Беседа LXV

“Then (Joseph’s brothers) came out from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan 853 to Jacob their father, and told him 854 saying: “Your son Joseph is alive, and he rules over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob was horrified at the thought: for he did not believe in them” (Gen. 45:25–26). 1. From our conversation yesterday, you saw Joseph’s wisdom and the inexpressible kindness that he showed to his brothers; not only did he not remind them of their actions in relation to him, but they themselves, when returning to their father, convinced and advised not to blame each other for what they had done against him, but, putting aside all anger, to make the journey in unanimity. Now let's look at further events so that we can see the return of Joseph's brothers to their father and Jacob's migration to Egypt, and how, having learned about Joseph, he blossomed again and became, so to speak, a young man from an old man. Who can express in words the joy that Jacob had when he learned that Joseph was alive and had achieved such great nobility? You know that unexpected happiness produces especially great joy. Having learned that the one whom he had considered the prey of beasts for so many years was now in charge of all of Egypt, how did he not lose his mind from such great joy? After all, intense joy is often accompanied by the same consequences as excessive sorrow. You can see how many shed tears from excessive joy; and others often become unconscious when they see something they did not expect, and when they accidentally meet alive those whom they thought were dead. But in order for our speech to be clearer, let us again listen to the passages read (of Holy Scripture). “And she came out,” it is said, “from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob her father, and told him, saying, ‘For your son Joseph is alive, and he rules over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob was horrified at the thought: you did not believe in them.” You see, as I said, the news about Joseph seemed incredible to Jacob, so his thoughts were worried and he considered the brothers’ story to be a deception. In fact, they themselves had previously brought Joseph’s clothes, stained with the blood of a goat, and assured his father that his son had become the prey of wild beasts, and now they say that he is alive and is in charge of all Egypt. Confused in spirit, Jacob wondered to himself: What does this mean? If the former is true, then the present is incredible; and if the present is true and just, then the former is false. What especially confused him was that before he had heard one thing from his children, and now he was learning something else from them. But they, seeing their father’s embarrassment and wanting to assure him of the justice of their words, “spoke to him all that was spoken by Joseph, as he spoke to them” (Gen. 45:27); and after the words they presented the chariots and gifts sent from Joseph, and they could hardly convince their father that their stories were not lies. Seeing the chariots sent to go to Egypt - “come to life”, it is said (Gen. 45:27). Old, advanced in years, bent, Jacob suddenly became younger in spirit, it is said: “come alive.” What does it mean: “come to life”? Like the fire in a lamp, when the oil becomes scarce, it begins to fade; but as soon as someone adds even a little oil to the lamp, the fire, already ready to go out, immediately emits the clearest light - so this old man, already ready to fade away from grief, “for he did not want to be consoled,” it is said, “for I will go down to my son lamenting into hell” (Gen. 37:35), now having learned that Joseph is alive and is in charge of Egypt, having seen chariots, “came to life” in spirit, from an old man became a youth, dispelled the cloud of sadness, calmed the storm of thoughts and finally calmed down. And God arranged all this so that the righteous man, after such suffering, would finally find consolation and become a participant in the well-being of his son; and on the other hand, so that the dreams that he himself interpreted would be fulfilled, saying: “When the food has come, I will come, and your mother and your brothers will bow down to you to the ground” (Gen. 37:10). Believing what he saw and heard, Jacob exclaimed: “Great is this, even if Joseph my son is still alive: I will go and see him before I die” (Gen. 45:28). This is very important, he says, it exceeds all understanding and overshadows all human joy, if my son Joseph is still alive. "When I see him" So, let us hasten so that I can have a meeting with him before I die; This news resurrected my spirit, drove away the infirmities of old age, and strengthened my mind. If I have to see each other, I will die having enjoyed complete joy. So, without any delay, the righteous man set off on his journey; he accelerated, hurried to look at his beloved son, to see as the king of Egypt the one whom he considered long dead and the prey of beasts. Having come to the oath well, he offered a prayer of thanks to the Lord, and “devoured the sacrifice of his father Isaac to God” (Gen. 46:1). 2. Hearing this, let us learn that when we undertake anything, whether we undertake any business or go on a journey, first of all we offer a prayer sacrifice to the Lord, and not otherwise than by asking for His help, begin the undertaking, and thus imitate the piety of the ancient righteous. “Consume,” it is said, “the sacrifice of his father Isaac to God,” so that it would be clear that he followed in the footsteps of his father, and showed this in serving God, like Isaac. And as he himself showed his gratitude to God beforehand with a prayer of gratitude, signs of divine favor immediately followed. Considering the distance of the journey and looking at his old age, he was afraid that sudden death would deprive him of the joy of seeing his son, and therefore he prayed to the Lord to continue his life so that he could enjoy perfect joy. And look how good God encourages the righteous. “God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, saying: Jacob, Jacob!... I am the God of your fathers. Do not be afraid to go into Egypt, for I will make you there into a great language, and I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will bring you up to the end, and Joseph will lay his hands on your eyes” (Gen. 46:2-4). This is how the Lord promises the righteous what he desired, and even more. His generosity often exceeds our desires, due to His characteristic love for mankind. “Do not be afraid,” he says, “go into Egypt.” Since (Israel) was frightened by the distance of the journey, God says to him: do not look at the weakness of old age: “I will make you there into a great language, and I will go down with you to Egypt.” I myself will accompany you, and I will arrange everything for you. Notice the (Divine) condescension in the words: “I will go down with you to Egypt.” What could be more blessed than to have God himself as a companion? And then came consolation, which the elder especially needed: “Joseph will lay his hands on your eyes.” He, your beloved, he himself will prepare your body for burial and will lay his hands on your eyes. So, take the path with joy and without any fear. Now imagine with what complacency the righteous man made the journey, having received such a certificate from the Divine promise. “And Jacob, it is said, rose up... and his sons, and took all his wealth... and went down into Egypt” (Gen. 46:5-6). With sixty-six souls 856 Jacob went down into Egypt; and Joseph with his sons who were with him was the ninth, so that together with Joseph all the souls were seventy-five (Gen. 46:26-27). Why did Divine Scripture show us the number of persons with such accuracy? So that we can see how God’s prophecy to Jacob was fulfilled: “I will make you there into a great language.” From these seventy-five souls the descendants of Israel expanded to six thousand. You see how it was not in vain and not without purpose that Scripture showed us the number of those who migrated to Egypt, but so that we could see from what small number what great number (of souls) came, and so that, looking at this, we would always believe the Divine promises. When you think how, after the death of Jacob and Joseph, the king of Egypt used all his efforts to reduce their offspring and prevent them from multiplying, but he did not succeed in this, and (the family of Jacob) increased and increased more and more, then be surprised and amazed at God and (know) that what He has determined cannot fail to be fulfilled, even if someone comes up with thousands of obstacles. But let’s look at everything in order to know how Jacob’s meeting with his son happened. When Jacob approached the land of Egypt, “the ambassador,” it is said, “sent Judah before him to Joseph to gather him,” to notify him of his father’s arrival. Having learned this and harnessed his chariots, Joseph “went out to meet his father... and appeared to him, attacking his neck and weeping a great cry” (Gen. 46:28–29). What happened was what I told you about at the beginning - that often extreme joy makes you shed tears. “Attack his neck and weep,” and not just, but “we weep great.” It immediately came to his mind how much he himself had suffered, and how much his father had suffered because of him; He imagined how much time had passed since their separation, and how, beyond all expectation, he saw his father, and the father saw his son, and he shed streams of tears, thereby showing his greatest joy, and thanking the Lord for what had happened. “And Israel said,” it is said, “to Joseph: Let me die from now on, before I have seen your face; for you are still alive” (Gen. 46:30). I enjoyed, he says, what I desired; I achieved something I never expected. Something happened to me that I never expected. Finally, I’ve had enough of living. I saw my beloved; and for my complete consolation it is enough to see that you are still alive - you, whom I have long considered dead and the prey of beasts. A fatherly voice, full of love and fully revealing one’s state of mind. “Joseph spoke to his brethren as he went and told Pharaoh and said to him, ‘My brethren have come. They are the essence of shepherd men: men are livestock feeders 857: both cattle and oxen... brought. If Pharaoh calls you and says, “What is your business?” Ring, for 858 men are cattle feeders... For every shepherd of the sheep is an abomination to the Egyptians” (Gen. 46:31–34). 3. Notice the reasonableness with which he gives advice to the brothers, not simply and not by chance instilling this in them, but wanting to put them in greater security and not allow them to mix with the Egyptians. Since the Egyptians abhorred people leading a shepherd’s life and despised them, and yet Joseph’s brothers did not have an Egyptian education, therefore Joseph advises them to set their occupations in advance, so that under this plausible pretext they can separate out the best land for them, where they could live safely. Thus Joseph “from his brethren took five men and set them before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said: What is your business? And deciding: we are cattle feeders 859 ...we are, now let us settle in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh spoke..., saying: Let them dwell, and if they are strong men, make them elders over my livestock” (Gen. 47:2-6). As Joseph advised, so did his brothers answer Pharaoh, and thus received permission to live in the land of Goshen. But Pharaoh, out of his goodwill towards Joseph, also says: “If they are strong men, make their elders my livestock.” Then Joseph and his father Jacob brought him to Pharaoh. “Pharaoh said to Jacob: How many years are the days of your life?” (Gen.47:8). Since Pharaoh saw an old man in front of him in extreme old age, he asks him about the number of years. “And Jacob said to Pharaoh: The days of the years of my life that I have lived are 860” (Gen. 47:9). This is how all the righteous spent their real lives, as if on a foreign side, and this is how they located themselves in it. Listen, as David said: “I am your stranger and a stranger” (Ps. 39:13). So Jacob says: “The days of the years of my life even as I live.” That is why Paul said about the ancient righteous that they realized that “they were strangers and strangers on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). “The days of the years of my life,” says Jacob, “even as I have lived, are one hundred and thirty years: small and evil are the days of the years of my life; I did not attain in the days of my father’s life” (Gen. 47:9). The days that I have lived, he says, are both few and disastrous. Here he means the years of slavery that he endured with Laban after the flight he committed because of his brother; then, after returning from there, such long-lasting grief over the (alleged) death of Joseph, and many other disasters he experienced. Imagine how afraid he was when Simeon and Levi, in revenge for their sister, destroyed the entire city and took all the inhabitants of Shechem captive. He said then, revealing the anxiety in which he was: “You who created me hate me, because it is evil for me to live on earth: but I am small in number, and those who have gathered against me will cut me off, and I and my house will be destroyed.” Therefore, he now says to Pharaoh: “Small and evil were the days of my life... And Joseph settled his father and his brethren, and gave them sustenance in the land of Egypt, in the best land of Rameshia, as Pharaoh commanded. And Joseph divided the wheat to his father, and to his brethren, and to all his father's house, according to the number of the bodies, 861" (Gen. 47:10-12). Thus, what he said to his brothers was justified: “God sent me before you to leave you a remnant on the earth” (Gen. 45:7), “and God sent me before you for life” (Gen. 45:5). “Divide,” it is said, “bread according to the number of bodies.” What does it mean: according to the number of bodies? This means how much was needed for each. In Scripture the whole person is usually called - sometimes the soul, sometimes the body. And as it was said above: Jacob went down into Egypt with seventy-five souls, instead of saying: seventy-five “husbands and wives,” so it is said here: according to the number of bodies, i.e. for each person. Thus, at a time when all of Egypt and the land of Canaan suffered from famine, the house of Jacob prospered, having food, as if flowing from some source. “There was no wheat,” says Scripture, “in all the land; for the famine prevailed; and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan perished from the famine” (Gen. 47:13). 4. Notice the ineffable providence of the Lord. Before the famine intensified, He brought the righteous man into Egypt so that he would not experience the disaster that threatened the land of Canaan. And when everyone flocked there, “Joseph gathered together,” it is said, “all the silver” from those who lived in Egypt and Canaan, and so he distributed bread to them 863. “And silver is finally running low. I brought all 864 into the house of the pharaohs." “All the Egyptians” came and said: “Give us bread, and we will die before you, having died for money” (Gen. 47:14-15). They say we no longer have money to buy, so we are dying of hunger. Do not reject us, who are threatened with death; give us bread so that we can live and not die. “Joseph said to them: Bring in your livestock, and I will give you bread” (Gen. 47:16). If you don’t have money, he says, I will take the herds from you. If your silver is all exhausted, bring your domestic animals and get bread. “And you brought your livestock to Joseph: and give them 865 for the horses, and for the sheep, and for the oxen, and for the donkeys: and thou shalt feed them for their cattle. I came to him in the second summer and said to him: “Let us not perish,” having neither silver nor cattle, since everything is with you, our lord, nothing else “remains..., just one body and our land. Let us not die, buy us and our land with bread: and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh: give seed, that we may sow and live, and not die, and the land not be desolate” (Gen. 47:17-19). They gave themselves into slavery, and they gave up the land just to feed themselves: the hunger was so strong. “And Joseph bought the land of Egypt for Pharaoh” (Gen. 47:20). The Egyptians gave it up, being forced to do so by hunger. “And the land became Pharaoh. And he made people slaves for him, from the border of Egypt even to the ends of the land, except for the land of the priests: for Pharaoh gave them bread 866 and meat..., for this reason he did not sell his land” (Gen. 47:20-22). This is what prudence and what wisdom Joseph had: he did not leave them to suffer from hunger and acquired the whole land for Pharaoh along with the enslavement of all the Egyptians. But notice here the extraordinary care that he showed them. “The Egyptians said: Behold, I have bought you and your land this day to Pharaoh: take yourselves seeds and sow them on the land. And if 867 there be fruit thereof, thou shalt give 868 a fifth part to Pharaoh: and four parts shall be for the seed of the ground, and for food for you, and for all that are in your houses” (Gen. 47:23-24). What generosity, what foresight, what extraordinary care! Therefore, they, feeling the benefit, say to Joseph: “You have given us life, we have found grace before our lord, and we will be servants to Pharaoh” (Gen. 47:25). Do you see (Joseph's) generosity? Knowing how the Egyptians are burdened by need, knowing how much labor and effort they had to endure when cultivating the land, he tells them: I will deliver seeds to you, and for everything else you yourself will use your efforts, and if there are fruits, give one part, and four parts will remain with you, both as a reward for your labors and as a supply for your food. “And this commandment 869 gave them... that they should give a fifth to Pharaoh, besides the land of the priests” (Gen. 47:26). Let today's people hear what advantages in ancient times were given to the servants of idols, and let them learn to show at least the same honor to those who were entrusted with the service of the God of all. If the ancients, erring and serving idols, thought that they paid special respect to idols when such honor was bestowed upon their servants, then what condemnation do those who now do not have care for the servants of God deserve? Do you not know that this honor goes to the Lord of all? So, do not look at the one who accepts honor. It is not for his own sake that you must do what is required of you, but for the sake of the One Whom he serves, so that you can receive a generous reward from Him. That is why the Lord said: he who did it for one of these did it for Me 870, and: “Receive a prophet in the name of the prophet, he will receive the reward of the prophet” (Matthew 10:41). Does the Lord send down His rewards to you in proportion to the dignity or weakness of His servants? He rewards you or condemns you according to your disposition. And just as the honor bestowed through them 871 gives us great boldness (because He appropriates to Himself what is done for His servants), so their contempt will bring down great punishment from above. The Lord assimilates to Himself both the honor given 872 and the contempt. Knowing this, let us never neglect caring for the priests of God. I say this, not so much caring about them as about your love, wanting you to gain benefit for yourself through everything. Do you give as much as you receive from the Lord? What kind of service are you providing? However, even for this insignificant service limited to real life, you can receive imperishable rewards and unspeakable benefits. 5. Reflecting on this, let us be attentive to these services 873, calculating not the costs, but the benefit and profit that we can acquire through it. If we, seeing someone close to a person invested with worldly greatness, try to render him all kinds of services, knowing that the honor given to him passes to his patron, and that he, by making this known to his patron, can thus further favor him in your favor, then much more will it be so with the Lord of all. If anyone shows any kindness and compassion to a person passing by or to someone defeated at a crossroads, then the Lord, having assimilated this to Himself, promises to bring those who have done something good to them into the Kingdom of Heaven and say: “Come, blessed My Father,... for you are hungry, and give Me food” (Matthew 25:34, 35). Moreover, the one who renders his services to those who strive for the Lord and are endowed with the sacred dignity will receive not only the same reward, but also much greater, since the humane Lord always rewards us in great abundance for what we have done. So, let us not be worse than the infidels, who, while still in error regarding idols, showed such care for their servants. But just as great the difference is between error and truth, between the servants of idols and the servants of God, let us show the same difference in respect itself, in order to receive even greater reward from above. “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt:... and grew old, and multiplied greatly” (Gen. 47:27). This was God’s promise to Jacob: “I will make you there into a great language.” And “Jacob lived... seventy years: and the days of Jacob were... an hundred and fourty and seven years” (Gen. 47:28). God determined so much time for Jacob's life that he would leave this life, having received sufficient consolation for the disasters that he endured throughout his life. But, if you want, so as not to burden your memory with a lot of what has been said, we will leave the rest until another time and end our conversation here. At the same time, we urge your love to carefully listen to what is said, constantly keep it in memory and constantly keep it in mind - reflecting on the feats of patience of the righteous, about generosity, about their faith in Divine promises, when they did not waver in mind due to what happened after the promises, but, firmly trusting in the omnipotence of the One who promised them, meekly endured everything and through this were exalted. So this righteous man, who had mourned Joseph for so many years as if he were dead, finally saw him ruling the kingdom of Egypt; and the venerable Joseph, after slavery, after imprisonment, after all the other sufferings he endured, received leadership over the whole country. And, if we trace all the narratives contained in Scripture, we will find that all virtuous men walked the path of temptation, and only in this way received great help from above. Therefore, if we also want to be worthy of God’s favor, we will not be impatient in temptations, we will not lose heart when they befall us; but it is better for us to rejoice and be merry, strengthening ourselves with faith and knowing that we will enjoy God’s providence all the more if we decide to endure everything with thanksgiving. May it be given to all of us to spend our present life in virtue, and to achieve future blessings, grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Zlat.: εἰς τὴν Χαναναίαν - “to Canaanite”, and then - Χαναάν - “Canaan”. – ἀνήγγειλαν; in Lucian. – ἀπήγγειλαν, although the meaning of both expressions is similar. πᾶσαν τὴν κτῆσιν according to Alex. and Ambrose. sp.; in Lucian. – πᾶσαν τὴν ἀποσκευὴν – “all the estate.” Art. 5 and 6 are given in abbreviation by the saint. ; in Lucian. sp. – πᾶσαι αί ψυχαὶ, αί εἰσελθοῦσαι μετὰ ᾿Ιακὼβ ἐις Αἴγυπτον... ἐβδομήκοντα πέντε. εἰσὶ according to Lucian. and other sp.; in ancient times Vatik. – ἦσαν – “bysha” (Slav. B.) according to Hebrew. t. εἴπατε, ὅτι; in Lucian. and so on. sp. – ἐρεῖτε – “tell.” κτηνοτρόφοι ἐσμέν, instead of ποιμένες προβάτων.. - “shepherding sheep.” Heb. "wandering"; Greek παροικῶ - means: I live temporarily, I live like a stranger, without my own home or citizenship rights. St. Chrysostom explains the words of James in this meaning. κατὰ σῶμα – (lit.) “according to the body,” as translated in 70 Hebrews. an expression meaning: according to the number of the family; In agreement with this, this Greek the expression was transferred to Slav. B. “according to the number of persons.” ὑμῖν agrees with Alex. sp. and ev. T.; in Lucian. etc. – ὑμῶν – “you” or “your”. τὸ ἀργύριον τῶν τε ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ τῶν ἐν γῇ Χαναάν, καὶ οὕτω τὸν σῖτον αὐτοῖς ἐχορήγει, says the saint, briefly conveying, in his own words, the contents of Art. 14–15. Εἰσήγαγε γὰρ ἅπαν, instead of: εἰσήγαγε πᾶν τὸ ἀργύριον ῟ “and bring in all the silver”) according to lane 70 in Lucian. Here and below the saint also briefly conveys the Bible. narration, omitting some sayings or replacing them with your own words. βρώματα instead of δόρα – “giving, gift” in Alex. sp. or δόρατα in Lucian. sp. ἐὰν according to sp. Dorothea, Tsittav. (“de Lag”. Gen. gr.) and some. others (“Holmes”); in Lucian. - unreadable. δώσετε according to the ancient. Vatik., Alex. etc.; in Lucian. καὶ δώσετε - “and you will give.” τοῦτο δὲ ἔθετο αὐτοῖς τὸπρόσταγμα ; in Vatic., Lucian. and other sp. τοῦτο - “this” or “this” is not read, as in Slav. B., and yet it has a counterpart in Hebrew. t. (in “otag”), and therefore the reading of this word in Zlat. should be accepted as evidence for its location in Greek. the list used by the saint. ῾Ο ποιήσας ἐνὶ τούτων, ἐμοὶ ἐποίησε, says the saint, conveying the words of the Lord in Ev. Matt. XXV, 40. those. through the servants of God. ἐπιτρέχωμεν ταῖς τοιαύταις διακονίαις, i.e. ministries to which church leaders dedicated themselves. You might be interested in: