Peter and John and said to them: “They took the Lord away from the tomb, and I don’t know where they laid Him” (John 20:2). Peter and John ran to the tomb. And Mary followed them, came to Joseph’s garden, stood at the tomb and wept (John 20:11). Suddenly a light shone on her from the tomb and she saw two Angels in white robes sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the Body of Jesus lay (John 20:12). The angels tell her: “wife! Why are you crying? He tells them: “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:13). Having said this, as if involuntarily, she turns back and sees Jesus, but she did not recognize Him (John 20:14). Jesus says to her: “Woman! Why are you crying? Who are you looking for? Thinking that it is the gardener, Mary says to Him: “Sir! if you have carried Him out, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away” (John 20:15). Jesus says to her: “Mary.” She turned and said to Him: “Rabbi! Teacher!" (John 20:16). Jesus says to her: “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brothers and say to them: I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17). The Lord rewarded Mary with such a significant appearance for her ardent and selfless love and courage, which she discovered especially in the last three days. In explanation of this great mercy shown to Mary, the following thoughts are presented. The wife (our foremother Eve) was the first to hear the flattering words of Satan and believe them. The wife was the first to be told the good news of salvation. The believing and loving Mary, when proclaiming such joyful news, appeared as an apostle to the apostles themselves, which is why she is called equal to the apostles. Here, every believing and loving Christian mother is instructed to be the first proclaimer to her children of the lofty truths of the Christian Faith. Appearance of the risen Lord to Mary Magdalene. From a painting Alexander Andreevich Ivanov (1806–1858). SPb. Museum of Alexander III. 1835, oil on canvas. Now the State Russian Museum, room 15. The Lord appears to the disciples on the way to Emmaus On the very day when the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, two disciples were going to Emmaus, a village sixty stadia (10 versts) from Jerusalem. One of the disciples was Cleopas, a relative of Jesus, the other, one must think, was the Evangelist Luke himself, since he described this event in particular detail, but did not identify himself due to the humility common to all evangelists (Luke 24:13). They walked in deep sadness and talked among themselves about the events that had happened in the last days (Luke 24:14). During the conversation, Jesus Christ quietly approached them and, drawing level, asked them: “What are you talking about among yourself and why are you so sad?” (Luke 24:17). Cleopas, not recognizing Him, answered: “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who does not know about what has happened in it these days?” (Luke 24:18) “About what?” the Lord asked them. The disciples explained to Him how they believed in Jesus Christ and hoped that He was the Messiah sent from God, but the high priests betrayed Him to suffering and death (Luke 24:20). Then they told Him about the myrrh-bearing women that they did not find the Lord in the tomb and heard the news from the Angels that He was alive (Luke 24:23). They wanted to hear confirmation of this from the apostles (Peter and John) who went to the tomb, but the apostles found only the tomb empty; they did not see the Risen One Himself (Luke 24:24). Noticing that the disciples were mainly embarrassed by the thought of the suffering of the Lord, which they could not reconcile with the dignity of the Messiah, the unfamiliar Companion began to explain to them, starting from Moses, from all the prophets, the truth that Christ should have first suffered and then been glorified. The disciples listened with pleasure to the consoling speeches of their Companion and quietly reached Emmaus. Having come to this village, the Lord showed that he wanted to go further (Luke 24:28), but they invited Him to come to their house and stay overnight with them. Jesus Christ agreed. When dinner was served, He took the bread, blessed it as He had done before, broke it, and gave it to the disciples. Now the eyes of the disciples were just opened and they recognized the Lord, but at that very moment He became invisible to them (Luke 24:31). This convinced them even more of the reality of the Lord’s appearance, and they said to each other: “Didn’t our heart burn in us when He spoke to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). Despite the fact that the day was already turning towards evening and night was falling, they rushed again to Jerusalem and found the apostles gathered together and who were with them, who said that the Lord had truly risen and appeared to Simon. And they told about what had happened on the way, and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of bread. When they were talking about this, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said: “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36). Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet and His ribs. One can imagine the joy of the disciples when they saw the Lord! From this joyful meeting of the Emmaus travelers and apostles, who greeted each other with the joyful news of the resurrection of the Lord, until the Lord Savior appeared to all of them, one might think that it remained forever in the Church of Christ on the joyful days of the Bright Easter celebration to greet each other with mutual kisses with the words of peace: “Christ is Risen, Risen Truly!” The appearance of the Lord to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov. 1895 Paper on cardboard, tempera, bronze, graphite pencil. State Russian Museum. Appearance of the Lord to the Apostle Thomas During the appearance of Jesus Christ to the apostles, one of the twelve, the Apostle Thomas, was not among them (John 20:24). By nature, by the nature of his mind, Thomas was distrustful, loved accuracy, and sought to find out everything through his own experience. Therefore, when the apostles told him about the appearance of the Lord, he did not believe them and said: “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Eight days after the resurrection of the Lord, all the apostles gathered in one house, where Thomas was with them. Suddenly, in the midst of them, although the doors were locked, Jesus Christ appeared and said to them: “Peace be with you!” Then, turning to Thomas, he said: “Put your finger here and look at My hands; give me your hand and place it in my side and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer!” (John 20:27). Having personally confirmed the resurrection of Christ, Thomas exclaimed from the bottom of his believing heart: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus answered him: “Behold, when you saw Me, you believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). “O good unbelief of Fomino,” says one church hymn, “will lead the faithful in heart to knowledge.” In the person of the Apostle Thomas we see such a witness to the truth of the resurrection of Christ, who went through the difficult and difficult path of seeking it and was unshakably and victoriously established in this great truth - the basis and confirmation of the Christian faith. The good unbelief of the Apostle Thomas is especially instructive in our time. It inspires us: keep the light of faith in your soul, this is a treasure of immeasurable value, but if unbelief and despondency have darkened your soul, do not lose hope, seek the truth. If only there is this desire for the truth, the Lord will show you the path to it and illuminate your soul with the grace of love. The appearance of the Lord to the Apostle Thomas. From a painting by Prof. Vasily Petrovich Vereshchagin (1835–1909). On the fortieth day after the resurrection, the Lord appeared to His disciples in Jerusalem. For the last time I walked with them through the stogna (streets) of this glorious and unfortunate city and left the gates on the Mount of Olives to Bethany. On the way, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem and to wait for the descent of the Holy Spirit. “John baptized you with water,” the Lord told them, “and a few days after this you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” After these words, the Lord raised His hands for blessing, but did not stop it personally on any of those present, and so, with His hands outstretched for blessing, He retreated from the earth and began to ascend into heaven (Luke 24:51). The blessing of the Lord extended to all the apostles, through them and their successors it extends to all people, to the whole earth on which the Lord descended to accomplish His great feat, to the entire universe, and to this day we are all taught “That by grace and love for mankind” in the Christian Church founded and governed by Him. The apostles looked at Him with reverence until a cloud hid Him from their eyes. At these moments two Angels in white robes appeared among them and said to them: “Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will come again in the same way as you saw Him ascend into heaven.” Then the apostles bowed to the ascended Lord and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, glorifying and blessing God. The Lord ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, that is, in His humanity He received the same power and glory that He had in His Divinity. Ascension of the Lord. From a painting by Prof. Vasily Petrovich Vereshchagin (1835–1909). The Royal Majesty of the Lord Savior The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians writes about the Lord our Savior: “He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of a man, and becoming in appearance like a man, humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given 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, and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2-10). According to these words of the Apostle, the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ through humanity is placed in inextricable connection with His humiliation, which He voluntarily accepted upon Himself for the sake of our salvation and, as it were, as a reward for the feat He accomplished. “The suffering and glorification of the Lord the Savior,” says Saint Philaret, “constitute one harmonious composition of God’s saving economy for us, one golden chain, worked out in the crucible of the wisdom of God, for drawing into heaven humanity that has fallen from paradise” (in the word on the Ascension of the Lord). “Where is the limit of the glory that the Lord received upon His ascension? “If some answer for this is possible for the word of man,” says the same saint, “then it can be found in the word of the Apostle (Paul): “He who descended is and ascended above all heavens, that He may fulfill all things” (He who descended, He is also He who ascended above all heavens, in order to fill everything. Eph. 4:10). “Hearing that Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father, think that He has one power with the Almighty Father, one glory with Him, one royal providence for the whole World and especially for the Church of those who are being saved... In general, do not direct the daring flight of a testing thought to this immeasurable height: there is a living light, unapproachable” (1 Tim. 6:16). It is more accessible and necessary for us, for edification in faith and Christian life, to “reflect on the fact that the handwriting of sins has now been torn to pieces and the definition of our condemnation has changed, because the very nature to which it was said: “You are earth and went back to earth, has now been taken up into heaven.” The psalmist says about the glorification of the Savior: “You ascended on high, you took captivity captive, you accepted gifts for men, so that even those who resist could dwell with the Lord God” (Ps. 67:19). Having ascended to the heights, He truly took captivity captive, for by the power of His incorruption He destroyed our corruption, and gave gifts to men, because He sent down the grace of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. By virtue of His redemptive merits, those various gifts are sent down to us with which the Holy Spirit revives us, revives, strengthens, nourishes and heals us in the sacraments, strengthens marriage ties, helps in prayer and in every good deed and guides us to salvation. The Lord, our Savior, reigns in the church founded by Him, as its one and eternal Head, and will reign until he conquers all the enemies of our salvation. But at the same time, he demands from us compliance with His saving feat, obedience to His law and our own participation in His suffering, if we want to be participants in His heavenly glory and heirs of the kingdom. In the artist’s drawing, our Lord Jesus Christ is depicted on the throne of glory. The crown contains the Greek letters of the name of God: ό ώ Η meaning existing, eternal. The right hand is raised for blessing: with this blessing right He ascended to heaven. The open book of the Gospel reads about the commandment of Christ: “If he wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after me” (Mark 8:34). The royal greatness of the Lord Savior. From a painting Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848 – 1926). This version of the painting is a painting of the dome of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. In this church, Vasnetsov performed 15 compositions, 30 individual figures and medallions. The total area of ​​the painting is more than 4000 square meters. The cathedral was poorly heated. Vasnetsov suffered from colds and his hands were frozen. Once, while painting the dome, he fell from a huge height. He was saved by the fact that his canvas jacket got caught on a metal hook. Upon completion of the work, Viktor Mikhailovich said: “I lit a candle for God.” The words of the Apostolic Letter about the internal inextricable connection between the humiliation and suffering of the Lord the Savior with His glorification among humanity are proclaimed on holidays dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God, the Ever-Virgin Mary. This means that she took a special part in bearing the cross of Her Divine Son, endured great suffering, which, according to the prophecy of the righteous Simeon, pierced her heart as if with a sword, and, having accomplished this feat, she was awarded great honor and glory from the Lord, surpassed in her greatness the very highest ranks of the Angels and, just like the Lord the Savior, in her proximity to the Throne itself He uses his strength, greatness and power to intercede for us before God and help us. There is no human sorrow, no matter what it sees and experiences, and in which it cannot sympathize and help us. She is our first and most powerful intercessor before God. She is the merciful Mother of the Christian race. Numerous ranks of Angels and Holy men of God are already following her. We are the first to resort to her, according to God, with the prayer of our hearts: Most Holy Theotokos, save us! Our famous artist Vasnetsov painted on the eastern wall of the altar of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv a wondrous image of the Mother of God with the Child of God in her arms, at whom the Seraphim look with trepidation, as if walking through the air from heaven to the church, to receive here and lift up to heaven the prayers of the faithful. Archaeologist and professor of art history Adrian Prakhov took on the task of creating a project for the design and decoration of St. Vladimir's Cathedral. He invited Viktor Vasnetsov (later also Mikhail Nesterov and Pavel Svedomsky) to paint the paintings. Vasnetsov initially refused to paint the Cathedral. He was sitting at home and at some point was struck by the image of his wife with her baby son in her arms. He knew (this was written in the newspapers) that some people had seen the image of the Virgin Mary on the plastered wall of the cathedral - and he decided to paint the cathedral. When the artist presented a sketch of the painting, Prakhov showed him a sketch of the image that had appeared. Vasnetsov was amazed at the coincidence and said: “This is God’s order.” Vasnetsov painted the image of the Mother of God for about two years. Map of Palestine, 30 AD Over the years, painting becomes clearer, We turn to her again and again more often. Moscow suburbs sun spots, The heads of the Dreaming luminous strand, The Bacchae of Rubens, and the Tower in the Fog They are remembered more and more clearly. The images, once seen, beckon, Suddenly emerging from youthful days. Over the years, painting becomes more necessary, Everything else slips and flows. The stage and theaters are aging along with it, Cinema and music are different, no matter the year. Painting alone gives us hope, What will always remain unchanged And these folds on the prophet’s clothes, And this gray water in the gullies. And the universe's broken links Unite in museum silence, Where the flying moments are prolonged, Captured on a gray canvas. You might be interested in: