Беседа 15

“When He saw the people, He went up the mountain; and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt. 5:1–3) Exposition 5:1–16. By his example, Christ teaches not to do anything for show. – Addressing his speech to the disciples, Christ speaks through them to all people. – Who, of course, are the poor in spirit. Humility is the beginning of all piety. – Crying over sins frees you from attachment to earthly things. – The consolation given by God helps to overcome everything. – Under the earth promised to the meek, there are also sensual blessings. – Who is meant by those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, by those who are merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and those who are exiled for the sake of righteousness, and what is their reward? – Not all reproaches make people blessed. – The kingdom of heaven is not promised by one poor spirit. – Why is the last commandment addressed directly to the disciples? – To endure slander is a greater feat than to endure danger. – The commandments pave the way for one another. – What do the expressions mean: “you are the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” – The power of preaching shows the power of Christ. – Virtue cannot hide. “She’s the only one who makes me happy.” - Those who slander inwardly praise virtue. – The life of a Christian must justify the teaching. - Reproof for those who pursue profit, give alms out of vanity, and amuse themselves with the quarrels of others, and an admonition not to start strife and quarrels and to forgive insults. 1. Look how far Christ was from ambition and pride! He did not lead the people with Him, but when it was necessary to heal, He Himself went everywhere, visiting cities and villages. And when a great crowd has gathered, he sits in one place, not in the city, not in the middle of the square, but on a mountain, in the desert, thereby teaching us not to do anything for show, to move away from noise, especially when it is necessary to philosophize and talk about important subjects. When He ascended and sat down, the disciples approached. Do you see how they progress in virtue, and how quickly they become the best? The people looked at the miracles, and the disciples wanted to hear something lofty and great. This is what prompted Christ to offer teaching and begin preaching. He not only healed bodies, but also healed souls, and again moved from caring for souls to caring for bodies, diversifying the benefits, and combining the manifestation of signs with verbal teaching. With this care, both for the soul and for the body, He stops the shameless lips of heretics, showing that He is the author of all life. That is why He took great care of the body and soul, healing first and then last. This is what He did now. “He opened,” says the evangelist, “his mouth, and taught them.” Why is this added: “He opened His mouth”? So that you know that He taught even when He was silent, not only when He spoke; He taught, now opening His mouth, now speaking by His deeds. When you hear the words: “taught them,” do not think that He speaks only to His disciples, but that through His disciples He speaks to everyone. But since the crowd was uneducated, consisting of people who were still groveling, He, having gathered disciples before Him, addressed His speech to them, and in conversation with them said so that the teaching of wisdom became entertaining for all others, who were almost completely unable to listen to Him. Hinting at this, Luke said; that He spoke to the disciples. And Matthew, showing this, wrote: “His disciples came to Him, and He taught them.” In view of this, others had to listen more attentively than if He had addressed His speech to everyone. So, where does Christ begin, and what foundations does he lay for us for a new life? Let us listen carefully to His words. It was spoken to the disciples, but written for all who will come after them. That is why Christ, although he preaches to his disciples, does not refer His words to them, but speaks vaguely about all the blessings. He did not say: blessed are you if you are poor, but “blessed are the poor.” Even if he spoke to them alone, then His sermon would apply to everyone. In fact, when, for example, He says: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20), He speaks not to them alone, but through them to the whole universe. In the same way, when he pleases them for enduring persecution, persecution, and cruel suffering, he weaves a crown not only for them, but for everyone who lives like this. But to make this clearer, and for you to know that His words have great relevance both to you and to the entire human race, if anyone is attentive, listen to how He begins His wondrous word: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” What does it mean: poor in spirit? Humble and contrite in heart. He called the soul and disposition of man Spirit. Since there are many who are humble, not by their disposition, but by necessity of circumstances, He, keeping silent about such (because there is no great glory in that), calls, first of all, blessed those who, of their own free will, humble themselves and humiliate themselves. Why didn’t He say: the humble, but said: “the poor”? Because the latter is more expressive than the former; Here He calls poor those who fear and tremble at the commandments of God, whom God also calls through the prophet Isaiah pleasing to Himself, saying: “Whom will I look upon: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2)? 2. There are many degrees of humility: some are moderately humble, and others are abundantly humble. The blessed prophet also praises the latter kind of humility when, describing to us not just a humble, but a very contrite heart, he says: “a sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; You will not despise a broken and humble heart, O God” (Psalm 50:19). And the three youths, instead of a great sacrifice, bring this humility to God, saying: “But with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, let us be accepted” (Dan. 3:39). This kind of humility pleases Christ here too. All the greatest disasters that depress the entire universe arose from pride. So the devil, who was not one before, became a devil out of pride, as Paul pointed out: “lest he become proud and fall into condemnation with the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). So the first man, deceived by the devil with a destructive hope, fell and became mortal; he hoped to become a god, but he lost even what he had. For this reason, God, reproaching him and seeming to laugh at his foolishness, said: “Behold, Adam has become like one of Us” (Gen. 3:22). So everyone after Adam, dreaming of his equality with God, fell into wickedness. Since, therefore, pride is the height of evil, the root and source of all wickedness, the Savior prepares a cure corresponding to the disease, positing this first law as a strong and safe foundation. On this foundation everything else can be built with safety. On the contrary, if this foundation does not exist, then even if someone has risen to the heavens in life, all this will easily be destroyed and will have a bad end. Even if you are distinguished by fasting, prayer, almsgiving, chastity or some other virtue, without humility all this will collapse and perish. This is what happened to the Pharisee. Having risen to the very top of virtue, he fell from it and lost everything because he did not have humility - the mother of all virtues. Just as pride is the source of all wickedness, so humility is the beginning of all piety. That is why Christ begins with humility, wanting to uproot pride from the souls of his listeners. What does this have to do with the disciples who were always humble? They had no reason to be proud, being fishermen, poor, ignorant, not scientists. But if this did not apply to the disciples, then it applied to those who were there, and who later had to receive the disciples, so that the latter would not be despised because of their poverty. However, Christ’s words also applied to the disciples. If at that time they did not need this useful instruction, then they could have had it later - after performing signs and wonders, after such glory in the whole world and after such boldness towards God. Truly, neither wealth, nor power, nor royal dignity itself could inspire pride as much as everything that the apostles had. However, even before the signs were performed, they could become proud, they could succumb to human weakness when they saw a large gathering of people surrounding their Teacher. That is why Christ humbles their thoughts in advance. Christ presents the teaching he teaches not in the form of exhortations or commands, but in the form of beatitude, thus making His preaching more interesting and opening the field of teaching for everyone. He did not say: such and such is blessed, but everyone who acts like this is blessed, so even if you were a slave, a poor person, a beggar, homeless, uneducated, there is no obstacle to you being blessed if you have this virtue. Having begun where he should have primarily begun, Christ moves on to another commandment, which, apparently, contradicts the opinion of the whole universe. In fact, while everyone considers those who rejoice blessed, and those who mourn, the poor and those who cry as unhappy, He instead of the former calls the latter blessed, saying: “blessed are those who mourn,” although everyone considers them unhappy (Matthew 5:4). But Christ performed signs in advance so that, by prescribing such rules, He would have more confidence in Himself. And here again he doesn’t just mean those who weep, but those who weep about their sins, since there is another cry that is completely unacceptable - weeping about everyday things, which Paul also pointed out when he said: “Godly sorrow produces unchangeable repentance leading to salvation, but worldly sorrow produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10). 3. It is these sorrowful ones that Christ here calls blessed; and not just those who are sad, but those who indulge in intense sadness. That’s why he didn’t say: those who grieve, but: “those who mourn.” Indeed, this commandment also teaches all piety. In fact, if the one who mourns the death of children, wife, or one of his relatives, at this time of grief is not carried away by the love of wealth and the flesh, or by ambition, is not irritated by insults, is not consumed by envy, or is given over to any other passion, but is completely absorbed in grief, then will not those who properly mourn their sins show their dispassion regarding all this much more? What will be their reward? “For they will be comforted,” says Christ. Tell me where will they find comfort? Both here and there. Since this commandment was too heavy and difficult, He promises that which could most ease it. So, if you want to have consolation, cry. And do not consider these words allegorical. Truly, when God consoles, even if thousands of sorrows happen to you, you will overcome everything, because God always rewards your labors in abundance. He did the same here when he said that “those who mourn are blessed” - not because the crying itself was worth it, but because of His love for mankind (that is, the reward was promised not according to the importance of the action, but because of His love for people). In fact, those who cry mourn their sins, and for such it is enough only to receive forgiveness and justification. But since Christ is very philanthropic, He does not limit the reward to the abolition of punishment and the remission of sins, but also makes such people blessed and gives great consolation. And he commands us to cry not only for our own sins, but also for the sins of others. This is what the saints did: Moses, Paul, David; they all often mourned the sins of others. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Tell me which land will inherit? Some say they will inherit the spiritual land. But it's not fair. Nowhere in Scripture is there any mention of a spiritual land. What do these words mean? Christ means a sensual reward here, just like Paul, when, following the words: “Honor your father and mother,” he adds: “You will live long on earth” (Eph. 6:2–3). In the same way, the Lord himself said to the thief: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Applying to those listeners who are more devoted to the sensual and seek the present rather than the future, Christ does not reward them only with future benefits, but also with the present. That is why further in His conversation, having said: “Make peace with your opponent quickly,” he determines the reward for such a prudent deed, saying: “lest your opponent hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the servant” (Matthew 5:25). See where He borrowed the threats from! From sensory objects, from the most ordinary phenomena. And again: “Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raka,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin” (Matthew 5:22). Also, Paul very often points to sensual rewards, and borrows motivations from real objects, for example, when he talks about virginity: here he does not mention heaven at all, but motivates with real blessings, saying: “if anyone considers it indecent,” and: “I feel sorry for you,” and: “I want you to be without worries” (1 Cor. 7:36, 28, 32). So Christ combined sensual rewards with spiritual rewards. Since a meek person may think that he is losing all his property, Christ promises the opposite, saying that he is safe and in possession of his property: he is neither impudent nor vain; whoever, on the contrary, becomes such, may lose his inheritance and even destroy his very soul. However, since even in the Old Testament the prophet often said: “The meek will inherit the earth” (Ps. 36:11), Christ therefore expresses His thought in words already known to them, so as not to use new expressions everywhere. However, in His words He does not limit the rewards to present benefits, but also offers future ones. When He talks about something spiritual, He does not reject the benefits of real life; in the same way, when he promises something in this life, he does not limit his promise to this. “Seek,” He says, “first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). And again: “Whoever leaves houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). What truth? Is He talking about virtue in general, or does He mean that type of truth that is opposite to covetousness? Since He intended to offer the commandment of mercy, He teaches how it should be shown; namely, here he calls blessed those who strive for the truth that prohibits theft and covetousness. 4. Consider also the power with which He expressed His commandment! He did not say: blessed are those who seek righteousness, but “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” suggesting by this that we should not just somehow, but with complete love strive for it. And since those who love money have complete love, that is, they do not care so much about satisfying hunger and thirst as about having and acquiring more and more, then Christ commands that such love be turned to non-covetousness. Then He again presents a sensual reward, saying: “for they will be satisfied.” Since many people think that the love of money makes people rich, He says that the opposite happens, that is, that truth makes people rich. So, acting justly, do not be afraid of poverty, and do not be afraid of hunger. Truly, those especially who lose everything are those who steal someone else's property, but whoever loves justice possesses everything safely. If those who do not steal other people’s property enjoy such prosperity, then those who give away their own do much more. “Blessed are the merciful” (Matthew 5:7). Here, it seems to me, He is speaking not so much about those who show their mercy with money, but also about those who show it in deeds. There are many different types of mercy, and this commandment is extensive. What is the reward for mercy? “For they will receive mercy.” Such reward seems to be tantamount to virtue; but in fact it far exceeds virtue. Indeed, the merciful are merciful, like people; and they themselves receive mercy from the God of all. Human mercy and God's mercy are not equal to each other, but differ from one another in the same way as evil differs from good. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Here again is a spiritual reward! Here He calls pure those who have acquired complete virtue and are not aware of any wickedness, or those who spend their lives in chastity, because in order to see God, we do not need anything as much as this virtue. That is why Paul said: “Strive to have peace with everyone and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Vision here means such as is only possible for a person. Since many are merciful, do not steal the property of others, are not lovers of money, but, meanwhile, commit fornication and indulge in lust, then Christ, showing that the first is not enough, adds this commandment. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, confirmed the same thing by the example of the Macedonians, who were rich not only in charity, but also in other virtues: pointing there to their generosity in distributing property, he says that they “committed themselves to the Lord and to us” (2 Cor. 8:5). “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9). Here Christ not only condemns mutual disagreement and hatred of people among themselves, but demands even more - namely, that we reconcile the disagreements of others; and again also represents spiritual reward. Which one? “For they will be called sons of God,” since the work of the Only Begotten Son of God was to unite what was divided and reconcile what was at war. Then, so that you do not think that peace everywhere is a praiseworthy thing, Christ added this commandment: “Blessed are those who were persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matt. 5:10), - that is, persecuted for virtue, for patronizing others, for piety, since He usually always calls the complete wisdom of the soul truth. “Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you unjustly because of Me” (Matthew 5:11). “Rejoice and be glad” (Matt. 5:12). Christ seemed to say this: even if you are called deceivers, flatterers, evildoers, or some other name, you are still blessed. What seems stranger than such instructions is to call desirable for a person what, in the opinion of others, should be avoided, that is: poverty, tears, persecution, reproach. And yet, He not only spoke these commandments, but also instilled faith in them, and convinced not two, not ten, not twenty, not a hundred, or a thousand people, but the whole universe. And the crowds of people, listening to such heavy, difficult and contrary to the general concept of instruction, were amazed. Such was the power of the words of the heavenly Mentor! 5. However, lest you think that reproach alone, whatever it may be, makes people blessed, Christ defines these reproaches in two types, namely, when we endure them for His sake, and when they are false. If there is neither one nor the other, then the one who is reviled is not only not happy, but also unhappy. Look what the reward is again: “for great is your reward in heaven.” If you hear that not every type of bliss is given the kingdom of heaven, do not be discouraged. Although Christ describes the rewards differently, he brings everyone into the kingdom. And when He says that those who mourn will be comforted, and the merciful will have mercy, and the pure in heart will see God, and the peacemakers will be called sons of God, by all this He means nothing other than the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives those benefits will, of course, receive the kingdom of heaven. So, do not think that only the poor in spirit will receive this reward; Those who thirst for righteousness, the meek, and all others will receive it. This is why he mentioned beatitude with every commandment, so that you would not expect anything sensual. One who is rewarded with something that in real life is destroyed and disappears rather than a shadow cannot be blessed. Having said: “Great is your reward,” Christ added another consolation: “So they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Since the kingdom was approaching and was expected, He provides them with consolation in communicating with those who suffered before them. Do not think, He says, that you suffer because you speak and prescribe contrary to justice, or that you will be persecuted as preachers of ungodly doctrines. You will be exposed to slander and danger, not because you teach wrongly, but because of the malice of those who listen. Therefore, slander will not fall on you, the sufferers, but on those who act so badly. This has been evidenced throughout the past. And the prophets were not accused of lawlessness or ungodly teaching, when some of them were stoned, others were driven out, and others were subjected to other countless calamities. So, do not let this frighten you. For the same reasons, they still do everything today. Do you see how he encourages them by placing them on an equal footing with Moses and Elijah? So the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians says: “For you, brothers, have become imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea, because you also suffered the same things from your fellow tribesmen as those from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and His prophets, and drove us out, and do not please God, and oppose all men” (1 Thess. 2:14–15). Christ did the same here. Although He said in other beatitudes: “blessed are the poor, blessed are the merciful”; but here He already speaks definitely, and directly addresses His speech to the disciples: “Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for My sake,” showing that this primarily applies to them, and is characteristic of all other teachers. At the same time, here He shows His dignity and equality with the Father. He says: just as the prophets suffered for the sake of the Father, so you will suffer for my sake. When He says: “the prophets who were before you,” this shows that they themselves were already prophets. Then, wanting to show that suffering is especially useful for them and serves for their glory, he did not say that you will be reviled and persecuted, but I will prevent this. He wants to protect them not from hearing anything bad about themselves, but from bearing bad rumors generously and justifying themselves with deeds, because the latter is much better than the former, and not to lose heart during suffering is much more important than not to suffer at all. That is why He says here: “Great is your reward in heaven.” According to the narration of the Evangelist Luke, Christ said this even more powerfully and comfortingly. He not only calls those blessed who suffer reproach for the Lord, but also calls those unfortunate about whom everyone says good things. He says: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). And they said good things about the apostles, but not everyone. That is why He did not say: when people say good things about you; but adds the word “all”. Indeed, it is impossible for the virtuous to be praised by everyone. And again he says: “They will call your name dishonorable because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and be glad” (Luke 6:22–23). He determined the reward not only for the dangers to which they were exposed, but also for the reproach. Therefore He did not say: when they drive you out and kill you; but - when they revile you and slander you in every possible way. Truly, slander hurts much more than the deeds themselves. There is much in danger that makes grief easier, for example, when everyone encourages, many approve, praise and glorify. But here, in slander, the very consolation is taken away. To endure slander is not considered a great feat, although in fact slander hurts the ascetic more than the dangers themselves. Many commit suicide, unable to bear the bad rumors about themselves. And why be surprised at others, when this very reason most of all prompted that shameless and vile traitor, who had completely lost shame in everything, to hang himself. And Job - this adamant, harder than the stone itself - when he lost his property, endured unbearable torment, suddenly lost all his children, when he saw his body filled with worms, his reproaching wife, he endured everything easily. When he saw his friends who reproached him, cursed him and, slandering him, said that he was suffering this for his sins and was being punished for his vices, then this courageous and great ascetic wavered and fell into confusion. 6. In a similar way, David, forgetting everything that he suffered, asked God for retribution only for the slander he had suffered: leave him [Sameya] to slander,” he says, “for the Lord commanded him”: so that “he will look upon my humiliation, and the Lord will reward me with goodness for his current slander” (2 Sam. 16:11–12). And Paul praises not only those who are exposed to dangers, not only those who are deprived of their property, but also those who endure slander, saying: “Remember your former days, when you were enlightened and endured a great struggle of suffering” (Heb. 10:32). That is why Christ laid down a great reward for this. But lest anyone say: Why don’t you now take revenge on those who slander and stop their mouths, but promise a reward in heaven? – Christ introduced the prophets for this, showing that God did not take revenge on their enemies in their time. But if even then, when the reward was in sight, God encouraged them with hope for the future, then He encourages them much more now, when the very hope for the future has become clearer and wisdom has become higher. Notice also that after how many commandments he proposed this last one. He did this not without intention and wanted to show that anyone who is not prepared in advance and not approved by all those commandments cannot enter into these exploits. That is why Christ weaved a golden chain for us from these commandments, always paving the way from the previous commandment to the next. Indeed, a humble person will mourn his sins; he who mourns his sins will be meek and righteous and merciful; a merciful, righteous and contrite person will certainly be pure in heart, and such a person will also be a peacemaker; and whoever achieves all this will be prepared for dangers and will not be afraid of slander and countless disasters. Having given the disciples decent instruction, the Lord again reinforces them with praise. Since the commandments were lofty and more difficult than those of the Old Testament, so that the disciples would not waver, become confused, and say: how can we fulfill them? - listen to what the Lord said: “you are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), showing with these words that He gives such commandments out of necessity. The teaching that is entrusted to you, says Christ, should apply not only to your life, but to the whole universe. I am sending you not to two, not to ten, not to twenty cities, I am not sending you to one nation, as I once did the prophets, but to land and sea, to the whole universe, moreover, full of evil. With the words: “you are the salt of the earth,” Christ showed that all humanity was darkened and damaged by sins. That is why He requires from the disciples such virtues as were especially necessary and useful for the correction of others. In fact, he who is meek, quiet, merciful and righteous does not do good deeds for himself alone, but tries to pour out these good sources of goodness for the benefit of others. Likewise, the pure in heart and peace-loving and persecuted for the truth lives for the good of the common. So, do not think, says Christ, that easy feats await you; Do not think that My words: “You are the salt” of the earth are of little importance. What then? Did they really fix something that had already gone wrong? No, because salt cannot help something that has already gone bad. They did not do this, but salted what had already been corrected, handed over to them and freed from the stench, maintaining and preserving it in the same renewal in which they received it from the Lord. To free us from the stench of sin was the work of Christ. The apostles had to work and take care that what had been corrected would not return to its original state. Do you notice how Christ little by little raises the disciples above the prophets themselves? He calls them teachers not of Palestine alone, but of the whole universe, and not just teachers, but also terrible teachers. And it is surprising that the disciples, not through flattery or flattery, but through a restraining action, like salt, became amiable to everyone. So, do not be surprised, says Christ, if I, leaving others, talk to you and expose you to so many dangers. Just consider how many cities, peoples and languages ​​I want to send you to be teachers. That is why I want you not only to be prudent yourself, but also to make others so. It is especially necessary for those on whom the salvation of others depends to be prudent, and they need to have so much virtue in themselves so that they can devote it to the benefit of others. If you are not like this, then you yourself will not be saved. 7. So, do not be upset if My words seem heavy to you. Through you, other lost people can come to their senses, and if you lose your strength, you will destroy others with you. Therefore, the more important the responsibilities assigned to you, the more jealous you should be. That is why Christ says: “If the salt loses its strength, then with what will you make it salty? It’s no longer good for anything except throwing it out there for people to trample underfoot.” Others, even if they sin many times, can still be forgiven; but the teacher, if he sins, cannot excuse himself in any way, and must suffer the most severe punishment. So that the disciples, hearing the words: “when they revile you and persecute you and slander you unjustly in every way,” do not be afraid to preach publicly, Christ says that if you do not decide to do this, then you were chosen in vain. It is not slander that one should be afraid of, but so as not to present oneself as a hypocrite; in this case you will show yourself to be unreasonable and worthy of contempt. But if you are strict in your behavior and are slandered because of it, rejoice. This is precisely the property of salt that, due to its caustic pungency, it is unpleasant to the taste of voluptuous people. Slander, therefore, will necessarily haunt you, but will not harm you in the least; on the contrary, it will indicate your firmness. If, fearing slander, you abandon the firmness that is due to you, you will be subject to the most severe disasters; Everyone will slander you and despise you, and this is what it means: “trampled on.” Following this, Christ moves on to another, higher comparison: “you are,” He says, “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Again - “the world”, not one people, not twenty cities, but the entire universe; spiritual light - like spiritual salt - which is superior to the rays of the visible sun. First He called them salt, and then light, so that you would know how much benefit there is from strict words, and how much benefit there is from pure teaching. It curbs and does not allow one to be distracted, but, directing one to virtue, makes one attentive. “A city standing on top of a mountain cannot hide. And when they light a candle, they do not put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand” (Matthew 5:14–15). With these words, Christ again encourages His disciples to a strict life, teaching them to be careful, since they had to appear in the face of everyone and struggle in the field of the whole world. Don’t look, he says, at the fact that we are sitting here now, that we are in the smallest part of the world. No, you will be so noticeable to everyone, like a city standing on the top of a mountain, like a lamp placed on a candlestick and shining to everyone in the house. Where are those who do not believe in the power of Christ now? Let them hear this and, marveling at the power of the prophecy, reverently worship His power! Think, in fact, how much was promised to those who were unknown even in their own city! Earth and sea will recognize them, and their fame will spread to the ends of the universe, or - better - not glory, but their very good deeds - because it was not loud fame that made them known everywhere, but the greatness of their deeds themselves. They, like birds, flew through the entire universe faster than a ray of sunshine, spreading the light of piety everywhere. Here Christ, in my opinion, is trying to instill even more courage in His disciples, because with the words: “a city standing on the top of a mountain cannot hide” clearly expresses His power. Just as such a city cannot hide, so it is impossible for the gospel to hide and remain unknown. Since Christ previously spoke about persecution, slander, slander and enmity, so that the disciples would not think that all this could hinder their preaching, He, encouraging them, says that the gospel will not only not remain in obscurity, but will also enlighten the whole universe, and through this they themselves will become glorious and famous. So, here Christ shows His power, and in subsequent words he demands courage from His disciples. “When you light a candle,” He says, “they do not put it under a basket, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15–16). I, He says, kindled the light, and you, with your diligence, must maintain this light - and this is not only for yourself, but also for others who must take advantage of its radiance and be guided by it to the truth. Slander will not in the least darken your light if you begin to conduct your life properly, if you live as befits people who must convert the entire universe. Show a life completely worthy of grace, so that your gospel will be justified everywhere by your good life. In addition to saving people, Christ then shows another benefit that can motivate disciples to the most diligent and zealous performance of their duties. If you live well, He says, you will not only convert the whole universe, but you will also contribute to the glory of the name of God; on the contrary, with a bad life you will destroy people and give rise to blasphemy of the name of God. 8. How, you say, will God be glorified through us if people slander us? But not all; Yes, even those who slander us will do this out of envy, but in their hearts they will honor and marvel at us, just as there are people who clearly flatter the wicked, but in their hearts accuse them. What do you order? Should we live for vanity and ambition? No, that's not what I'm saying. I did not say: try to show off your good deeds, show them off; but he only said: “Let your light shine forth,” that is, let your virtue be great, the fire abundant, the light inexpressible. When virtue is such, it is impossible to hide it, even if the one who has it tried in every possible way to hide it. So, show an impeccable life, and no one will have sufficient reason to slander you. Even if there are countless people who slander, no one, however, will be able to eclipse your glory. The word is well said: “light”. Indeed, nothing spreads the glory of a person more than the brilliance of virtue, even if that person tries by all means to hide it. It is as if surrounded by a ray of sunshine, and shines more clearly than the ray itself, extending its radiance not only to the earth, but also to the sky itself. Here Christ comforts His disciples even more. Let it be sorrowful for you, He says, when you are reviled; but through you many will become true worshipers of God. In both cases, a reward is prepared for you: both when you endure slander for God, and when God is glorified through you. But so that we do not try to spread bad rumors about ourselves, knowing that there will be a reward for this, Christ did not just speak about slander, but pointed out only two types of it, namely: when they speak falsely about us, and when they slander us for God. But at the same time, Christ shows that not only such slander brings great benefit, but also good glory when the glory of God spreads through it. Here Christ strengthens the disciples with good hopes. This slander of the wicked, He says, is not so strong that it can prevent others from seeing your light. Then they will only trample on you when you darken yourself, but not when you do good. On the contrary, then many will marvel at you, and not only at you, but through you and at your Father. Further, Christ did not say: they will glorify God, but the Father, by which he lays down the beginnings of the dignity that will be granted to them. Then, in order to show His equality with the Father, Christ said first: do not grieve when you hear bad things about yourself, because it is enough for you that you hear it for My sake - and here he points to the Father, revealing equality everywhere. So, if we know what benefit comes from practicing virtue, and what danger comes from carelessness (because the reproach of our Lord because of us is much worse than our destruction), then we will not give temptation to either Jews, or pagans, or the faithful, but we will lead a life that would shine brighter than the sun. Let someone slander us; We should not grieve when we hear this slander, but when it is true. If we live in wickedness, then at least no one slandered us, we are the most miserable of all; on the contrary, if we live virtuously, then at least the whole universe will say bad things about us, and then we will be the happiest of all, and we will attract to ourselves everyone who wants to be saved, because they will pay attention not to the slander of the wicked, but to a virtuous life. Truly, the voice of virtue is louder than any trumpet, and pure life is brighter than the sun itself, even if there are an innumerable multitude of those who slander. So, if we have all the virtues mentioned: if we are meek, humble, merciful, pure, peacemakers, we do not respond to insults with insults, but, on the contrary, even accept them with joy, then we will attract everyone who looks at us with this no less than with miracles, and everyone will willingly rush to us, no matter who is indomitable like a beast, no matter who is cunning like an evil spirit - in a word, no matter who was thin. If those who slander also appear, do not worry about it; Do not be embarrassed that you are slandered in front of people, but examine the conscience of those who slander you, and you will see that they applaud you, are surprised, and inwardly shower you with countless praises. So, pay attention with what praise Nebuchadnezzar spoke about those youths who were in the oven, despite the fact that he was their enemy and persecutor. Since he saw their courage, he praises them and glorifies them, precisely because they did not submit to him and remained faithful to the law of God (Dan. 3). This is how the devil, when he sees that he has no time at all, finally leaves, fearing so as not to bring us greater glory with his machinations. And when he departs, and the darkness he unleashes dissipates, then everyone, no matter how depraved and wicked, will know virtue. If people do not understand you, then you will have praise and great glory from God. 9. So, do not grieve, and do not be faint-hearted. And the apostles were “to some a savor of death unto death, and to others a savor of life unto life” (2 Cor. 2:16). If you have not given any reason for slander, then you are free from any accusation; on the contrary, you have become even the happiest person. Let your life shine, and do not pay any attention to those who slander you; It is impossible, absolutely impossible, for the virtuous not to have many enemies. But a virtuous person will not tolerate anything from them; on the contrary, through this he will become even more famous. So, thinking about this, let's keep one thing in mind - to lead our lives virtuously. By leading our lives in this way, we will lead those sitting in darkness to heavenly life. Such is the power of this light that it not only shines here, but also illuminates the path for those going there. When those sitting in darkness see that we despise everything present and strive for the future, then they will be convinced of this without words, by our very deeds. Who, in fact, is so mad that, seeing a person who three days ago was luxurious, was rich, and today has given up everything, has nothing, is ready to endure poverty, hunger, all sorts of hardships and dangers, is ready to shed his blood, go to the slaughter, endure everything that is cruel - who is so mad, I say, that, seeing all this, he does not deduce for himself clear evidence about the future? If we cling to the present and become completely addicted to it, will they believe us that we are striving for another fatherland? What excuse, finally, will we have when the fear of God will have less meaning for us than even human glory had for pagan philosophers? So, some of them rejected wealth, despised death, hoping to gain glory from people, which is why their hope was vain. What will protect us when, with so many benefits promised to us, with so many paths open to us for a pious life, we not only cannot compare with them, but we destroy ourselves and others? A pagan who acts wickedly does not bring as much harm as a Christian who does so. And this is quite understandable. The teaching of the pagans is absurd, but ours, by the grace of God, is venerable and glorious among the wicked themselves. That is why, when they want to especially reproach us and intensify their slander, they say: “Christian”! They would not have said this if they did not have a high opinion of our teaching. Do you really not know what and how Christ commanded? And how can you fulfill even one of His commandments, when, having abandoned everything, you are only trying to collect profits, let money grow, establish trade connections, buy many slaves, prepare precious vessels, buy fields, houses, and various household items? And let there be only this one thing; but when you add untruth to these useless pursuits, taking land from your neighbors, robbing houses, ruining the poor, increasing the hunger of others, then when will you begin to take up these commandments? But do you sometimes show mercy to the poor? I know this. However, here again is great destruction for you, because you do this either with arrogance or out of vanity, so that even good deeds are of no benefit to you. What could be more disastrous than when you are shipwrecked even at the pier? So, so that this does not happen to you, for this, having done a good deed, do not seek gratitude from me, so as to have God himself as your debtor, who said: “Lend to those from whom you do not hope to receive anything” (Luke 6:35). Having such a debtor, why, having left Him, do you demand from me, a poor and meager man? Does this debtor get angry when they demand a debt from Him? Or is He poor? Or refuses to pay? But don't you see His innumerable treasures? Don't you see His unspeakable generosity? So, ask and demand from Him; it pleases Him. And if He sees that you are demanding His debt from another, then He will be offended by this - and not only will not pay you back, but will rightfully condemn you. In what way have you found Me ungrateful, He will say? What kind of poverty have you found in Me that, leaving Me, you go to others? You gave it to one as a loan, but you demand from another? After all, although man received, God commanded it to be given. So, God himself wants to be the first debtor and surety, giving you countless opportunities to always demand from Him. Do not leave such wealth and such abundance, and do not seek to receive from me, a man who has nothing. And why are you giving alms in front of my eyes? Did I tell you: “give”? Have you heard from me to demand from me? God Himself said: “He who does good to the poor lends to the Lord” (Prov. 19:17). You lent to God; demand from Him. But He doesn't give everything now? And He does this for your benefit. He is not some ordinary debtor who is only in a hurry to repay the debt, but a debtor who is trying in every possible way to keep what he borrowed intact. That is why He gives what needs to be given here, and saves what needs to be given there. 10. So, knowing this, let us begin to show mercy and greater love for mankind, both in property and in deeds. If we see someone being tortured and beaten in the square, and if we can save him with money, then we will deliver him. And if we can free you with words, we will not be lazy to do this. After all, there is a reward for words, even for the very sighs: and this is what blessed Job said: “Did I not cry for him who was in grief? Didn’t my soul grieve for the poor?” (Job 30:25). If there is a reward for tears and sighs, then think what the reward will be when words, zeal and other similar things are added to them. And we were once enemies of God, and the Only Begotten reconciled us, becoming a mediator, enduring wounds and even death for us. Let us also try to save those who are subject to them from countless disasters and stop acting as we do now, when, for example, seeing that others are quarreling and fighting among themselves, we stop and surround this devilish spectacle in order to be amused by the shamelessness of others. Could anything be more inhumane than this? We see that they are swearing, fighting, tearing each other’s clothes, breaking each other’s faces, and we calmly continue to stand. Is the one who is fighting a bear? Is it really a beast? Is it really a snake? This is a man, your constant accomplice; he is your brother, he is your member. So, do not make a spectacle for yourself, but stop quarreling; do not be amused, but tame; do not encourage others to such shamelessness, but separate and pacify those fighting. Rejoicing at such accidents is typical only for shameless, vile, obscene and insane people. Do you look at a person acting shamelessly, and don’t notice that you yourself are doing the same? And you don’t intervene to scatter the devil’s gathering and stop human malice! So that I myself can take the beatings, you say, and you order this? Not at all! You won't accept them. And if you accept it, it will be for you instead of martyrdom, because you will endure it for God. If you don’t want to take a beating, then think about it. The Lord Himself wanted to endure the cross for you. Both the one who offends and the one who is offended, from the strong anger they possess, are like drunken people who have lost their minds, and therefore they need a sane person to help them: the first, so that he stops offending, and the second, so that he gets rid of the beatings. So, go and give a helping hand - sober to the drunk. Indeed, anger is intoxicating, and this intoxication is even much worse than intoxication from wine. Look at the shipmen: as soon as they see a shipwreck somewhere, they immediately raise their sails and rush to save their fellow craftsmen from the waves. So, if those who have the same craft help each other in this way, then how much more should those who have the same nature help each other. After all, a quarrel is a shipwreck, and much worse than that. In fact, he who quarrels either spews blasphemies, and thus loses all his previous good deeds, or swears falsely in great anger, and thus falls into Gehenna, or inflicts beatings and commits murder, and again suffers the same shipwreck. So, go, stop the evil, go down into this stormy sea and save the drowning, and, having destroyed the devilish spectacle, persuade everyone separately, extinguish the flame and tame the waves. If the fire spreads, the fire intensifies, do not be afraid: many will give you a helping hand, just start, and the God of peace will help you first of all. And if you are the first to begin to extinguish the flame, then many others will follow you, and you will receive a reward for their good deed. Listen to what Christ says to the Jews, who are crawling below. If you see, He says, your enemy’s fallen donkey, do not pass by, but pick him up (Ex. 23:5). But it is much easier to separate those quarreling among themselves than to raise a fallen animal. If it is necessary to raise the donkey of enemies, then how much more the souls of friends, especially when the last fall is much more disastrous; after all, souls from the weight of anger fall not into the mud, but into fiery Gehenna. Meanwhile, you, cruel and inhuman, seeing your brother lying under a heavy burden, and the devil approaching and fanning the flames of anger, pass by! It’s not even safe to do this to animals. The Samaritan, when he saw the wounded man, a man completely unknown to him and who had nothing to do with him, stopped, put him on his donkey, brought him to the inn, hired a doctor, and partly paid the innkeeper the money, partly promised to pay him (Luke 10ff.). And you, seeing a man who was caught not by robbers, but by a horde of demons, and was subjected to the wrath of the enemy not in the desert, but in the middle of the square - when you do not need to pay money, nor hire a donkey, nor walk far, but only say a few words - you, cruel and inhuman, do not want to help, but run past! How do you hope to ever receive mercy from God? I say to you, who act shamelessly in front of everyone - to you, offenders and oppressors! Tell me, please: do you beat, trample, bite? Are you a boar or a wild ass? And you are not ashamed, do not blush at your atrocity, forgetting your dignity? Are you poor? But you are free. Are you a craftsman? But you are a Christian. That is why you yourself should live in peace, because you are poor. Only rich people tend to quarrel, not poor people - rich people, I say, who have many reasons for quarreling. You do not take advantage of the pleasures of wealth, meanwhile you are looking for troubles that are inseparable from it - enmity, strife, quarrels, you torture and strangle your brother, and bring him down in front of everyone. Don’t you understand that in your shamelessness you imitate the unbridledness of the dumb, or rather, you make them even worse? The dumb have everything in common, they gather and walk together; but we, on the contrary, have nothing in common, but everything is upside down: enmities, strife, quarrels, hatred, resentment. We are not ashamed of either heaven, where we are all called, or the earth, which is given to us all as a common home, or our very nature; but everyone suppresses anger and covetousness in us. Or do you not know about that servant who owed ten thousand talents, and after the debt was forgiven, he strangled his companion for a hundred denarii - or do you not know how many disasters he endured, and how he was given over to eternal torment (Matthew 28 ff.)? And are you not afraid of such an example? Aren't you afraid of being subjected to the same thing? After all, we also owe the Lord a lot, a lot, however, He waits and is patient; does not torture us as we do our brothers, does not strangle us, does not torment us. Meanwhile, if He wanted to demand from us even the slightest part of the debt, we would have died long ago. Reflecting on this, beloved, let us humble ourselves and be lenient with our debtors; through them we have the opportunity, if only we are prudent, to receive forgiveness of our great debts and to acquire a lot for little. So, why do you forcefully demand a debt from your neighbor? You would even have to forgive even when he himself wanted to give it to you - forgive in order to receive everything from God. Meanwhile, you are trying with all your might to collect debts, starting disputes so as not to lose the slightest part of your property. You think of causing offense to your neighbor, but meanwhile you raise the sword against yourself and multiply your torment in Gehenna. If you are at least a little prudent here, you will make your fate easier at the trial. After all, God only requires from us such condescension towards our neighbors so that he himself has the opportunity to forgive us our great sins. So, no matter how many debtors you have, whether in money or insults, forgive everyone, and for such generosity ask God for reward. As long as they remain your debtors, so long will God not be your debtor; on the contrary, as soon as you forgive them, then you can approach God and demand from Him reward for such a good deed. If someone, passing by you and seeing that you are holding your debtor, ordered you to let him go, promising to pay for him; If, I say, this person does not refuse to pay you the entire debt instead of your debtor, then will not God reward us more, will not God reward us a thousand times more when, in obedience to His commandment, we forgive our debtors, without demanding anything from them? We must bear in mind not the temporary pleasure that comes from demanding debts, but the harm that we will suffer for it in the future, and which will consist in the deprivation of immortal benefits. So, having risen above all this, let us forgive both money and insults to our debtors, so that we ourselves can receive forgiveness for our debts; and what we did not manage to achieve through another virtue, we will achieve this when we do not remember evil against our neighbors, and, thus, we are worthy of eternal blessings, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory and power, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: