Беседа на Вознесение Господа нашего Иисуса Христа. Святого Иоанна Златоустого, архиепископа Константинопольского

Our wealth and treasure, and the source of eternal life, is the economy of the Savior. This is something we long to talk about and hasten to preach, but we do not have the strength to explain it properly. Tormented by desire and aware of our powerlessness, as if to some saving haven, we resort to the prophetic word: whoever speaks of the power of the Lord, all His praises will be heard (Ps. 105:2). However, God values ​​not the quality of speech, but the disposition of the preacher and the love of the listeners. Just as tenderly loving fathers, listening to their children babble and stumble in words, do not pay attention to the shortcomings of speech, but (rejoice) at the natural attraction: so God is pleased with the desire and disposition in us when we preach with faith and sing with love. Of course, in human language it is impossible to speak about God with complete accuracy: no matter what we say about Him, everything will be baby talk, precisely because, as an apostle. Paul exclaims, we understand only in part, we prophesy in part (1 Cor. 13:9). But, although we babble, God has given us the message of peace... Come, let us ascend the mountain of the Lord. Let us ascend with desire and word, and see what fruits the saving Ascension has brought us. I want to take the book of Acts so that together with you we can exhaust the divine sources and, as examiners of the truth who want to grow rich in godliness, we can explore together the treasures of Holy Scripture. I wrote the first word about everything, about Theophilus, which Jesus began to do and teach, even to the day he commanded the Apostle with the Holy Spirit, whom he chose and ascended (Acts 1:1-2)... It’s as if the Writer says this: “I described the works of the Savior and His teaching before the Ascension. Please be careful. My first work covers the deeds of the Savior and His teaching, and this first book was brought to the Ascension.” Undoubtedly, (the evangelists) John and Matthew did not remember the Ascension at all, while Mark mentioned it only in passing. Only Luke continued the full story until the Ascension. On him (St. Evangelist) and refers: the first word I made about everything, about Theophilus, which Jesus began to do and teach, even to the day, in which he commanded the Apostle with the Holy Spirit, whom he chose, and ascended: before them and set himself alive after his suffering in many true signs, appearing to them for fourty days, and speaking about the kingdom God's (Acts 1:1–3). Pay attention. In many true signs, appearing to them for four days and speaking about the kingdom of God. For forty days (the Savior) appeared to the disciples, (but) not every day. Moreover, after the resurrection, He surrounded His flesh with many (signs) of complete certainty, so that constant contemplation would not weaken (reverence for) the greatness of power. In view of this, it was necessary that, having risen, He would henceforth appear in Divine features, and not in the form familiar to observers, as the Writer says: in many true signs, forty forty days. This was no longer an ordinary observation, but (confirmed by) some undoubted signs of His existence. Thus, He appeared to the disciples in different forms, with different voices, different appearances - often He appeared to them and was not recognized by them. That is why Luke proclaims: in many true signs, appearing to them for forty days and saying. Having examined carefully, we find that after the resurrection the Savior appeared to the holy apostles eleven times and then ascended to the Father. Since He had eleven disciples - after the fall of Judas, who lost his place and dignity as a result of the evil betrayal he committed, he appears to the apostles eleven times. So, (the Lord) appeared, firstly, to the wives, secondly, to Peter, thirdly, to Cleopas with his companion (Luke), fourthly, to ten (with the doors closed, in the absence of Thomas), then to eleven together with Thomas (this is the fifth). Further, (the Lord) appears to five hundred brothers (1 Cor. 15:6), - then he appeared to seven on the Sea of ​​Tiberias, who were fishing; then, (according to Paul) - to Jacob; ninth - seventy, tenth - on the Mount of Galilee, eleventh - on the Mount of Olives. Appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. The poisonous one also commanded them, that they should not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which they have heard from Me. If even now, when all this was happening, there are those who do not believe in the resurrection, then if it were not for this, that is, if He did not eat and drink with the disciples, who could stop the unbridled lips of those who dare to frivolously say anything about the economy of the Savior?.. This teaches us to honor the Divine and mysterious meal. Sharing a meal with his disciples, (the Savior) spoke to them about the kingdom of God. And he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father that they had heard from Me. “The Father,” says the Savior, “promised, and I fulfilled.” Where did He promise? - Through the mouth of the prophets, as Paul says: the servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle, chosen for the gospel of God, which His prophets first promised in the writings of the saints concerning His Son (Rom. 1:1-3). So, he who foretold the Gospel promised to give the Holy Spirit. God speaks through the mouth of the prophet Joel: in the last days, says the Lord Almighty, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy (Acts 2:16,17; cf. Joel 2:28). Here is the promise. Where is the execution? - In the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, when He divided the kinds of languages ​​among them, and they began to speak in (different) languages. Notice this. Commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which they have heard from Me: for as John baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not after many of these days (Acts 1:4,5). After forty days, ten remained until the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit appeared and baptized the apostles not with water, but with fire. (In the Scriptures) we find that the apostles received baptism before the sufferings of Christ, the baptism of John. And the Savior, before His suffering, does not give them another baptism, so as not to abolish John’s sermon, but allows the disciples to have a deposit of water, preserving for them (for the future) the grace of the Spirit. Therefore, as those who do not yet have the Spirit, He says after the resurrection: receive the Holy Spirit, and adds: go to Jerusalem and wait there for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me. For John baptized with water, but you have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit for many of these days. Not with water again, because they had already received (baptism with water), but with the Holy Spirit - he does not add water to water, but fills in the incompleteness with what (the apostles) did not have. You are about to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, not many days ago. And here (were quickly revealed) the curiosity and vanity inherent in human nature. People always tend to ask: “when will this happen”? “When will Christ come”? “in how many years will it be over”? “When will His kingdom come”? So the apostles, succumbing to human passion, begin to ask the Savior. They came together and asked Him, saying: Lord, will you establish the kingdom of Israel in this year (Acts 1:6)? Although He had already explained to them when the Son of Man would come in His glory (Matthew 25:31), they still asked: what if in this summer? They wanted to know whether the expected (kingdom) was now near, and whether salvation was delayed? But the Savior answers: you cannot understand the times and seasons which the Father has ordained in His power (Acts 1:7). The Savior's companions, to whom He appeared, enlightened by Him, are not allowed to know, but learn not to exceed the measure and to hear: you cannot understand times and years... “So, only in the power of the Father are times and years, but the Son has no participation”? - No, if the Son is the Creator of the ages (Heb. 1:1, 2), then they lie in the power of the Son. This is also contained in the words: “whom the Father hath put in His power,” because the Son is called here by the power of the Father, as is His power and wisdom: Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24). You do not understand times and years, but you will receive the power that the Holy Spirit has brought upon you (Acts 1:7,8). You will receive strength - not in order to inquire about times and years, but in order to believe in the Lord. And you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the last of the earth. And this river will be taken away by those who see it (Acts 1:9). (The Lord) could, of course, ascend indirectly, but since He had the eyes of the disciples as witnesses to the resurrection, He now makes them witnesses of the ascension. Those who behold them are taken away: step back from them and ascend to heaven, and the clouds lift Him up. And when I look up to heaven, I come to Him (Acts 1:9; Luke 24:51), ascended, rose, rushed upward and ascended. Christ did not come into the holy place made with hands..., but into heaven itself, now let him appear to the face of God (Heb. 9:24). And not only (the Lord) ascended, but also passed [Having a great bishop who passed through the heavens, Jesus, says Paul (Heb. 4:14)], he ascended as one who had authority, so that the word of the prophet might be fulfilled: God is gone with a shout (Ps. 47:6). But two things happened. How (previously) the earth was amazed to see the Savior clothed with a body - and how is it natural for us, when we see a new face, to ask: “Who is this”? (of course, no one asks about someone they know): so the earth, at the sight of the Savior, possessing Divine power and commanding the winds and the sea, asks: who is this, for the sea and the winds will listen to Him (Matthew 8:27)? So, how the earth cried out in amazement: who is this? - so now heaven, seeing the Divinity in the flesh, says with amazement: who is this King of glory (Ps. 23:8)? Here's something else worthy of surprise. The Savior came (to earth) and when he came, he brought the Holy Spirit, and when he ascended (to heaven), he lifted up his holy body to give the world a guarantee of salvation, the power of the Holy Spirit. A Christian should consider the holy body of Christ to be another guarantee of salvation for the same world. When I say this, I mean both you and every Christian person. God and people united into one race. Just as marriage unites different parties, and by the combination of husband and wife, entire two families become related (and one turns out to be a nephew, and the other an uncle, even though they have never seen each other): so after the incarnation of Christ - through His flesh - the whole Church became kin to Christ: Paul is a relative of Christ, and Peter, and every faithful one, all of us, every pious one. Therefore, the apostle Paul says: “The race is more than God” (Acts 17:29), and again in another place he says: we are the body of Christ and come from us in part, from His flesh (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30). In other words: according to the flesh that Christ accepted, we are relatives to Him. So, we have His pledge - in heaven, namely His body, borrowed from us, and on earth - the Holy Spirit (dwelling) with us. And here it is surprising: it cannot be said that the Spirit came down from heaven, and He is no longer in heaven, so that they exchanged each other’s body - heaven, and the Spirit - earth, but the Spirit is with us, everywhere, and in heaven. And why are you surprised that the Spirit is both with us and in Heaven, and the body of Christ is in heaven and with us? Heaven received the holy Body, and earth received the Holy Spirit. Christ came and brought the Holy Spirit, He ascended and lifted up our body. And so, the image of Adam, buried in the tomb, no longer appears among the angels, but above the angels sits with the Father, in order to seat us with Him. Oh, terrible and strange dispensation! O great King, great in everything, great and amazing! O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is Your name throughout all the earth: how Your splendor is taken above the heavens (Ps. 8:2)! Great is the Lord, and greatly praised (Ps. 47:2)! The king is great throughout all the earth (Ps. 46:3)! Since we have a great Hierarchy, who has passed through heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession (Heb. 4:14)... We will have a pledge of our life in heaven, (where) we are exalted with Christ. And then again (we will be) caught up in the clouds, if we are worthy to be met in the clouds. The defendant does not arrange a meeting with the judge, but appears to him with humility - he does not arrange a meeting because he lacks courage. So, let us all pray, beloved, that we may be at least in the last ranks of those greeting, because, as at the meeting of the king, although not all (participants) were of equal honor, they were respected equally, so it will be then. Not everyone has worked equally: each one will receive his reward according to his own labor (1 Cor. 3:8). Amen 77. In short. See Full. Assembled. Creation St. Chrysostom, ed. 1897, vol. III, pp. 827–846. You might be interested in: