193. Слово в день Святителя Алексия

(Said on February 12th in the Chudov Monastery; printed in the Works of the Holy Father of 1845 and in the collection of 1848.) Don’t be too many teachers, my brother, knowing that we will receive greater condemnation: for we all sin a lot. (James 3:1–2). To the one God-enlightened Teachers of the Russian Church, who has been silent and at rest for several centuries, many disciples have now gathered here. Or is he still teaching, silent, and still acting? In truth, and now he teaches faith and life, stronger than words, by the example of faith justified by God, and life glorified by God. And now he acts for us, before God, with his prayers for us, and before us with a grace-filled gift, according to which in his very body, as in a pure vessel of the spirit, instead of ordinary human infirmities, we have open “holy relics” - sublime powers that, like a material fragrance, extend a hidden effect on the feeling of faith, elevate our own strengths, and produce beneficial changes. So, it is not in vain, brothers and fellow disciples, that we have gathered to honor the Teacher. But if it is righteous to honor the chosen Gospel teacher, then it is also righteous to honor the dignity of the Gospel teacher in general. To honor the teacher and not to honor the teaching would be incongruous. Thus, through our very present meeting, we express for ourselves the obligation to honor the dignity of the Gospel teacher. One of the ways of this respect is shown to us by the Holy Apostle James when he says: “Do not be many teachers.” If you respect power, then you will not dare to arbitrarily take it upon yourself or interfere in its affairs; on the contrary, you will fulfill the duties of a subordinate with all readiness. Likewise, if you honor the dignity of a teacher established in the Church of Christ, then you should not arbitrarily enter the teaching position, or resort to teachers whom no one appointed, and to prophets whom God did not send; but must, in meekness and obedience, undergo the title of disciple of the Gospel, under the guidance of teachers appointed by God and the Church. Be afraid to be a teacher for yourself, and even more so, without a higher calling, to teach others, or to retrain teachers appointed by God and the Church. “Don’t be too many teachers.” The instruction may be more necessary for many than it seems at first glance. The passion to be and be known as teachers was dominant among the Jewish scribes and Pharisees. They, as our Lord denounces, “love to be called from men: teacher, teacher” (Matthew 23:7). Against this passion, “Jesus spoke to His people and His disciples,” that is, to all His followers: “You are not called teachers; for there is only one Teacher, Christ; you are all brethren” (Matthew 23:8). The commandment is strict, no matter how highly it exalts the title of teacher in the person of Christ, making it just as inconvenient for Christians. However, we see that in the Christian Church some are called teachers. Ap. Paul calls himself a teacher of languages, and generally says that “God has made the apostles first, the prophets second, the teachers third” (1 Cor. 12:28). How can this be reconciled with the commandment of the Lord? It is not difficult, if more accurately we adhere to the power of the words of the Apostles and Christ. The God-inspired Apostle, without a doubt, does not sin when he testifies that “God has appointed teachers in the Church.” He testifies to the truth when he says: “I have been appointed a preacher and an apostle, I speak the truth about Christ, I do not lie, a teacher of languages ​​in faith and truth” (1 Tim. 2:7). But the Lord does not reject the teaching ministry; for he does not say: let there be no teachers. It's not even possible; because when there are students, then of necessity there must be teachers; and since all Christians are disciples, and in the beginning were called nothing more than “disciples,” then, of necessity, there must also be Christian teachers, and especially after the “One Teacher” ascended to heaven. “Do not be scolded,” he says, “teachers: for there is only one Teacher, Christ.” Is He jealous for the name of the teachers for His own sake? Of course not. For He is above every name. But our wisdom humbles, exaltation brings down, insolence curbs, self-will cuts off, condemns and prohibits self-appointed and self-appointed teaching. “Don’t be scolded, teachers”: don’t admire this title for yourself; do not volunteer to teach when you are not called to do so. And if you are called to this; if God ordains, if the sacred law calls you teachers: and then do not be exalted by the title that belongs to you only by gift and by communion, since initially and essentially “one is your Teacher, Christ.” Consider yourselves no more than “brothers” of those who call you teachers; be servants, and not rulers of the teaching and disciples: “Whoever is in you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 23:11). It is clear that, despite this timely warning, the Pharisaic passion for teaching, through those accepted into Christianity from Judaism, soon crept into the Christian Church, when the Apostle James renewed his admonition against it to the Christians of his time: “Do not be many teachers, my brother” (James 3:1). This admonition does not require that there should not be a large number of teachers. For in every society, and especially in the Church, which is the school of “God’s hidden wisdom,” the multitude of enlightened people who are capable of teaching others saving instructions cannot constitute a burdensome excess. There is no doubt that the Apostle, seeing many of them, would not have forbidden them to teach, just as Moses did not forbid Eldad and Modad to prophesy; and would even say with him: “Who will cause all the Lord’s people to be prophets,” or teachers, “when the Lord gives His Spirit upon them” (Num. 11:29)? But we must take into account the fact that truly spiritual people and worthy teachers almost cannot appear in the form of an excessive multitude: for since the first degree of their dignity is the knowledge of their unworthiness, and the highest degree of their wisdom is humility, then, as long as possible, they hide among the number of students, and never, of their own free will, increase the number of teachers. So Moses and Jeremiah, even when God himself sends them to preach, still shy away from this. “Choose another mighty one after him,” says Moses (Ex. 4:13). “We do not speak,” says Jeremiah (Jer. 1:6). In the Apostles we see a readiness to be fishers of men and to preach the kingdom of heaven: but in none of them do we see that he presented himself to the title of Apostle, I do not say that he placed himself in it. Thus, if you do not seek spiritual teaching, and even deviate from it, there is a trait that has more than once marked the most worthy of them: then strenuously seeking and striving for it, of course, is a very unfavorable sign. Consequently, having seen many hastily occupying, or arbitrarily setting up for themselves, the seats of spiritual teaching, we could, not without reason, say to all of them: beware; your mixed multitude, your willful search for the dignity of a teacher shows that you are not following the path of the Prophets, not in the footsteps of the Apostles, not in the footsteps of true church teachers. The Apostle concluded this reproof in his admonition: “Do not be too many teachers.” People who undertake to teach without being called to do so think to justify themselves by the fact that although their undertaking is daring, their work is salutary. The Apostle destroys this dream of self-reliance by introducing them to the knowledge of themselves, and presenting to them the consequences of their self-righteous activity. “Knowing,” he says, “we will receive greater condemnation: for we all sin greatly” (James 3:1-2). Notice here the meekness and humility of a true teacher. Then, as he does the work of a teacher, he places himself next to the students. Then, since he has the need to expose the sins of others and pronounce condemnation on them, these other people’s sins, someone else’s condemnation, he accepts on himself: “We have condemnation; “We all sin.” But as he softens the reproof, it gains all the more power for those who understand. If the Apostle, in the work of teaching, places himself under the threat of condemnation, along with people who sin a lot: then how terrible this matter must be for everyone else! What will I do, O One Teacher? If I teach and sin, I am afraid that I will receive greater condemnation. And on the contrary, “it is woe to me if I do not preach the gospel”: for “the building has been delivered to me” (1 Cor. 9:16–17). O Judge, righteously strict towards teachers, more than towards students! Whenever you want to condemn unworthiness: spare obedience to Your dispensation, law and tradition! And those whom the sovereign destiny of God did not send to teach, whom the church authorities did not appoint as mentors, how dare they teach and present themselves as mentors? How can this insolence be excused before the Supreme Teacher and Judge? How can they not think that “we all sin a lot”? Can they hope that they will not harm the work of teaching by their sins, from which they have not been cleansed in this matter by electing grace, and have not been protected by obedience to the law of election? Acting according to their own wisdom and self-will, can they be at peace with those who philosophize about the Lord and are ruled by the will of God? Therefore, will they not begin to divide, instead of bringing the faith into unity, to spread temptations, instead of edification, to disturb the peace of the Church? And to what kind of condemnation will they subject themselves for this, to what kind of condemnation will they subject others who are seduced or seduced, and again to what kind of condemnation they will subject themselves for them! No matter how groundless these fears are, the Church has learned through many sad experiences. For the sake of brevity, I will give one example that will say a lot to those who are attentive. In the message of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John we read the following: “writings of the Church; but their champion Diotrephes does not accept us. For this reason, if I come, I will remember his deeds, even those he does, reproaching us with crafty words; and being not pleased about these things, he himself receives the brethren, and rebukes those who want them, and drives them out of the Church” (3 John 1:9-10). Do you hear? Diotrephes does not accept John! Diotrephes, about whom it is unknown whether there was in him any spark of a sound concept of faith and the Church, and whose name has come to us only by the grace of a person neglected by him - Diotrephes does not accept John, chosen among the Apostles, the Theologian by excellence, the seer of the mystic and the head of the prophets of the New Testament, does not respect his messages, condemns him, does not accept acceptable Apostles, forbids others to accept them, and expels them from the Church! Who would believe this if it were not for the Apostle himself who spoke about it? You see what ungodly deeds, what destructive disorders are produced in the Church by the desire to be first in one’s own way, and the stolen independence from the appointed teachers, imagining to be content for oneself and others! Judge by this how necessary and how important the Apostolic warning is: “Do not be too many teachers.” But there is no Diotrephes here, some of those listening probably think, and we are not looking to be teachers of others. To whom does the reproof and warning apply? - To many, brethren, and to yourself, who think so. It is common for a student to accept every word of teaching for himself, just as the earth receives every drop of rain and every grain of seed. If you do not try to apply the teaching to yourself, but extend yourself into an inquisitive inquiry into whether it is being taught in the right way, and to whom it applies to you: then you listen to the teaching not just like students, but more like teachers or judges. In this case, a warning is not superfluous for you: “don’t be too many teachers.” Do not teach the student how best to teach; do not judge others by the judgment of heard teaching; listen to the teaching with student simplicity and humility, for your inner edification. You do not strive to become self-appointed teachers in some teaching position: look around, however, whether you have already become such in your opinions and in your rules, or, what is no better, have not elected such teachers to guide your life. Whose students are you after you do not belong to schools for children or youth? Are the disciples of our Fathers devoted? Or does this no longer seem timely, because the new century proclaims itself wiser than the previous one? Are you diligent disciples of the word of God? Or does this school seem rather foreign to those occupied with much human wisdom or human vanity? Are you obedient disciples of the Church? Or do you find it necessary to shorten its lessons because the teaching taught by the spirit of the world does not agree with them? But since the spirit of the world and the spirit of the age are alien to the unity that is characteristic only of the spirit of God, and give as many teachings and teachers as there are heads, more or less, thinking: it is not even inevitable that, according to the spirit of the world and the age, everyone should be his own teacher, and at the same time have an innumerable number of teachers who contradict each other. What could be more unfortunate than this? Think about how true the reproof is, and how necessary the Apostolic exhortation is: “Do not be too many teachers, my brethren, for we all sin a lot.” Choose for yourself rather a few reliable and mutually agreeable teachers: the saving word of Christ, the holy rules of the Church, the experienced wisdom of our pious and God-enlightened Fathers! There is no Diotrephes here: but, to the regret of the Church and the hierarchy, you can not far from here meet more than one Diotrephes, and, moreover, having followers, despite the fact that he has long been convicted by the word of the Apostle. “She departed from us, but was not driven away from us” (1 John 2:19), the Apostle John denounces those who have departed from the unity of faith and from obedience to the Church. Do we not see people of this kind even now? From us they received the beginning of faith and sacraments, “from us they came forth,” but they no longer want to be ours. Without a calling, without a blessing, as someone pleases, they set themselves up as teachers, and, in order to cover up the disgrace of self-indulgence, they reject the Church, from which they received everything they have, or think they have. “The champion Diotrephes does not accept us.” - “The Spirit speaks clearly”, and predicts through the Apostle Paul, “those who listen to the spirit of flattering spirits and the teachings of demons, in the hypocrisy of a liar, having their own conscience seared”, among other false teachings and commandments, “those who forbid getting married” (1 Tim. 4:1-3). And, despite this preliminary denunciation, “flattering spirits” appear, “false talkers” are not ashamed to preach that at the present time there is no longer a blessed marriage at all, as if it is no longer God who cares about the continuation of the human race; they rebel against marriage more strongly than against what is condemned by the law of marriage, while others arm themselves against the true laws of both marriage and virginity not only with false teaching, but also with iron. No matter how clear the features of “flattering spirits and demonic teachings” are here, there are still those who “listen” to them. Many self-appointed teachers multiply false teachings; and foolish followers multiply false teachers. When meeting with both of them, remember, brethren, for yourself and for them, the Apostolic warning, so woefully neglected by them: “Be not many teachers, knowing that we will receive greater condemnation.” Remember that “God has made apostles first, prophets second, teachers third” (1 Cor. 12:28). “And no one accepts honor to himself, but he who is called of God, as Aaron was” (Heb. 5:4), according to the order given to God. Only teachers called by God lead faithfully to God. Amen. You might be interested in: