Глава 7

Praise be to You, Son of the hidden Being, for through the secret sorrows and ulcers of a woman who suffered from bleeding, Your secret healing was announced, and Your invisible Divinity was revealed to people on a visible woman (Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48). Because the Son healed, His Divinity was manifested, and the woman who was suffering from bleeding was healed, and her faith was revealed. She preached Christ, but she was also preached with Him. Since the truth was proclaimed through her, the truth also announced about her. And just as the woman became a witness of His Divinity, so He became a witness of her faith. The woman lent her faith to Christ, and Christ returned her health in payment of the loan. But it was only after the woman’s faith became clear that the Lord’s healing was proclaimed aloud to everyone. Since the power of the Son had a wonderful effect and magnified Him, the doctors with their medicines were put to shame, and it was clearly revealed how much the invisible power surpasses visible healing. The Lord recognized the woman’s thoughts before they were revealed, although they thought of Him that He did not even know her face. And by asking the disciples (Mark 5:30, Luke 8:45), he did not give rise to contempt on the part of those who were looking for a pretext for contempt 125. After all, although he seemed ignorant because he asked who approached Him, he (in fact) learned the secret, because he healed her for no other reason than (precisely) for the sake of faith in Him. For first he saw the woman’s secret faith, then he endowed her with obvious healing. So, if He knew the invisible faith, how much more could He know the visible image of man. Consequently, although the Lord, for the sake of benefit, assumed that He did not know obvious things, He immediately showed His foreknowledge, by the power of which He knew the hidden things. How, I ask? Was it not then when Simon said: “A crowd of people surrounds You and presses you, and You say: who came to Me?” (cf. Luke 8:45). When Simon informed the Lord that such a great crowd of people was approaching Him, the Lord announced to Simon that of all (of them) only one approached him. For although many, pressed by the crowd, approached Him, only one, overwhelmed by sorrows, approached Him at that hour. This means that Simon wanted to point out to the Lord the (external) approach of people to the Lord, but the Lord pointed out to Simon the faith that was coming to Him. But notice that out of many who approached the Lord, (only) one was sought, who approached. So, if everyone came up and from all of them he looked for one, then it is clear that He knew all who were pressing Him, because (only) one of them, of course, could not hide from Him. While everyone in a crowd, indiscriminately and crowding each other, approached Him, He, looking around, was looking for one of them all, from which it is clear that He knew everyone just as well as this one, because He could distinguish her alone, trying to hide among everyone. For although many at that hour approached Him, they approached Him as to a man; Therefore, he looked for the one who approached Him as to God, in order to reproach and expose those who approached Him as a man (only). So, he singled out the one who approached Him among all (in order) to teach everyone in one word that He knows why or how each of them approached Him. This means that whoever approached Him physically felt (only) a bodily touch, and whoever came to Him spiritually, through touching human nature, touched the inviolable Divinity. Whoever came to Him as to a man felt in Him the touch of human nature, and whoever came to Him as to God found (in Him) the treasure of healing their sorrows. If the wife, having been healed of a painful illness, had gone away secretly, then in addition to the fact that the miracle would have remained hidden from the multitude (of the surrounding people), the woman herself, healed physically, would have gone away spiritually sick. For although, because of the healing, she believed that Christ was a righteous man, however, if the matter had remained unknown to Him, she would have doubted that He was God. After all, some came to the righteous and were healed, but it was not so that the righteous knew who exactly came to them and received healing. So, so that the woman, who was healed physically, would not remain mentally ill, the Lord, who came to save her mind and body, hastened to heal her mind. Therefore he said: “who touched... my clothes...to them” (cf. Mark 5:30). The Lord did not want to reveal to the one who touched Him, not because the One who wanted to prevent deception by this very act intended to mislead people, and not because the One who did this so that people would confess the truth did not want to confess the truth. So, why did not the Lord reveal the one who touched Him? Because it was necessary that the one who was healed should become a witness of the Physician, and that the one who was visibly healed should testify to the power that secretly healed her. The Lord was in no hurry to testify about Himself, since He was among His enemies, but calmly waited until the very work He had done would announce Him. And thus, with this expectation, he gave courage to his friends and exposed his enemies. For when, while waiting, he turned his general attention to the woman, (then) His friends, as well as his enemies, seeing her, recognized that this was the same woman who bothered all the doctors, but also suffered from all the doctors (in her illness) (Mark 5:26). The power that came from Him was sent and touched the defiled womb, so (however) that it itself was not subject to desecration. In the same way, His Divinity was not defiled by dwelling in the consecrated womb, since the Virgin, both by law and apart from the law, is more holy than that woman who caused disgust by the excess of her blood. Moreover, His enemies were reproached and convicted of having acted badly towards Him, Whom the indomitable flow of blood, acting in the (unfree) nature, obeyed, when, out of the freedom invested in their will, they refused Him obedience. So, His friends by human nature were confirmed in the faith, while His enemies were exposed and punished. For His friends were taught that just as His power, which touched the womb tormented by diseases, touched it for the benefit of it, so His Divinity, dwelling in human nature, united with humanity for the benefit of mankind. But His enemies wanted more to make Him a stumbling block for themselves (Isa. 8:14, 28:16, Rom. 9:33), saying: (He) does not know the law, since a woman unclean by the law touched Him, and He did not reject her. Those who deprived themselves of light by closing (their) eyes with their own hands did not understand that the power by which unclean things are purified cannot be defiled by any impurity. For if fire, by its power, purifies gold and other unclean things, without itself being subject to defilement, then much more does the power of the Divinity of Christ purify, without itself becoming unclean. After all, fire does not need purification and, indeed, nothing can defile it. Both the pure and the unclean, even if separated by some distance, are mixed (however) together by one breath of wind and the strong heat of the sun reaching it, from where it is revealed that there is nothing unclean except that which defames the life of freedom 126. Why did the Lord say: “Who touched Me?” (Mark 5:31). So that the one who knew about her healing would not remain ignorant of the fact that the Lord knew her faith. So, from the fact that health returned (to her), she learned that He is the Physician of all, and from His question she understood that He is the Tester of all. When she saw that, as the Scripture says, this too is not hidden from Him, then as a result of this the thought was born in her that nothing at all is hidden from Him. Therefore, the Lord shows her that, indeed, nothing is hidden from Him, so that she would not depart from Him in error. Thus, having learned that Christ heals visible wounds, she at the same time understood that He knows the secret. He who heals the wounds of the body and tests the secrets of the mind, He, she believed, is the Lord of the body and mind together. Therefore, as the Lord of the body, He tamed the body with its sufferings, and as the Judge of thought, He enlightened the mind with its thoughts. Without a doubt, this woman was afraid after that, so as not to transgress His commandments in any matter, since she believed that she was always in sight of the One who saw her once when she touched the hem of His robe from behind; and she was greatly afraid that in the future she would not sin even in her thoughts, knowing that not a single matter was a secret to the One who gave her proof that matters of this kind were not hidden from Him. If the healed woman had silently withdrawn from Him, the Lord would have deprived her of the crown of heroic courage, for the faith that had fought bravely in this hidden war was clearly to be crowned. Therefore, he decorated her head with a mental crown, saying: “Go in peace” (Mark 5:34, Luke 8:48) - for peace is the crown of her victory. But in order to make it clear where the source of this crown is, having said: “Go in peace,” he did not remain silent, but added: “Your faith has saved you,” in order to show that peace, which the mouth of the Lord tied like a diadem, is the crown with which a woman’s faith is crowned. “Your faith has saved you” (Luke 8:48). The faith that brought her back to life truly won her crown. That’s why he cried out and said: “who touched... my clothes” (cf. Mark 5:30) - to let everyone know that someone with greater confidence than others touched Him. Just as the woman wanted to honor Him more than others, first of all by approaching Him from behind, then by touching the hem of His robe, it was also necessary for this woman to be honored above others. “I know that someone... touched Me” (cf. Luke 8:46). Why didn’t he forcibly point out to the people the one who touched Him? Because he wanted to teach the boldness of faith. Let faith learn to steal in secret and glory in its theft, since the Lord clearly taught the faithful to steal with the help of faith. He encouraged the faith that stole with praise, so that it would be glorified by its theft. Faith she committed theft, and was exalted; she took it by cunning, and was praised, so that it would be revealed that unworthy faith became poor, because it did not steal, and was covered with shame, because it did not take by force. So Rachel, who stole idols (Gen. 31:19), was praised and, clinging to righteousness, was crowned. Also Michal, in her justice, hid David. 1 Samuel 19:12), and for her cunning she was called to the reward of his kingdom. It is wonderful to hear! While any theft is a disgrace for the predator, the theft of faith makes the predators worthy of praise in the face of everyone. “Who touched Me?” (Mark 5:31) - The Lord of the treasure was looking for the stealer of His treasure in order to expose and shame those who did not want to steal His treasures, offered and left for everyone. Those who were weak in faith were punished with poverty, but those who were strong in faith, boldly demanding, went and hastened to steal away secretly. “Who touched Me?.. Great power came from Me” (cf. Mark 5:30–31). Could He who knew that power emanated from Him remain ignorant (about) on whom rested the power that emanated from Him? Or, perhaps, the power was forcibly torn away from Him, and the healing was obtained by a predator against His will? But since there are medicines that are good for health, although there is no consciousness about it, the Lord wanted to teach the healed woman that He who gave her health knows her very well, and at the same time showed that He is not, as it were, some kind of medicine that, by its very nature, heals everyone who takes it, but that with the consciousness and understanding of His will He heals those who worship Him. So, this power came from the full glory of the Deity and healed the defiled womb, which was unclean by law, so that it was clear that the Deity never turns away from one who has faith. For faith is the tree on which Divine gifts rest. If free faith is added to the impurity arising from the law, then it 127, of course, separates and defiles, but faith sanctifies and unites, and the will unites and blots out. Although the law commands (the defiled) to separate, yet Elijah received sanctification by faith, not as an enemy of the law, but as an adherent of the law. Do not dare to think that Elijah rejected the law, which commanded the use of clean food (Lev. 11, Deut. 14: 4-21), for the law taught Elijah that food cannot make unclean. Elijah was not opposed to the law, and the law did not appear to be opposed to its Lawgiver. Elijah knew the weakness of the law (Rom. 8:3), and therefore did not act (as if weak) according to the law. The Law knew the will of the Lawgiver, and therefore, according to His will, it loosed and bound. For although Elijah accepted food from the unclean raven (1 Kings 17:2-6), he firmly preserved everything that he received from the mouth of God; Their fathers, although they received drink in the desert from the pure mouth of the rock (Exodus 17:1-7), did not want to preserve what they received from the mouth of God. Although Elijah fed holyly with the help of an unclean raven, he was then spiritually nourished by the holy Divinity, and their fathers, although they fed their bodies with angelic food 128, nevertheless fed their minds with the worship of a heifer (Ex. 32:1-6). What Elijah said further: “I am the only prophet of the Lord left” (1 Kings 18:22), (this) should be understood not in the sense of his complaint that there are no righteous anywhere else, but (with these words) He condemned the sinners who destroyed them. He did not want to remain righteous alone - that is why (Elijah) was not found by them for three years (1 Kings 18:10), because in his eyes they turned out to have moved away from God 129. For just as the greedy and gluttonous prophets of Baal were consoled and enjoyed by the numerous feasts at the table of Jezebel, so the persecution of the true prophets, as if by some kind of charm, led to amazement before them all, who together with them were ready to bow their necks under the edge of the sword. And now we should, in our speech 130, express gratitude for the words cited and remain silent; not as if we (deliberately) composed this speech, but these words themselves, by their affinity, caused (us) others to be expressed along with them. So, the speech we inserted about these words reasoned: “Who touched Me?.. I know that great power has gone out from Me” (cf. Mark 5:30-31). Another evangelist writes: “Abundant power... emanated... from Him... and healed everyone” (cf. Luke 6:19). The Lord declared on only one occasion that power came from Him. Why did he say so only in this case, although His extraordinary gift more than once came (from Him) for the healing of obvious uncleanness? But the Lord knew that (He Himself) came from the womb, and He knew those who did not want to believe in His birth. Therefore He sent His power into the defiled womb, so that even though through the defiled womb they would believe that He came from a holy womb. “Who touched Me... for great power went out from Me?” (cf. Mark 5:30–31) Nowhere else has a similar word been said about our Physician, because nowhere else has our Physician encountered a similar illness. Many doctors are usually invited to treat such diseases; One Doctor resisted this woman’s illness. Since many (doctors) tried to help this woman’s ulcer and treated her badly, one helped her in order to give her peace from the burden of many. The art of medicine tried to remove the unclean disease and added suffering to suffering. The more (doctors) came, says (the Gospel), the stronger her illness became. The edge of the garment came to the aid of suffering and completely destroyed suffering. “And she felt within herself that she was healed from her torment” (cf. Mark 5:29). So, when art, clothed with all wisdom, became silent and retreated, then the Divinity, clothed in robes, announced Himself. He took on flesh and descended to people in order to snatch and tear away from people what is characteristic of man, and in signs clearly show His Divine nature to the faithful. Do not dare to think about the human nature of the Lord alone. He revealed (His) humanity so that the heavenly (spirits) would believe that He had become earthly; and revealed the Divinity, so that those on earth would believe that He is heavenly. He took flesh from people so that people could rise to His Divinity, and revealed His Divinity so that His humanity would not be humiliated. The hands of the sinful wife embraced His feet to receive the gift of grace from His Divinity. So, the Lord showed His humanity so that the sinful wife could approach Him, and at the same time showed His Godhead to convict the Pharisee (Luke 7:36–50). Whoever laughed at the tears of a sinner, his sinner wife laughed at his exposed thoughts. Since she clearly shed the tears hidden in her eyes out of love, the Lord, also for the sake of her daring determination, revealed the Pharisee’s innermost thoughts. For the sinner wife believed Christ to be God, as her faith testified; Simon 131 accepted Christ for a man, (as) his thoughts showed. So, the Lord, pronouncing judgment on both, spoke a parable, with the words of which he strengthened the sinner, and with its interpretation he convicted the Pharisee. But although we now, as if in full view of everyone, like Solomon, found ourselves among the company of women, 132 we, like Solomon, did not suffer harm from women, although, like Solomon, we moved among women. For the pagan daughters with their charms seduced Solomon from serving God to their idols (1 Kings 11:1-8), and here we declare the faith of the pagan daughters to be greater than the faith of the Jewish daughters. Solomon’s wives made Solomon’s healthy faith sick with their healthy bodies, and these miraculously restore health to our sick faith with their healing. Who is there who would not be healed by this woman's faith? Her faith suddenly, as if in the blink of an eye, stopped the flow of blood, which had continued for twelve years. Moreover, many doctors examined her for a long time, but the Only Begotten Physician saw her in an instant. For many years, when the woman used doctors, much of her property was wasted, but when in one moment she took advantage of our Physician, her scattered thoughts were united in one faith. While earthly doctors took care of her, she gave them earthly property, but when the heavenly Doctor appeared to her, she brought Him heavenly faith. Earthly gifts remained on earth with the inhabitants of the earth, but spiritual gifts were raised to the spiritual Deity. Doctors tried to calm the suffering from the disease, like wild animals excited by rage, and therefore the suffering, like furious animals, scattered them and the medicines in all directions. When all the people began to run away from such suffering, the power of the Lord hastily emerged from the hem of the garment, which, approaching them (the suffering), then tamed and triumphed over them. This suffering resulted from dishonor alone, by which many were brought to dishonor. The name of one Doctor was glorified by a disease that, due to the many doctors called for help, became infamous for a long time and everywhere. While the woman’s hand gave rewards to many, her illness did not receive even a little relief, but when her hand was extended empty, her bowels were filled with health. While her hand was filled with visible payment, it remained empty for invisible faith, but when the visible payment was shaken out of her hand, it was filled with invisible faith. By distributing visible payment, she did not receive visible healing, but by giving away invisible faith, she received secret healing. Although she paid the money trustingly, she did not receive a reward for confidence, but when she gave in payment for what she had acquired through theft, she received a reward for it, namely, secret healing. Since (some) doctors multiplied the woman’s suffering, so that she was not healed, other doctors, bound by partnership, cunningly deceived the souls of everyone, so that the art they shared would not be dishonored by anyone. But the woman who, approaching (the Lord) secretly, cunningly deceived everyone, the Lord severely rebuked, saying: “Who touched Me” (Mark 5:31) - so that the faith, openly proclaimed, would receive praise from everyone together. And those (doctors), although using medicines, could not help one woman, however, by giving answers, they healed the souls of many, and the Lord, although He could satisfy everyone with His healing, did not want to satisfy anyone through this answer. I did this not because I did not know the answer the woman should have given, but in order to prevent those who would say: “You come and testify about Yourself, (and therefore) Your testimony is untrue.” Therefore, although His power healed the woman, His tongue did not convince them. But although His tongue was silent about this deed, yet His very deed, like a trumpet, proclaimed about Him. So, by His silence their pride and exaltation were suppressed, but through His question and deed His truth was proclaimed. If there was only one meaning in the words of Scripture, then the first interpreter of any kind would have found it, and after that others listening to them would not have needed to search for (the meaning) with difficulty and effort, and there would be no consolation left after finding (it). But each word of the Lord has its own body, and each such body has many members, and each member separately has its own qualities, and (therefore) everyone listens as much as he can and interprets what is given to him. Thus, one woman appeared to Him, and He healed the one who had previously appeared to many who did not heal her, that is, who worked on her in vain. One, whose face was turned away, healed her in order to expose those who turned to her with great diligence and did not heal her. “The weak things of God,” says (Scripture), “are stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). But although the outer face of the Lord could see only in one direction, yet His inner Deity was an all-seeing eye, for it looked in all directions. He drained the disastrous flow in the woman’s womb, and the flow of sermons about the return of health opened on her lips. She touched His Divinity and received health from Him. The rock in the desert brought out sanctifying waters, with which it provided drink to the twelve tribes of the people, and for twelve years this one shed unclean blood, which desecrated all the members of its body. The rock was cut by the rod of Moses, the sign of our Life-Giver, and the bleeding was dried by the edges of the robe of our Physician; that (rock), of course hard, was cut by a hard rod, and this (flow of blood) was dried up by soft clothing. However, although the rod, at first glance, seemed cruel, the humility of the Cross was imprinted on it, and although the clothing, in appearance, was soft, strong strength emanated from it. This healing is wonderful! Before the seed fell from the hand of Christ, the land for which it was intended had already received the seeds in abundance 133 ; and while the seed still remained in the Lord’s granary, it had already reached the land that it was supposed to sow, in order to bring profit from it on what was provided to it, and return the capital received with interest. This is truly the Lord's seed! For while it was still hidden in its granary, it had already gathered the fruit of grain, and while it was in the hand of its Sower, its mental grains, as if in the twinkling of an eye, were gathered from the intelligent soil into intelligent seed. “Power went out from Me” (cf. Mark 5:30). With these words he encouraged the unworthy farmers, who were locking up their seed in barns, to stand firm in their faith in Him. And he gave a pledge of His faithfulness, since the remaining seeds that were sown, each in due time, will have to return a hundredfold fruit. For there are seeds that after a while become ready for harvest, and there are those that will be reaped at the end of the world, and there are also those whose harvest takes place at the very sowing. When he says: “seven times more... you will receive at this time” (cf. Mark 10:30), then (in these words) it means seeds that are harvested after a short time (after sowing). And when he says: “Then the King will speak to those on the right side” (Matthew 25:34), then (this) indicates the seeds that are harvested at the end (of the world). If the woman behind Him came up to the hem of His garment, then this is the seed that brought its fruits to the barn immediately as soon as it was sown. To the grain of grain that is sown into the womb of the earth, from the thorns hidden in it, the tares are joined and grow together with it; with the seed of faith, which was hidden in the courage of a daring soul, the power of God was united and grew with it. The bleeding woman, when she heard that Christ said to the ruler of the synagogue: “Believe, and your daughter will live” (cf. Luke 8:50), thought to herself that He who has the power to return the soul of a twelve-year-old daughter to the body can also remove from the body and destroy the twelve-year-old ulcer. And when she heard His words: “Believe firmly, and your daughter will live” (cf. Luke 8:50), she realized that she could give her faith in payment to the Doctor. He who healed with the word of His mouth determined the reward of faith, which is the fruit of the mouth. Healing came from the mouth of Christ and bought faith from the mouth of a woman. He gave obvious healing, and demanded a clear reward. The healing that came from His mouth was clearly audible; therefore he demanded faith, clearly proclaimed with his lips. However, since the woman confessed out loud to everyone what had happened, and they did not believe her, mainly for the reason that her suffering was secret (after all, when the blind opened their eyes, they (the Pharisees) said that He acted by the power of a demon, and when Lazarus was brought back to life, some of those who saw did not believe); therefore he called the twelve-year-old girl to life. For He who returned the twelve-year uninterrupted life of the body to its place was able to suppress and drive away from the place the bleeding that had not been interrupted for twelve years. He who could restore one could drive out the other, and He who revived all the dead members of that daughter could also heal the womb of that woman. After the woman was healed, the Lord said: “Who touched Me?” (Mark 5:31) - precisely so that she herself would testify in their hearing about the return to her health. That’s why he said the same about the girl: “sleeping” (Luke 8:52), so that they themselves would become witnesses of her death, so that when they see her returned to life, the blasphemers would turn into witnesses for Him. For the testimony they expressed about the death of the maiden, and the resurrection of the maiden, became witnesses that preceded the death of the Lord, so that it would not seem incredible to them when they saw Him revived. Thus, having given them the opportunity to choose, I set them the following two conditions. So, if later they had again said that the girl was sleeping, then, even against their desire, they would have exalted Him, since although all the eyewitnesses believed and claimed that the girl had died, He, before he saw the girl, knew that she was sleeping. And if they said that she did not sleep (but died), then the life returned to the girl would force them to recognize the Lord as the Life-Giver. And if, finally, they said that she was sleeping, then the knowledge of Christ would testify to them about His Divinity. When they began to reject one, the Lord would expose them through both 134. Further, if she was in deep sleep, then why was she awakened by the voice of Christ alone? “And... he ordered to give her something to eat” (cf. Luke 8:55) to show the health that she received back along with life; for she was not like the sick who little by little return to health. So, those who doubted the healing of the bleeding woman were ashamed, and through the return of the girl to life, they were subjected to censure and exposure much more than those present at the resurrection of the girl. After all, the healing of the womb took place in secret, but the revival of the body was obvious. Therefore, what happened in secret became probable due to what was done openly. Scripture says: “in fear and trembling... she touched... the hem of His garment behind Him” (cf. Mark 5:27, 33), etc. If in fear and trembling she touched the hem of His robe, then all the more should we accept 135 in fear and trembling when we touch His Body and Blood, which constitute the guarantee of our life. According to another reading: “who were looking for an excuse to deny His power.” Those. if the so-called pure and impure things, even separated by some distance, under the influence of various reasons are mixed together and form, as it were, one thing, then it is clear that the impure does not have its origin in the nature of things, but in the freedom of man. Literally: “that he found them such as were not acquired by God.” The thought of Saint Ephraim is this: Elijah, saying “I am the only prophet of the Lord left” (1 Kings 18:22), did not act out of pride, for otherwise he would not have hidden himself from the people, but would have solemnly revealed himself to them. From this it is clear that the previous reasoning was introduced by Saint Ephraim from his speech on the bleeding one. That is, the Pharisee spoken of in Luke 7:36–50. That is, bleeding and sinner. Those. Before the words were spoken by Christ: “Your faith has saved you” (Mark 5:34), the woman was already healthy. Those. if they had wished to deny the one thing that required recognition, namely His Divinity, then Christ would have exposed them through the indicated dilemma. What is accepted, Saint Ephraim assumes is known to his readers. You might be interested in: