Беседа 16

“Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets.” (Matthew 5:17) Exposition 5:17–26. Why does Christ say that He does not destroy the law? - Why does He say and do different things with authority, and different things with humility and prayer to God? – How Christ fulfilled the law and the prophets. – The commandments that complemented the old law were already given in the previous Beatitudes. – Why does Christ call his commandments small. – One’s own deeds must precede learning. – The Old Testament truth is similar to the New Testament truth. – Why great feats are required in the new covenant. – The commandments of Christ confirm and fulfill the commandments of the Old Testament. – The Old Testament law testifies to the goodness of the Lawgiver. – There is one legislator of the Old and New Testaments. – Not all anger is forbidden by Christ. – Why does Christ threaten Gehenna for verbal insults? – Reconciliation with a brother is a true sacrifice to God. - Why is it commanded to make peace with your opponent quickly? – Slowness in doing good deeds can be the cause of great evils. – The motivation for virtue should be the thought that we do everything for God. – God’s help makes everything easy. – Virtue seems difficult for a person as long as he remains in sin. 1. But who thought about this? Or who accused Him of this and called Him to such a response? The words He spoke did not arouse such thoughts at all; His commandments - to be meek, quiet, merciful, pure in heart and to strive for the truth - did not show anything like that, but even completely opposite. So why did He say this? Without a doubt, not without reason, not without purpose. Since He intended to give commandments higher than the ancients (as can be seen from His words: “You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill. I say to you, Do not be angry (Matthew 5:21-22)) and to pave the way to some divine heavenly way of life, so that the news of the teaching would not trouble the hearts of the hearers and make them doubt His instructions, He warns them with the words: “Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or prophets." The Jews, although they did not fulfill the law, nevertheless had great respect for it, and although they violated it every day with their deeds, they nevertheless wanted the Scripture to remain inviolable and that no one would add anything to it. However, they strictly adhered to some of the additions made by their superiors, although the latter tended not for the better, but for the worse. So, for example, these additions violated due respect for parents; and many other duties were undermined by these inappropriate additions. So, since Christ did not come from the priestly tribe, and what He intended to introduce was an addition - which, however, did not diminish virtue, but elevated it - then He foresaw that both could confuse them, and therefore, before outlining His wonderful laws, it refutes those doubts that could be hidden in their minds. What could their doubts and objections be? They thought that Christ was saying this to destroy the ancient decrees of the law. It is this suspicion that He removes. He does this not only here, but also on other occasions. Thus, when the Jews considered Him an adversary to God for violating the Sabbath, then, in order to refute this opinion of theirs and defend Himself, in one case He uses words befitting Him as the Son of God, saying: “My Father works until now, and I work” (John 5:17), and in the other - filled with humility, as, for example, when He shows that in order to save a sheep that died on the Sabbath, there may be a violation of the law, also when he notices that and circumcision is performed on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11–12). This is why He often speaks so humbly in order to destroy their opinion that He acts contrary to God. For this reason, when he called Lazarus from the grave, he turned to God in prayer, despite the fact that he had previously raised many dead with a single word (John 11:41). And so that they would not conclude from this that He is less than His Father, warning such an opinion, he adds: “I said [this] for the people standing here, so that they might believe that You sent Me” (John 11:42). Thus, He does not perform all (miracles) as the sovereign Lord, in order to correct the erroneous opinion of the Jews about Him, but He does not turn to God in prayer before everyone, so that later on He does not give rise to the misconception that He was weak and powerless; but in some cases he does so, and in others - differently, and does so not indiscriminately, but with the wisdom characteristic of Him. He performs the most important miracles as the plenipotentiary Lord, and in less important ones He lifts His eyes to heaven. Thus, when he forgave sins, revealed mysteries, opened paradise, cast out demons, cleansed lepers, trampled death, raised many dead - He did all this with one command, and multiplying the loaves, which was less important, turns to heaven. It is obvious that He does not do this out of weakness. In fact, if He could sovereignly do more, then what need did He have for prayer to do less? Without a doubt, He did this, as I said before, to curb the shamelessness of the Jews. You should think the same thing in those cases when you hear that He speaks with humility. He had many reasons to speak and act in this way, such as: so that they would not think that He was not acting according to the will of God, to give instructions and healing to everyone, to teach humility, to show that He was clothed in flesh, and that the Jews could not accept everything suddenly, also to teach them not to think too much about themselves. For these reasons, he often spoke about Himself with humility, leaving others to speak great things about Him. 2. So He himself, talking with the Jews, said: “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58); and His disciple said about it this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Again, He Himself does not directly say anywhere that He created the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and everything visible and invisible; and His disciple boldly and without hesitation, not once or twice, but many times, speaks about this: “Through Him all things began to be, and without Him nothing began to be”; also: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him” (John 1:3, 10). And why be surprised if others said more about Him than He did, when He, without expressing clearly in words, showed much by deeds? That He created man He clearly proved by healing the blind; meanwhile, speaking about the creation of man in the beginning, he did not say: I created, but - “He who created at the beginning made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4). Likewise, He proved that He created the world and everything in it by catching fish, turning water into wine, multiplying loaves of bread, taming a storm on the sea, the radiant light with which He shone on the cross, and many other miracles; although he never clearly expressed this in words, His disciples: John, Paul and Peter speak about this very often. If these disciples, who both day and night heard His conversations, saw miracles, with which He resolved many things in private, bestowed the power even to raise the dead, and whom He finally made so perfect that they left everything for Him - if they, having ascended to such a degree of virtue and wisdom, could not yet endure everything before they accepted the gifts of the Holy Spirit; then how could the Jewish people, who had neither such knowledge nor such virtue, and only sometimes witnessed what Christ did or said, be convinced that He was acting in accordance with the will of the God of all, if Jesus himself had not shown His condescension in everything? That is why, breaking, for example, the Sabbath, He did not suddenly introduce such a law, but presented many and various reasons in advance. If, intending to abolish even one commandment, He uses such caution in words so as not to frighten those listening, then when He added a whole new law to the whole previous law, all the more had the need to prepare His listeners and apply it to their condition, so as not to disturb them. For the same reason, He does not speak clearly about His deity everywhere. Indeed, if the addition to the law so outraged them, would they not have been much more outraged when He declared Himself God? That is why He says many things that are beneath His divine dignity. So here too, intending to complete the law, he approaches this with great caution. Not content with what he had already said once: I do not destroy the law, He repeats the same thing another time, and, moreover, with even greater expressiveness. Having said: “Do not think that I came to destroy,” he adds: “I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” These words not only curb the shamelessness of the Jews, but also stop the mouths of heretics who claim that the ancient law originated from the devil. In fact, if Christ came to destroy the power of the devil, then how does He not only not destroy it, but also fulfill it? He not only said: I do not destroy, although that would have been enough, but also added: I fulfill, and this shows that He not only did not oppose the law, but also approved of it. But how, you ask, did He not break the law? And how did he fulfill the law or the prophets? The Prophets - by the fact that He confirmed by His deeds everything that they said about Him, which is why the Evangelist constantly says: “Let what was spoken through the prophets be fulfilled” (Matthew 2:23); for example, when He was born, when the youths sang a wonderful song to Him, when He sat down on the lot. And in many other cases He fulfilled prophecies, which all would have remained unfulfilled if He had not come into the world. And he fulfilled the law not in one respect, but in three ways. First, He did not transgress him in anything. To be sure that He fulfilled the whole law, listen to what He says to John: “For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Likewise, He said to the Jews: “Which of you will convict Me of unrighteousness?” (John 8:46); also to His disciples: “The prince of this world comes, and has nothing in Me” (John 14:30). From ancient times, the prophet predicted about Him that He “committed no sin” (Is. 53:9). So this is the first way that He fulfilled the law. Secondly, He fulfilled the law for us. It is truly amazing that He not only fulfilled the law Himself, but also gave its fulfillment to us, as Paul explains when he says that “the end of the law is Christ for the righteousness of everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4), and that He “condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not live according to the flesh” (Rom. 8:3-4), and elsewhere: “Do we then make the law abolish by faith? No way; but we establish the law” (Rom. 3:31). Since the purpose of the law was to make man righteous, which, however, he could not do, the Lord himself satisfied this purpose of the law, descending to earth and establishing the image of justification through faith. And what the law could not do through letters, Christ himself accomplished through faith, which is why he says: “I did not come to break” the law. 3. If someone carefully examines, he will also find a third way of fulfilling the law. What was it? In the establishment of the law that Christ had to give. In fact, His teaching did not destroy the previous law, but elevated and completed it. So, for example, the commandment: “do not kill” is not destroyed by the commandment: “do not be angry”; on the contrary, the latter serves as a complement and affirmation of the former. The same should be said about everyone else. In sowing the first seeds of His new teaching, Christ did not bring upon Himself any suspicion; but now, when He began to compare the old law with the new, all the more could He be suspected of contradicting the first, which is why He first said: “I came not to destroy, but to fulfill.” Indeed, the commandments now proposed were already based on what had been said before. So, for example, the words: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” mean the same as the command not to be angry; “Blessed are the pure in heart” - the same as the prohibition to look at your wife with lust; The commandment not to hide treasures on earth corresponds to the words: “Blessed are the merciful.” To cry, to endure persecution and reproach means the same as entering through the narrow gate; to hunger and thirst for righteousness means nothing more than a demand expressed in the words: “As you want people to do to you, do so to them” (Matthew 7:12). When Christ pleases the peacemaker, he expresses almost the same thing as expressed in the command to leave the gift and hasten to make peace with the offended brother and agree with the opponent. The only difference is that there Christ promises rewards to those who fulfill the commandments, but here he threatens those who break them with punishment. It says that the meek will inherit the earth; and here - that the one who calls his brother crazy will be guilty of fiery hell. It says that the pure in heart will see God; and here - that he who looks at his wife with an unclean eye is already a real adulterer. There he calls the peacemakers sons of God; and here he frightens the non-peace-loving with the words: “So that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge” (Matthew 5:25). There he calls those who mourn and suffer persecution blessed; and here, confirming the same thing, he threatens with death those who do not follow this path, since, he says, those who walk the broad path perish. Also, the words: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24), it seems to me, are similar to the saying: “Blessed are the merciful” and “those who thirst for righteousness.” But here, as I noted above, the Lord intends to present what was said before more clearly, and not only more clearly, but also with additions. So, for example, He not only commands you to be merciful, but also to give away your ass (shirt); not only to be meek, but to the one who wants to hit him on the cheek to substitute the other one too. That is why, in order to prevent an imaginary contradiction, He says that He did not come to destroy the law, and repeats this, as I said before, not once, but twice, having said: “Do not think that I have come to destroy,” adding: “I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” He goes on to say: “Truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law, until all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). These words have the following meaning: it is impossible for the law to remain unfulfilled, but even the slightest feature of it must be fulfilled, which the Lord proved by His example, having fulfilled the law to the fullest extent. Here also He makes us understand that the whole world must take on a different form. It was not without reason that He said this, but with the purpose of elevating the spirit of the listener and showing that He was acting righteously, establishing new rules of life; if all creation must take on a new form, then the human race must also be called to another fatherland - to a higher way of life. “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people so, he will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). Having removed all suspicion from Himself and stopped the mouths of those who would think to contradict, the Lord begins to arouse fear and offer strong threats to protect the law He introduces. And that His words cited do not refer to the ancient commandments, but to those that He Himself intended to give, this can be seen from what follows. “For, I tell you,” He says, “unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). If His threats applied to the violators of the old law, then why would He say: “unless He prevails”? Those who did the same as the Pharisees, without a doubt, could not have any advantage over them in a righteous life. What was this advantage? It is not to be angry, not to look at your wife with a lustful eye. 4. Why does He call these new commandments small when they are so important and high? Because He himself wanted to give this law. Just as He humbles Himself, and in many places speaks modestly about Himself, so He speaks about His law, teaching us thereby to always be modest. Moreover, since He could be suspected of innovation, He uses a humble way of expression for the time being. And when you hear the words: “the least in the Kingdom of Heaven,” then understand nothing other than Gehenna, or torment. He calls the Kingdom not only the enjoyment of future blessings, but also the time of resurrection and the terrible second coming. In fact, is it possible that the one who calls his brother stupid and breaks one commandment will be cast into Gehenna, and the one who breaks the whole law and brings others to the same will be in the kingdom? It is not this, therefore, that is understood here, but that the violator of the law at that time will be the least, that is, the outcast, the last; and the latter, without a doubt, will then be cast into Gehenna. Being God, Christ foresaw the carelessness of many, foresaw that some would take His words for exaggeration, and would think about the law like this: “Will he really be punished who calls his brother stupid? Is he really an adulterer who even looks at his wife?” Preventing such neglect of the law, He utters a terrible threat against both, that is, both against the lawbreakers and against those who bring others to this. Knowing such threats, let us strive not to break the law ourselves, and we will not weaken the zeal of others who want to uphold it. “But whoever does and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:19). We must be useful not only to ourselves, but also to others; the same reward is received by the one who is only virtuous himself, and by the one who leads others with him to the same thing. Just as teaching that is not justified by works condemns the teacher (“teaching another,” says the apostle, “do you not teach yourself?” (Rom. 2:21)), so good deeds, if we do not at the same time lead others, receive a lesser reward. So, one must be perfect in both; Having corrected oneself first, one must make efforts about others. That is why Christ Himself put the works first, and then the teaching, showing that only in this way can one teach with success; in the opposite case they will say: “Doctor! heal yourself” (Luke 4:23). In fact, if someone, being unable to teach himself, decides to correct others, he will become an object of ridicule for many; or rather, he will not be able to teach at all, since his deeds will contradict his teaching. And if he is perfect in both, then “he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For, I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19,20). Here by the word “righteousness” He means virtue in general, just as in the story about Job it is said: “And this man was blameless and righteous” (Job 1:1). In the same sense, the Apostle Paul calls him righteous for whom, according to him, the law was not laid: “The law was not laid for the righteous” (1 Tim. 1:9). And in many other places one can see that this word is used to mean virtue in general. From the words of Christ, you can, by the way, see how grace has increased if Christ wants His disciples, who have barely entered the path of righteousness, to be better than the teachers of the Old Testament. When He speaks of the scribes and Pharisees, He does not mean those who break the law, but those who do it. If these were people who did not fulfill the law, then He would not speak about their righteousness, and He would not compare the truth that does not exist with the existing righteousness. Notice here also how He confirms the existence of the ancient truth, comparing it with the new; and this shows that both are related to each other, since whether more or less is true, it is still true. So, Christ does not blaspheme the ancient truth, but wants to exalt it. In fact, if it had been bad, then He would not have demanded a higher one, would not have perfected it, but would have simply rejected it. But, you say, if she really is like that, why doesn’t she now lead you into the kingdom? She does not include those who live after the coming of Christ, since they, having received greater strength, must perform more deeds; he introduces all his pets. “Many will come from the east and the west,” says the Lord, “and will lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Matthew 8:11). It is known that Lazarus, who was awarded great rewards, is in the bosom of Abraham. And in general, everyone, especially those who shone in the Old Testament, shone with this truth. And Christ himself, having come into the world, would not have fulfilled this truth entirely if it were bad and not akin to the new. If He did this only in order to attract the Jews, and not in order to show its affinity and agreement with the new one, then why did He not fulfill the Hellenic laws and customs in order to attract the Hellenes to Himself? 5. All this shows that the Old Testament truth does not lead into the kingdom because it is bad, but because the time has come for the highest commandments. If it is not more perfect than new, then it does not follow that it is bad; otherwise, on the same basis, one could say the same about the new truth. After all, its knowledge - in comparison with the future - is partial, imperfect knowledge, and when the perfect comes, it will be abolished: “When the perfect comes,” says Scripture, “then that which is partial will cease” (1 Cor. 13:10). This is what happened to the ancient truth after the introduction of the new one. However, because of this we will not condemn the real truth. Although it will give way to a new one when we reach the kingdom - since then, according to Scripture, “that which is in part will cease” - but still we call it great. So, when the Lord promises us the highest rewards and great power from the Spirit (Holy), he rightly demands great deeds. What is promised here is no longer a land flowing with milk and honey, not a venerable old age, not many children, not bread and wine, not herds of sheep and oxen; but - heaven and heavenly blessings, adoption and brotherhood with the Only Begotten, participation in the inheritance, in glory and reign, and other countless rewards. And that we have been rewarded with greater help is evident from the following words of St. Paul: “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1–2). Thus, having uttered threats against those who break the law, and promising great rewards to those who fulfill it, then showing that he rightfully demands from us more than the former, Christ finally begins to propose a new law - and not simply, but comparing it with the provisions of the ancient law. With such a comparison, He wanted to show, firstly, that His law does not contradict the previous one, but is very consistent with it; secondly, that He justly and very opportunely adds a new one to the ancient law. To make this more obvious to us, let us listen to the very words of the Legislator. What is He saying? “You have heard that it was said to the ancients: Do not kill” (Matthew 5:21). Although He Himself gave this commandment, He still speaks about it impersonally. In fact, if He had said: “You have heard that I spoke to the ancients,” then the listeners would not have accepted such words and would have been offended by them. If he had also said: “You have heard what was said to the ancients from My Father,” and then added: “But I say,” then His words would seem to them great arrogance. Therefore He simply says, “It has been said,” intending only to show that He speaks about it at the appropriate time. From the words: “said to the ancients,” it was clear that a lot of time had already passed since the Jews received this commandment. And He does this in order to shame the listener who refuses to fulfill the highest commandments; It’s like a teacher saying to a lazy child: “And you don’t know how much time you’ve wasted learning the ropes?” Christ also implied the same thing when he mentioned the ancients. Wanting to call his listeners to higher teaching, He seems to say this: you have been doing this for quite some time; It's time to finally move on to the highest! It is also worthy of note that the Lord does not confuse the order of the commandments, but begins with the first, with which the law begins; and this shows the agreement of His teaching with the law. “But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:22). Do you see the perfect power? Do you see the course of action befitting a Lawgiver? Which of the prophets ever spoke like this? Which of the righteous? Which patriarch? Nobody. “This says the Lord,” they said. But that is not what the Son says. They proclaimed the words of the Master, and He the words of His Father; The words of the Father are together the words of the Son: “And all that is mine is yours, and yours is mine” (John 17:10), says Christ. They gave the law to servants like themselves, and He gave the law to His servants. Now let us ask those who reject the law: does the commandment “do not be angry” contradict the commandment “do not kill”? Or, on the contrary, is it an improvement and confirmation of the latter? Obviously, the first serves as a complement to the second, and therefore is more important than it. He who does not indulge in anger will, without a doubt, decide to kill; whoever curbs his anger will, of course, not give free rein to his hands. The root of murder is anger. Therefore, he who plucks up the root will, without a doubt, cut off the branches, or - better - he will not allow them to arise. 6. So, not for the violation of the ancient law, but for its greater preservation, Christ gave a new law. Indeed, for what purpose did the ancient law prescribe this commandment? Is it not so that no one kills his neighbor? So, he who rebelled against the law should have been allowed to kill, because the commandment “thou shalt not kill” is the opposite of permission to kill. When Christ even forbids anger, he affirms all the more what the law required, because it is not as convenient for a person who has in his thoughts only not to kill to refrain from killing as for one who has destroyed anger itself. This latter is much more removed from such an act. But in order to refute our opponents in another way, let us consider all their objections. What are they saying? They say that God, who created the world, who commands the sun to shine on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unjust, is some kind of evil being. And the most moderate of them, although they do not claim this, call God just, but do not recognize Him as good. They give Christ some other father, who does not exist and who did not create anything. God, whom they call not good, resides in his own domain and preserves what belongs to him; and the good God enters into someone else’s domain, and without any reason wants to become the savior of that which he was not the creator. You see how the children of the devil speak according to the teaching of their father, recognizing creation as alien to God, contrary to the words of John: “He came to his own,” and: “And the world came into being through Him” (John 1:10–11). Further, considering the ancient law, which commands an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, they immediately object: how can He who says this be good? What will we answer them? The fact that this, on the contrary, is the greatest sign of God’s love for mankind. He did not establish such a law so that we would pluck out each other’s eyes, but so that we would not cause harm to others, for fear of suffering the same from them. Just as, threatening the destruction of the Ninevites, He did not want to destroy them (after all, if He wanted this, He should have kept silent), but only wanted, by instilling fear, to make them better in order to leave His wrath - so in the same way, those who are so impudent that they are ready to gouge out the eyes of others, He determined punishment with the aim that at least fear would prevent them from taking away the sight of their neighbors, if they do not want to of their own free will. refrain from this cruelty. If this were cruelty, then it would also be cruelty if murder is prohibited and adultery is forbidden. But only crazy people who have reached the last degree of madness can say this. And I am so afraid to call these decisions cruel that I would consider anything contrary to them to be lawless, judging by common human sense. You say that God is cruel because he commanded to tear out an eye for an eye; but I will say that if He had not given such a command, then it would have been more just for many to honor Him as you call Him. Let us assume that every law has lost its meaning, and no one is afraid of the punishment determined by it - that all evildoers, and adulterers, and murderers, and thieves, and oathbreakers, and parricides - are given freedom to live without any fear according to their inclinations: will not then everything be perverted, will not cities, marketplaces, houses, earth, sea and the whole universe be filled with countless atrocities and murders? This is obvious to everyone. If even with the existence of laws, with fear and threats, evil intentions are barely restrained, then when this barrier were taken away, what would then prevent people from deciding to do evil? What disasters would not then invade human life? It is not only cruelty when the evil are allowed to do what they want, but also when a person who has not committed any injustice and is suffering innocently is left without any protection. Tell me, if someone, having gathered evil people from everywhere and armed them with swords, ordered them to walk throughout the city and kill everyone they met, could anything be more inhumane than this? On the contrary, if someone else had tied up these armed men and forcibly imprisoned them, and snatched those who were threatened with death from the hands of the wicked, could there be anything more philanthropic than this? Now apply these examples to the law. He who commands to tear out an eye for an eye imposes this fear, like some kind of strong bonds, on the souls of the vicious, and is likened to a man who binds armed villains; and whoever did not determine any punishment for criminals would arm them with fearlessness, and would be like a man who distributed swords to the villains and sent them throughout the city. 7. Do you see that the commandments of God are not only not cruel, but are also filled with great love for mankind? If for this you call the Lawgiver cruel and difficult, then tell me what is more difficult and painful - not to kill, or even not to be angry? Who is more severe, the one who determines the punishment for murder, or the one who imposes it even for anger? Is it the one who punishes the adulterer after committing a sin, or the one who subjects him to punishment, and eternal punishment, for lust itself? You see how we have reached a conclusion that is completely contrary to the false thinking of the heretics! The God of the ancient law, whom they call cruel, turns out to be meek and merciful; The God of the new law, recognized by them as good, appears, due to their madness, to be strict and cruel. But we confess a single Legislator in the Old and New Testaments, Who arranged everything as it should have been, and, due to the difference in the very times, decreed two different laws. So, neither the Old Testament commandments were cruel, nor the New Testament ones were burdensome or painful; but both show the same care and love. And that God himself gave the old law, listen to how the prophet speaks about this, or better yet, what He himself says in the person of the prophet: “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not such a covenant as I made with their fathers” (Jer. 31:31-32). If anyone, infected with the wickedness of the Manichaeans, does not accept these words, let him listen to Paul, who says the same thing: “Abraham had two sons, one by a slave, and the other by a free woman... These are two covenants” (Gal. 4:22, 24). Just as there are two different wives, but their husband is one, so here there are two covenants, but there is one Lawgiver. And so that you know that the same love for mankind is revealed in both, for this purpose there He said: “An eye for an eye,” and here: “Whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). Just as there He diverts a person from offense through fear of punishment, so it is here. How is this, you say, when He commands to convert another cheek? So what of this? By giving such a commandment, He does not free one from fear, but commands only to give him the freedom to fully satisfy his anger. The Lord does not say that the offender will remain unpunished, but he just does not order you to punish him yourself, and thus, just as he instills greater fear in the one who hit him if he remains angry, so he comforts the one who received the blow. But I said all this while discussing, so to speak in passing, about all the commandments in general. Now we need to turn to our subject and explain all of the above in order. “Whoever is angry with his brother without cause is subject to judgment,” says Christ. With these words He does not completely eliminate anger: firstly, because a person cannot be free from passions; he can restrain them, but he has no power at all without them; secondly, because the passion of anger can be useful if only we know how to use it at the appropriate time. Look, for example, how much good Paul's anger against the Corinthians produced. He delivered them from great harm. Likewise, through anger he converted the fallen Galatian people and many others. When is a good time to be angry? Then, when we do not avenge ourselves, but curb the daring, and turn the careless to the straight path. And when is anger inappropriate? Then, when we become angry in order to avenge ourselves, which the Apostle Paul also forbids, saying: “Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to [God’s] wrath” (Rom. 12:19); when we quarrel over money, which the apostle also does not allow, saying: “Why would it be better for you not to remain offended? Why would you rather not endure hardship?” (1 Cor. 6:7)? Just as this last anger is unnecessary, so the first is necessary and useful. But many do the opposite. They become furious when they themselves are offended, but remain cold and faint-hearted when they see how another is being offended. Both are contrary to the laws of the Gospel. So, anger is not actually a violation of the law, but untimely anger, which is why the prophet said: “When you are angry, do not sin” (Ps. 4:5). “Whoever says to his brother, ‘cancer,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin 8” (Matthew 5:22). Here the Lord calls the Jewish judgment seat a host. He mentions it now so that they would not think that He introduces something new and unprecedented in everything. The word "cancer" is not a big offense; it expresses only some contempt or disrespect on the part of the one who utters it. Just as we, when ordering something to servants and other people of low status, say: go there, tell so and so; Likewise, those who speak the Syriac language use the word “raqa” instead of the word “you.” But the philanthropic God, in order to prevent major insults, wants to stop even the smallest ones, commanding us in mutual dealings to observe decency and proper respect for each other. “And whoever says, “You are a fool,” is subject to fiery hell.” For many, this commandment seems difficult and difficult to fulfill, because it seems impossible that we could be subjected to such a great punishment for one simple word; and some believe that this is said rather hyperbolically. But I am afraid that if we deceive ourselves with such words here, we will suffer the most severe punishment in reality there. 8. Why, in fact, tell me, does this commandment seem difficult to you? Don't you know that most sins and punishments come from words? Through words, blasphemy occurs, through words - renunciation of God, curses, insults, perjury, perjury and murder. So, do not look at the fact that there is only one word, but consider whether it does not entail great danger. Or don’t you know that during a quarrel, when anger flares up and the soul is inflamed, and the most insignificant trifle seems to be something great, and a not very offensive word seems unbearable? Such little things often lead to murders and the destruction of entire cities. Just as friendship makes even difficult things easy, so, on the contrary, enmity turns even small things into intolerable things, and even if something was said simply, in enmity it seems that it was said with an evil intention. As long as the fire is contained in a small spark, no matter how much wood is applied to it, it will not ignite; but when the flame flares up and rises high, it easily consumes not only firewood, but even stones and any other substance that is thrown at it, even what is usually used to extinguish the fire, now ignites it even more. (Then, as some say, not only firewood, flax and other combustible substances, but also the water itself, which is poured on the fire, increases its power). So with anger, every word immediately turns into food for this evil fire. To prevent all this, Christ subjects the one who is angry in vain to judgment, saying: “he who is angry... is subject to judgment”; and whoever says “raqa” will be brought to trial by the host. But these punishments are not yet so great, because they are committed here. But whoever calls another a freak, He threatens him with hellish fire. Here for the first time Christ uses the word: “gehenna”. First, He talked about the kingdom, and then He also mentions Gehenna, showing that we are rewarded with the former through His love for mankind and will, but we plunge ourselves into the latter through our carelessness. Look how gradually He moves from small to large punishments, and thus, as it were, defends Himself before you, showing that He Himself would not at all want to use such threats, but that we ourselves force Him to pronounce such sentences. I told you, He says, do not be angry in vain; because you will be guilty of judgment. You have neglected this first warning. Look what your anger has produced! He immediately made you insult someone else. You said to your brother: “cancer.” For this I subjected you to another punishment - the judgment of the host. If you, having despised this too, extend your insolence further, then I will no longer impose such moderate punishments on you, but I will subject you to eternal torment in Gehenna, so that you finally do not attempt murder. Truly nothing, nothing is as unbearable as an insult, nothing gnaws at the human soul so much; and the more caustic the offensive words, the stronger the fire flares up. So, do not consider it unimportant to call another a freak (crazy). When you take away from your brother that by which we differ from the dumb, and what primarily makes us human, that is, mind and reason, through this you deprive him of all nobility. So, we should not only pay attention to the words, but also to the deed itself and to the passion, imagining what blow a word can inflict and what harm it can cause. That is why Paul casts out from the kingdom not only adulterers and fornicators, but also offenders. And quite fair. In fact, the offender destroys the good created by love, exposes his neighbor to countless disasters, produces incessant hostilities, tears apart the members of Christ, daily drives out the world dear to God, and with his curses prepares a spacious dwelling for the devil, and contributes to his strengthening. Therefore, Christ, in order to weaken his strength, decreed this law. He has great concern for love, since love is the mother of all blessings, it is a distinctive sign of His disciples; she alone contains all our perfections. Therefore, Christ rightly destroys with such power the very roots and sources of enmity that destroys love. So, do not think that there is exaggeration in the words of Christ; but, having considered what benefits come from these decrees, be amazed at their meekness. After all, God cares about nothing more than that we live in unity and union with each other. That is why the Lord Himself, and through His disciples, both in the New and Old Testaments, speaks a lot about this commandment, and shows Himself as a strict avenger and punisher for neglecting it. Nothing contributes so much to the introduction and rooting of all evil as the destruction of love, which is why it is said: when lawlessness increases, “the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). So Cain became a fratricide; Thus Esau and Joseph's brothers gave themselves over to cruelty; so countless evils invaded the world from the rupture of love. That is why Christ, with all his care, destroys everything that destroys love. 9. But without stopping there, the Lord adds new instructions to what has been said, from which it is clear how much He cares about love. Previously, He threatened the host, judgment and Gehenna, and now He proposes new rules, consistent with the previous ones, saying this: “So if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). Oh goodness! Oh, unspeakable philanthropy! The Lord commands that worship of Him be abandoned for the sake of love for one’s neighbor, and thereby shows that His previous threats did not come from hostility or a desire to punish, but from an excess of love. What meekness can compare with that expressed in these words? Let, He says, your service to Me be interrupted, as long as your love is preserved, because that is also a sacrifice when someone is reconciled with his brother. That is why He does not say: reconcile after offering, or before offering the gift; but he sends to reconcile with his brother when the gift lies before the altar and the sacrifice has already begun. He does not order you to take the gift you brought with you, he does not say: reconcile yourself before you bring it; but commands him to run to his brother, leaving the gift before the altar. Why does He command to do this? It seems to me that He had a twofold goal: firstly, as I have already said, He wanted to show that He highly values ​​love, and considers it the greatest sacrifice, and without it He will not accept a material sacrifice; secondly, he wanted to make reconciliation with one’s neighbor a necessary duty. In fact, the one who is ordered to bring a gift not before reconciling will certainly hasten to come to the offended person and stop hostility, if not out of love for his neighbor, then at least so that the sacrifice does not remain in vain. For this purpose, the Lord gives special expressiveness to each word, frightening and motivating the one who brings it. In fact, He did not just say: “Leave your gift there,” but added: “before the altar,” so that by reminding him of the sacred place he would be in fear; He didn’t just say: “and go,” but added: “first..., and then come and bring your gift.” Through all this, He shows that the Lord's table does not allow those who are at war with each other. Let those initiated into the sacraments, but approaching the altar with hostility, hear this; let the uninitiated also hear, because this word applies to them too! And they bring gift and sacrifice, that is, prayer and alms; and that this is also a sacrifice, listen to how the prophet speaks about this: “Whoever sacrifices praise honors Me”; and again: “Sacrifice praise to God” (Ps. 49:23, 14); and in another place: “The lifting of my hands is like the evening sacrifice” (Ps. 140:2). So, if you offer a prayer with a hostile disposition, then it is better for you to leave it and go to make peace with your brother, and then perform the prayer. This is why everything was arranged, this is why God became man and accomplished the whole work of redemption, so that we could be brought together. Here Christ sends the offended to the offended, and teaching prayer, leads the offended to the offended, and reconciles them; here he says: (if) “your brother has anything against you, go first and be reconciled with your brother,” and there he says: “You will forgive people their sins” (Matthew 6:14). However, even here, it seems to me, He sends the offended one, because He does not say: ask your brother to be reconciled with you, but simply - “be reconciled.” And although, apparently, the speech here is addressed to the offender, everything relates to the insulted. If you, He says, make peace with him out of love for him, then I will be merciful to you, and you can offer sacrifice with complete boldness. If anger still burns in you, then imagine that I myself willingly agree that you leave the sacrifice for a while, just so that you can become friends. Let this tame your anger. Moreover, He did not say: make peace when you are greatly offended; but: do this even when the insult is of little importance - (if) “your brother has something against you.” And he also did not say: when you are angry justly or unjustly; but simply: (if) “your brother has something against you,” even if your anger was just, and then you should not harbor enmity. So Christ, despite the fact that His anger against us was righteous, gave Himself up to the slaughter for us, without imputing our sins to us. 10. Therefore Paul, in another way urging us to reconciliation, said: “Let not the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26). Just as Christ exhorts us to reconciliation by pointing out the time of sacrifice, so Paul exhorts us to the same thing by pointing out the time of day. He fears the night, fearing that it, catching a man tormented by anger in solitude, will further irritate his wounds. During the day, many can distract and tear us away from anger, and at night, when a person is left alone and deep in thought, the waves rise stronger and the storm rages with greater fury. Warning this, Paul wants us to face the night reconciled, so that the devil does not take advantage of our solitude and inflame the furnace of wrath more strongly. In the same way, Christ does not tolerate the slightest delay, lest, after the sacrifice has been completed, the one who brought it becomes more careless, and does not put off reconciliation from day to day. He knew that this passion had to be extinguished as soon as possible. Just as a wise doctor offers not only remedies that protect against illness, but also those that help change it, so does Christ. The prohibition to call another mad is a medicine that protects against hostility; and the command to reconcile with one’s neighbor serves to remove diseases that arise after enmity. Look with what strictness He prescribes to do both. There is a threat of Gehenna; but here, before reconciliation, he does not want to accept the gift, and thereby shows how great His anger is against those at war. Thus He plucks out both its root and its fruit. First he says: “don’t be angry”; and then - do not utter swear words, since one thing is strengthened by the other - swearing increases from enmity, and enmity from swearing increases. That is why He first destroys the root, and then the fruit, and does not allow evil to arise at the very beginning; if it is already growing and bearing harmful fruit, it burns it completely. For the same purpose, following the mention of judgment, hosts, hell, and instructions regarding the offering of sacrifice, Christ adds the following: “Make peace with your adversary quickly, while you are still on the way with him” (Matthew 5:25). Do not say: what should I do if they offend me, if they take away my property and drag me to court? Even in this case, Christ forbids harboring enmity, taking away any reason or pretext for it. Since this command was especially important, the Lord convinces us to fulfill it by pointing not to future benefits, but to present benefits, which are more likely to curb rude people than promises of the future. You say: he is stronger than me and hurts me? But won't he cause you even more harm if you do not reconcile with him and are forced to go to prison? Having reconciled, you will give up your property, but your body will be free; and when you subject yourself to the judge’s verdict, you will be bound and suffer the most severe punishment. If you avoid this strife, you will gain two benefits: firstly, you will not tolerate any trouble; secondly, it will be your virtue, and not a consequence of coercion. If you do not want to heed my admonitions, then you will not harm your opponent so much as you will harm yourself. See how Christ here also urges you to be reconciled as soon as possible. Having said: “Be prudent 9 with your opponent,” he adds: “rather.” But not content with this, He offers a new incentive to seek a speedy reconciliation, saying: “while you are still on the way with him,” in order through all this to more strongly persuade you and force you to end the quarrel. In fact, nothing disrupts order in our lives so much as our slowness and constant delays in doing good deeds. Such slowness is often the reason that we lose everything. Therefore, as Paul says: before the sun sets, cease hostility, and above Christ himself exhorts: before you offer a gift, be reconciled, so here he encourages the same, saying: “Rather, while you are still on the way with him,” before you have reached the door of the judgment seat, until you have appeared before the judge and are ultimately in his power. Until you go to court, you are complete master over yourself; but as soon as you cross its threshold, you are already the slave of another, and no matter how much you strengthen yourself, you can no longer dispose of yourself as you want. What does it mean: “be prudent” (make peace)? This means either that you agree to better endure the insult, or that you look at the matter, putting yourself in the place of your opponent, so as not to violate justice out of pride, but speaking about your own business as if it were someone else’s, pronounce an impartial verdict. If this seems too big to you, don't be surprised. This is why Christ foreshadowed all the already known beatitudes, so that, having smoothed the path and prepared the soul of the listener, he would make it more capable of accepting all these laws. 11. Some say that the Lord means the devil by the name of the opponent, and does not order to have anything to do with him; which is what the words supposedly mean: “be prudent” (make peace), since it is impossible to get rid of the devil after leaving this life, when we are subject to inevitable punishment. But it seems to me that He is talking about judges, about the way to judgment and about prison, which we see here. Along with motivations taken from the higher and the future, Christ also frightens us with what happens in present life. This is what Paul does, persuading the listener by presenting not only the future, but also the present. So, in order to ward off evil, he introduces a boss with a sword to the person doing evil: “If you do evil,” he says, “fear, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God’s servant” (Rom. 13:4). Likewise, in ordering to obey the superior, he represents the motivation not only from the fear of God, but also from the threats of the superior, and his concerns for us: “And therefore,” he says, “we must obey not only out of [fear of] punishment, but also out of conscience” (Rom. 13:5). Rough people, as I have already said, are usually more influenced by what is in front of their eyes and under their feet. That is why Christ mentioned not only Gehenna, but also judgment, imprisonment, and all the disasters of imprisonment, wishing through all this to destroy the very root of murder. Whoever does not utter curse words, does not want to sue and does not increase hostility, can he attempt murder? Thus, and from here it is clear that our benefit is associated with the benefit of our neighbor. He who reconciles with his rival will benefit himself much more, because he will be freed from judgment, prison and all the evils of imprisonment. So, let us take these instructions to heart, and let us not create any disputes or quarrels, and especially since these commands, even before future rewards, bring with them pleasure and benefit. If for many this seems too painful and difficult, then let them think that they are doing this for Christ, and then the difficult will become pleasant. If we constantly adhere to this thought, we will not feel any burden, but everything will bring us great pleasure: the work itself will no longer seem like work, on the contrary, the more it multiplies, the more pleasant and sweet it will become. So, when an evil habit or passion for covetousness strongly seduces you, arm yourself against them with this thought: having despised temporary pleasure, I will receive a great reward. Tell your soul: you grieve that I deprive you of pleasure; but rejoice, for I am preparing heaven for you. You work not for man, but for God; Be patient a little, and you will see what benefit will come from this; remain firm in this life, and you will receive indescribable freedom. If we talk with the soul in this way, and if we imagine not only the burden of virtue, but also its crown, then we will soon distract it from all evil. The devil promises us temporary pleasure, but prepares endless sorrow, and despite this, he overcomes us and wins; but God, on the contrary, requires temporary labor from us, and promises eternal sweetness and benefit: how can we be justified if, after such consolation, we do not follow virtue? Instead of all other motives and thoughts about the purpose of labor, it is enough for us to have only one firm confidence that we are enduring all this for God. If the one who has the king as his debtor considers himself happy and safe for the rest of his life, then imagine how happy he must be who, through his good deeds, both small and great, has made the man-loving God, who always lives, his debtor! So, don’t tell me about the severity of your labors and exploits. God has made the feat of virtue easier for us not only through hope for future benefits, but also in another way, that is, through His constant assistance and help. You just have to show at least a little diligence, and everything else will follow by itself. For this purpose, He requires even small efforts from you, so that victory will be imputed to you. Just as a king commands his son to stand in line and be visible - in order to attribute victory to him, and meanwhile he himself controls the entire course of the battle, so God acts in our war against the devil. He only requires from you that you resolutely declare yourself an enemy of the devil, and if you do this, then He Himself will end the whole war. Whether anger flares up in you, or an insatiable desire for wealth, or any other tormenting passion appears, - as soon as He sees you up in arms and ready for battle, He immediately makes everything easy and places you above the flames of passions, just like the youths in the cave of Babylon, who in the same way showed nothing more than their readiness to endure. So, in order for us here to extinguish the burning furnace of disorderly pleasure, and there to avoid Gehenna, let us only wish for this every day, strive and strive for this, so that through zeal for good and unceasing prayers we may attract God’s favor to ourselves. Then everything that now seems unbearable to us will be completely comfortable, easy and desirable. As long as we are carried away by passions, so long we consider virtue difficult, inconvenient and unapproachable, and vice as amiable and pleasant. But as soon as we begin to avoid sins, albeit a little, vice will seem vile and ugly to us, and virtue will seem easy, convenient and amiable. The examples of those who have corrected their lives can assure us of this. Listen to how ashamed (the Romans) were of their vices, even when they got rid of them, as Paul testifies: “What fruit did you have then? [Such things] of which you yourselves are now ashamed” (Rom. 6:21); and he calls virtue, despite the labor incurred, pleasant, sorrow instantaneous and work easy, rejoices in suffering, rejoices in sorrows and boasts of those ulcers that he accepts for Christ. So, in order for us to achieve such a state, let us daily organize our lives in accordance with the instructions of the Lord, which we have heard, and, forgetting what is behind, we will stretch to what is ahead, and strive for the honor of the high calling, which may we all be worthy of through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Sanhedrin - the assembly, the judgment seat - I.N. Be prudent - to the synod: “make peace” - I.N. You might be interested in: