Беседа в день Вознесения Господа нашего Иисуса Христа. Святого Иоанна Златоустого, архиепископа Константинопольского

Now, beloved, is an important and great holiday, beyond human understanding and worthy of the generosity of God who arranged it: for now God has made peace with the human race, now the long-term enmity has ceased, now some wondrous peace has come, unexpected before. Who could have expected God to make peace with man? This is not because the Lord is not philanthropic, but because the servant is negligent - not because the Lord is cruel, but because the servant is ungrateful. We need to know the nature of our former enmity, so that when you see us, enemies and adversaries, honored, you marvel at the philanthropy of the One who honored us, so that you do not think that the change occurred from our own merits, so that you, having recognized the excessiveness of His grace, do not cease to constantly thank Him for His great gifts. So, do you want to know how we have upset our Lord, the philanthropic One who arranges everything for our salvation? “He once wanted to completely destroy our race and was so angry with us that he determined to destroy us with our wives and children, animals and livestock, and the whole earth. “I will consume,” He said, “man, whom I created, from the face of the earth, from man even to cattle: I thought beforehand that I had created man (Gen. 6:7). And so that you know that He did not hate our nature, but turned away from vices, He said: I will consume man whom I created. from the face of the earth, - says to man: the time of every man has come before Me (Gen. 6:13). If He hated man, He would not talk to man. And now you see how He not only did not want to do what He threatened to do, but also justified himself before the slave, talked with him as with an equal friend, and announced the reasons for his impending death, not so that a person would know these reasons, but so that, by telling others about it, he would make them more prudent. So, our race, as I said, had previously behaved so badly that it was in danger of being exterminated from the earth itself. And now we, who turned out to be unworthy of the earth, are ascended to heaven: we, unworthy of earthly dominion, have risen to the heavenly kingdom, ascended above the heavens, occupied the royal throne - and the same nature from which the Cherubim guarded paradise will now sit above the Cherubim. How was this wondrous and great thing accomplished? How did we, who upset God, who found ourselves unworthy of the earth and who lost earthly dominion, ascend to such a height? How did the war end, and how did the anger end? How? – The amazing thing is that peace took place when it was not people who were unjustly at enmity against God, but God Himself, who was justly angry with us, who called us. For Christ we pray,” says the Apostle, “as I pray to God with us (2 Cor. 5:20). What is this? Is he offended and begging himself? Yes, for He is God, and therefore He calls as a man-loving Father. And look what happens: the Son of the caller becomes the mediator, and not a man, not an Angel, not an Archangel, and none of the slaves. What does the Mediator do? - the job of a mediator. Just as where any two people are at enmity against each other and do not want to be reconciled, a third person, coming and offering himself as a mediator between them, puts an end to their enmity: this is what Christ did. God was angry with us: we turned away from God, the humane-loving Lord; Christ, offering Himself as a mediator, reconciled both natures. How did He offer Himself as a mediator? He took upon Himself the punishment that we had to bear from the Father, and endured the subsequent torment and reproach here. Do you want to know how He took upon Himself both? Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, says the Apostle (Gal. 3:13). Do you see how He accepted the punishment that threatened from above? Look how He endured the reproaches inflicted on earth. The reproaches of those who reproach Ti, says the Psalmist, attack me (Ps. 68:10). Do you see how He stopped the enmity, how He did not stop doing and enduring everything and using all measures, until He brought the enemy and the enemy to God Himself and made him a friend? The basis of these blessings is the present day: for Christ, as if taking the firstfruits of our nature, presented it to the Master. As happens with fruitful fields, when someone, having taken a few ears of grain, made a small sheaf and brought it to God, with this small part brings down a blessing to the entire field: this is what Christ did - with His one flesh, as the firstfruits, He brought down a blessing on our entire race. Why did He not exalt our entire nature? - because there will be no firstfruits when someone brings everything; but then it will be (the firstfruits) when someone, having brought a little, through this little brings down a blessing on everything. But you will say: “for the firstfruits, the first-created man should have been brought, since the firstfruits is that which first comes into being, first grows.” No, beloved, it will not be the firstfruits when we bring forth the first fruit, unripe and withered, but when we bear the perfect fruit. Therefore, since that fruit was damaged by sin, it was not brought, although it was the first; and this fruit is free from sin, which is why it was brought, although it appeared later - this is the firstfruits. So, Christ brought to the Father the firstfruits of our nature; and the Father showed such favor to this gift, both because of the dignity of the One who brought it and because of the purity of what was brought, that he accepted it with his own hands, placed it next to Himself and said: sit at My right hand (Ps. 109:1). To what nature did God say: sit at My right hand? - to the one to whom it was said: you are earth, and you will go back to earth (Gen. 3:9). Was it not enough for him to rise above the heavens? Wasn't it enough to be with the Angels? Wasn't this honor extraordinary? But it surpassed the Angels, surpassed the Archangels, left behind the Cherubim, ascended above the Seraphim, passed the Principalities, and stopped not before reaching the throne of the Lord. Do you see how far there is from hell to earth, also from earth to heaven, then from heaven to heaven, and from this to the Angels, to the Archangels, to the Highest Powers, to the very throne of the king? Above all this distance and this height He exalted our nature. Look how deep man was and how high he was lifted up: it was neither possible to descend lower than where man descended, nor to ascend higher than where Christ raised him. Expressing this, (the Apostle) Paul said: he who came down is also the one who ascended (Eph. 4:10). Where did He descend? – to the lowest countries of the earth (Eph. 4:9); and ascended above all the heavens. Remember who ascended, or what nature, or what state it was in before. I willingly dwell on the humiliation of our race in order to recognize the extraordinary honor bestowed upon us by the Lord’s love for mankind. We were earth and dust (however, this is not guilt, since this is the weakness of nature); we were more senseless than dumb animals, for man was likened to senseless cattle, and became like them (Ps. 49:21). And to become like the senseless means to become worse than the senseless, because to be senseless by nature and to remain in senselessness is a natural thing; and for those who are respected by reason to fall into meaninglessness is the fault of the will. Therefore, when you hear: become like senseless cattle, then do not think that people have only become like senseless animals, but these words mean that they have become worse than the animals themselves. Truly, we were worse and more insensitive than the dumb, not only because we fell like this when we were human, but also because we stooped to even greater ignorance. Expressing this, Isaiah (the prophet) said: the ox has known the man who has acquired it, and the donkey has known his master’s manger: but Israel has not known Me (Isa. 1:3). We were more senseless than the birds: the turtle dove and the village gusset, who kept the times of their entrances; but these people of mine did not know the destinies of the Lord (Jer. 8:7). We were more insensitive than stones. Do you want me to give evidence for this too? Hear the mountains of the judgment of the Lord, and the wilds of the foundations of the earth: for the judgment of the Lord is upon His people (Mic. 6:2). You sue people and call upon the foundations of the earth? Yes, He says, for people are more insensible than the foundations of the earth. What other extreme of wickedness will you demand when we are more foolish than donkeys, more senseless than oxen, more ungrateful than swallows and turtledoves, more insensitive than stones, and even turn out to be like snakes? Their rage, it is said, is in the likeness of the serpent (Ps. 57:5); the poison of asps is under their lips (Ps. 139:3). But is it necessary to talk about the senselessness of the wordless when Scripture calls us children of the devil himself? You, it says, are of your father the devil (John 8:44). And yet, we, insensitive, ungrateful (how should I express myself, what word should I say?) - we - the lowest nature, the craziest of all, have now become above everyone. Now the Angels have received what they have long expected; Now the Archangels saw what they had long desired - they saw our nature shining on the royal throne, shining with glory and immortal beauty: for this the Angels had long expected, this the Archangels had long desired. Although our honor surpassed their honor, they rejoice in our blessings: for even when we suffered punishment, they grieved; The cherubim, although they guarded paradise, mourned. And just as a servant, having taken his fellow servant into custody by order of his master, although he guards his fellow servant, nevertheless, out of compassion for this fellow servant, grieves over what happened to him: so the Cherubim, although they accepted paradise for safekeeping, nevertheless grieved on this guard. If you see that even people have compassion for their fellow servants, then no longer doubt the Cherubim, since these Powers are much more loving than people. And which of the righteous did not grieve for people who were punished justly even after countless sins?.. So, Moses, after the idolatry of the Jews, said: if you forgave them their sin, forgive it; otherwise, blot me out of Your book, you have written it down (Ex. 32:32). And Ezekiel, seeing the Angel striking the people, with a great cry and groaning, cried out: O Lord! Do you consume food from the remains of Israel (Ezek. 9:8)?.. And Jeremiah: Punish us, O Lord, both in judgment, and not in rage, so that you do not make us humble (Jer. 10:24). If Moses, Ezekiel and Jeremiah grieved, will the heavenly powers really not have any compassion for us in our misfortunes? Could it be? That they consider ours to be theirs - remember what joy they expressed when they saw that the Lord had reconciled with us. If they had not grieved before, they would not have rejoiced afterwards. And that they rejoiced is clear from the words of Christ: for such joy will there be in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7). If the Angels, seeing one converted sinner, rejoice: then how can they not rejoice with the greatest joy, now seeing all nature, in its firstfruits, ascended to heaven? Listen also to how the highest hosts rejoice over our reconciliation with God. When our Lord was born in the flesh, they, seeing that He was reconciled with people (for if He had not been reconciled, He would not have descended in this way), formed a choir on earth and exclaimed, saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14). In order for you to be convinced that they glorify God because the earth has received blessings, they added the reason: there is peace on earth, they say, there is good will in men who are hostile and ungrateful. You see how they (the angels) glorify God for the blessings of others, or better yet, for their own, since they consider our blessings to be their own. Do you want to know that, expecting to see Him ascending, they rejoiced and admired? - Listen to Christ Himself, Who says: From here you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51). This is the property of those who love: they do not even wait for time, but anticipate the time with their joy. Therefore, they descend, striving to see an extraordinary and wondrous sight - a Man who appeared in heaven!.. Therefore, Angels always appeared, both when He was born, and when He was resurrected, and now when He ascended. And behold, - it is said, - two hundred men in white clothing, revealing joy by their very appearance, - likewise he said to the disciples: Men of Galilee, why are you standing? Why do the Angels say this? Didn't the disciples have eyes? Didn't they see the events? Didn't the Evangelist say that he would be taken away by those who saw (Acts 1:9)? Why did the Angels appear, announcing to them that Christ had ascended to heaven? – For two reasons. Firstly, because separation from Christ always saddened the disciples; And because she grieved them, listen to what He said to them: No one asks Me from you: where are you going? But because this has spoken to you, your hearts have been filled with sorrow (John 16:5, 6). If we cannot indifferently endure separation from our friends and relatives, then the disciples, seeing the Savior, mentor, trustee, humane, meek, good, being separated from them, could they not be sad, could they not grieve? That is why the Angels appeared, comforting them in their grief over the departure of the Lord with the news of His second coming: this Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will also come (Acts 1:11). “Are you grieving,” they say, “because Christ has ascended? Do not mourn: He will come again.” So that the apostles would not do the same thing as Elisha did, who, seeing his teacher taken up into heaven, tore his garments (2 Kings. 2:12), - for no one appeared to him and said that Elijah would come again - so that they (the apostles) would not do the same, for this purpose the Angels appeared, comforting them in grief. This is one reason for the appearance of Angels. No less important is another reason for which the Angel added: ascended. What is this reason? – Christ ascended to heaven. The distance between earth and sky is great, and the power of vision could not follow the body that ascended to heaven, but just as a bird flying in height, the more it rises, the more it hides from our sight, so exactly the body of Christ, the more it rose in height, the more it was hidden, since the eyes, due to their weakness, could not follow it at such a great distance. Therefore, the Angels appeared, announcing His ascension into heaven, so that the disciples would not think that Christ had ascended into heaven, like Elijah, but that He had ascended into heaven itself. That is why it is said: ascended from you into heaven; and this (to heaven) was not added in vain. Elijah was taken up into heaven (2 Kings 2:1), because he was a slave: but Jesus ascended into heaven, because He is the Master: he was in a chariot of fire (2 Kings. 2:11), and this one is on a cloud. When it was necessary to call a slave, a chariot was sent; and when it is the Son, then it is the royal throne, and not just the royal throne, but the Fatherly throne. Isaiah says about the Father: behold, the Lord sits on a light cloud (Is. 19:1); So, since the Father sits on a cloud, He also sent a cloud to the Son. Elijah, during his ascent, lowered the mantle on Elisha (2 Kings 2:13), and Jesus, having ascended, sent down gifts on the disciples, making not one Prophet, but many Elishas, ​​or better to say, much greater and more glorious than him. Let us arise, beloved, and fix our eyes on the second coming of Christ. (Apostle) Paul says: The Lord himself, with a command, in an archangel’s voice, will descend from heaven... and we who are alive and remain will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:16, 17), but not all. And that we will not all be raptured - listen to this, as Christ says: then you will be two together grinding in the millstones: one will be eaten, and the other will be left: there will be two on one bed, one will be eaten, and the other will be left (Luke 17:34,35; Matt. 24:40,41). What does this parable mean? What does this hidden secret contain? The millstone means all those living in poverty and sorrow; and the bed and rest signify all those enjoying wealth and honor. Wanting to show that both the poor are saved and those who perish, the Lord said that of those who grind with millstones, one is eaten, and one is left; and of those lying on the bed, one is eaten, and the other is left. It expresses that sinners are left here to await punishment, while the righteous ascend to the clouds. Just as when a king enters a city, those invested with dignity and having great boldness before the king come out of the city to meet him, while criminals and convicts remain in custody inside the city, awaiting the royal verdict, so during the coming of the Lord, those who have boldness before Him will meet Him in the air, and the guilty and those who are aware of their many sins will wait here for the Judge. Whoever is worthy of admiration in the clouds is blessed and most blessed, even if he were the poorest of all; just as the one who is deprived of it is unhappy and extremely unhappy, even if he were richer than everyone else. I say this so that those who remain in sins will mourn themselves; and all who lived in good deeds were encouraged, and not only were encouraged, but had strong confidence. However, the former should not only cry, but also take care of correcting themselves: for even a vicious person can, leaving his vices, turn to virtue and become equal to those who from the beginning led a virtuous life, which we will also try to do. Let the virtuous remain in piety, constantly increasing this good gain, and let us correct ourselves, who are aware of many sins, so that together and unanimously we may meet the King of Angels with due glory and be worthy of blessed joy in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen 78. In short. See 76 words of St. Chrysostom for different occasions - handicraft. (IX century) Moscow. Synod. librarian (128/CXXIX), l.l. 394 vol.–401; Wed Full Collection Created, St. Chrysostom, vol. II, ed. 1896, pp. 484–494; Christian Read 1840, part II, 165–193 pp. You might be interested in: