Беседа 23

“Judge not, lest ye be judged.” (Matthew 7:1) Exposition 7:1–20. The commandment of non-judgment does not command all sins not to be judged and does not prohibit judging everyone. – We must correct those who sin with love. – Those who have not corrected themselves should not condemn others. – The teachings of Christ should not be revealed to people who are unable to accept it. – The Gospel commandments are easily fulfilled with the help of God, given through prayer. – One should not despair of getting what one asks for. – What should you pray for? – Along with prayer, a good life is also necessary. – What makes the difficult path leading to life easy. – It is necessary to recognize and avoid those hiding behind the guise of virtue. - A hypocrite can be easily recognized by his deeds. – Deprivation of the heavenly glory and love of Christ is heavier than Gehenna itself. – The life of people devoted to worldly concerns is like a child’s play. – He who squanders his wealth to help those in need is more worthy of respect than he who collects it; one who is humbled is more than one who enjoys glory. 1. Well? Shouldn't we blame those who sin? Yes; and Paul says the same thing, or - better - Christ through Paul: “Why do you condemn your brother?” Or: “And you, why do you humiliate your brother? Who are you, judging another man’s servant?” (Rom. 14:10, 4)? And again: “Therefore do not judge in any way before the time, until the Lord comes” (1 Cor. 4:5). How then does the same apostle in another place say: “Reprove, rebuke, exhort” (2 Tim. 4:2)? And also: “Reprove those who sin before everyone” (1 Tim. 5:20)? In the same way, Christ says to Peter: “Go and expose him between you and him alone. If he does not listen, take someone else with you, and if he does not yield, “tell the church” (Matthew 18:15–17). And why did He appoint so many accusers, and not only accusers, but also punishers, so that whoever does not listen to any of these latter, he ordered to be considered a pagan and a tax collector? For what purpose did he entrust them with the keys? If, after all, they do not judge, they will not have any importance and, therefore, received the power to bind and decide in vain. On the other hand, if this were so, then everything would fall into disorder both in the Church and in civil societies and in families. If the master does not judge his servant, and the mistress the servant, the father of the son, and the friend of his friend, then evil will spread more and more. And what am I saying: each other? Even if we do not judge our enemies, we will never be able to destroy the enmity, but everything will fall into complete disorder. What does this saying mean? Let us now take a closer look, lest anyone consider the medicine of salvation and the laws of the world to be laws of overthrow and confusion. For those with a sound mind, the Savior has already well explained the power of this law in the following further words: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not feel the beam in your own eye” (Matthew 7:3)? If for many who are not so smart, the saying of Christ still seems uncomfortably clear, then I will try again to explain it. Precisely, here, as it seems to me, the Savior does not command all sins not to be judged and does not forbid everyone without exception to do so, but only those who, themselves filled with countless sins, blame others for some unimportant actions. It also seems to me that Christ is pointing here to the Jews, who, being evil accusers of their neighbors in some unimportant and insignificant actions, themselves unscrupulously committed great sins. For this, the Lord reproached them at the end (of His ministry), saying: you are bound by “heavy burdens and... but you yourself do not want to move them with a finger.” And again: “You tithe mint, anise and cumin, and have left the most important things in the law: judgment, mercy and faith” (Matthew 23:4, 23). So, one can think that Christ pointed to them, wanting to first reproach them for what they, later on, reproached the disciples for. Although the latter did not sin in anything similar, it seemed to the Jews to be a sin, for example, that they did not keep the Sabbath, ate with unwashed hands, and sat down with publicans, about which the Savior says in another place: “Straining out a gnat and devouring a camel” (Matthew 23:24). However, Christ also posits here a general law of non-judgment. And Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, forbade not judging in general, but judging only the highest, in view of the unknown nature of the matter; Likewise, it does not generally prohibit the correction of sinners. Even then, he did not reproach everyone without distinction, but reproached, firstly, the students who acted this way in the reasoning of their teachers, and secondly, those people who, being themselves guilty of countless sins, slandered the innocent. Christ makes the same thing clear in this place, and not only makes it clear, but also inspires great fear and threatens with inevitable punishment: “For with the judgment you judge,” He says, “[in this way] you will be judged” (Matthew 7:2). You condemn, He says, not your neighbor, but yourself, and you subject yourself to a terrible judgment and severe torture. Just as, therefore, in the remission of sins the beginning depends on ourselves, so in this judgment we place a certain measure of our condemnation. So, one should not reproach, not vilify, but admonish; do not blame, but advise; not to attack with pride, but to correct with love, because not your neighbor, but yourself, you will submit to the most severe punishment when you do not spare him, pronouncing your verdict on his sins. 2. Do you see how these two commandments are both easy and bring great benefits to the obedient, and, conversely, cause great evil to the disobedient? He who forgives his neighbor for his sins frees from accusation not so much him as himself, and, moreover, without any difficulty; and the one who deals with the crimes of others with mercy and condescension, by such a judgment lays down a great guarantee of forgiveness for himself. Well, you say, if someone commits adultery, shouldn’t I say that adultery is evil, and shouldn’t I correct the libertine? Correct, but not as an enemy, not as an enemy, subjecting him to punishment, but as a doctor applying medicine. The Savior did not say: do not stop the sinner, but: do not judge, that is, do not be a cruel judge; Moreover, this is not said about important and clearly forbidden sins, as I have already noticed before, but about those that are not considered sins. That’s why He said: “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3)? Many people still do this: seeing a monk who has too much clothing, they usually present him with the law of the Lord, although they themselves are constantly engaged in theft and extortion; or seeing that he eats meager food, they become cruel accusers, although they themselves get drunk and get drunk every day, not knowing that through this, for their sins, they are preparing a greater fire for themselves, and deprive themselves of all justification. And your actions, after all, must require strict accountability, since you yourself were the first to lay down such a law, strictly condemning the actions of your neighbor. So, do not consider it a burden for yourself when you yourself are subjected to such torture. "Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye” (Matthew 7:5). Here the Savior wants to show His great anger towards those who condemn their neighbors. Indeed, whenever He wants to show the severity of any sin, the greatness of the punishment for it and His anger, He usually begins with a reproach. So, for example, to the one who demanded (from his comrade) a hundred denarii, Christ indignantly said: “Evil servant! I have forgiven you all that debt" (Matt. 18:32); That’s exactly how I used the word here: “hypocrite.” Strict judgment of one's neighbor does not show goodwill, but hatred of a person; and although the condemner wears the guise of philanthropy, he is in fact filled with extreme malice, since he exposes his neighbor to vain reproach and accusation, and admires the place of a teacher, without even being worthy of being a student. That is why Christ called him a hypocrite. If you are so strict in your attitude towards others that you see even small offenses, then why are you so inattentive to yourself that you do not notice great sins? “First take the beam out of your eye.” Do you see that the Savior does not forbid judging, but first orders him to remove the plank from his own eye, and then correct the sins of others? After all, everyone knows his own better than someone else’s, and sees more better than less, and finally, loves himself more than his neighbor. Therefore, if you judge others, wishing them good, then first wish it for yourself, who has sin that is both more obvious and more; If you are not caring about yourself, then it is clear that you are judging your brother not out of goodwill towards him, but out of hatred and the desire to disgrace him. If he should be judged, then let him be judged by the one who has not sinned in anything like this, and not you. Since the Savior proposed great and lofty rules of life, so that no one would say that it is easy to be so philosophical in words, He spoke this parable as proof of all the freedom with which He could say about Himself that He did not sin against any of the rules He proposed, but fulfilled everything. Although later in time He himself should have judged and said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites” (Matthew 23:23), however, He himself was not in the least guilty of what he accused others of. He took neither a branch nor a log in His sight; He was free from both, and thus corrected the sins of everyone. He says that one who is himself guilty of the same should not judge others. And are you surprised that He laid down this law when the thief on the cross recognized it, and expressed the thought of Christ in his words addressed to another thief: “Or do you not fear God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing” (Luke 23:40)? And you not only do not take away the logs from yourself, but you also do not see; On the contrary, you not only see a twig in someone else, but you also condemn it and try to take it away, just like someone who is obsessed with a serious case of water or some other incurable disease neglects it, and meanwhile blames others for carelessness about a minor illness. If it is bad not to pay attention to your sins, then it is twice or three times worse to judge others, having a log in your own eyes, and not feeling any pain from it; for sin is more painful than even a log. 3. So, the commandment spoken by the Savior has the following meaning: he who is himself subject to many vices should not be a strict judge of the errors of other people, and especially when they are unimportant; therefore, He does not forbid reproach or correction, but He forbids neglecting one’s own sins and rebelling against others. And this is because condemning others would greatly contribute to the increase of evil, aggravating depravity. In fact, whoever is accustomed to not caring about his great crimes and strictly judging the small and insignificant mistakes of others suffers double harm - both because he is not caring about his sins, and because he harbors enmity and hatred towards everyone, and every day is incited to extreme cruelty and unmercifulness. So, having destroyed all this through that wonderful law, Christ added another rule, saying: “Do not give what is holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6). Although He further says: “Whatever you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops” (Matt. 10:27), but this last does not in the least contradict the previous one, since here, too, not everyone is commanded to speak at all, but only those to speak with all the freedom with which they should speak. By the name of dogs, He here meant those who live in incurable wickedness, without any hope of correction; and under the name of pigs - always living intemperately; all such, according to His word, are unworthy to listen to high teaching. Paul expressed the same thing when he said: “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, because he considers them foolishness” (1 Cor. 2:14). And in many other places He makes the corruption of life the reason why the most perfect teaching is not accepted. That’s why he commands such people not to open the doors, because when they find out, they become even more impudent. When this teaching is revealed to grateful and well-minded people, they revere it; and immoral people respect him more when they don’t know him. So, since by their nature such people cannot understand this teaching, let it be hidden from them, says the Savior, so that at least they will honor it because of their ignorance. And the pig does not know what beads are, and if he does not know, then let him not see, so as not to trample on what he does not know. Nothing but more harm will come from listening to people with this disposition. They swear at the shrine without knowing it, and become even more arrogant and take up arms against us. This is the meaning of Christ’s words: “So that they do not trample it with their feet and, turning, do not tear you to pieces.” But will you say: the shrine should be so strong that even after recognition it remains invincible, and does not give others the opportunity to harm us? No, it is not she who gives rise to this, but the fact that those who receive her are pigs. Likewise, beads that are trampled are not trampled because they are worthy of contempt, but because they fell into the hands of pigs. And it is well said: “having returned, they did not tear you to pieces.” Indeed, first they take on the guise of meekness in order to find out; then, when they find out, having become completely different, they curse, revile, and laugh at us, as if we had been deceived. That’s why Paul says to Timothy: “Beware of him, too, for he strongly opposed our words” (2 Tim. 4:15). And in another place: “Flee such as these” (2 Tim. 3:5). And again: “The heretic, after the first and second admonition, turn away” (Titus 3:10). So, it is not the shrine itself that arms the enemies of everything sacred against us, but what drives them to madness is that, having come to know it, they are filled with pride. That is why it is of no small benefit for them to remain ignorant: in this case they will not neglect; if they find out, then they will do double harm: they themselves will not receive any benefit from it, except even greater harm, and they will cause you countless worries. Let those who, without any shame, mix with everyone indiscriminately and make an object of disdain that which is worthy of all respect, hear this. That is why we, when performing the sacraments, close the doors and forbid entry to the unenlightened - not because we recognize the invalidity of the sacraments being performed, but because many are still not sufficiently prepared for them. That is why Christ himself spoke many things to the Jews in parables, that when they saw they saw not (Matthew 13:13). That is why Paul commanded “so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Col. 4:6). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Above, the Savior proposed great and wonderful commandments, commanded us to rise above all passions, led us to heaven itself, and forced us to become like not angels or archangels, but, as much as possible, the very Lord of all; and he commanded the disciples not only to do all this themselves, but also to correct others, and to distinguish between the evil and the non-evil, and dogs from non-dogs (after all, there is much that is hidden in people), so that they would not say that this is difficult and impossible to do, since indeed, later on, Peter said something similar: “Who can be saved”? And again: “If such is a man’s duty to his wife, then it is better not to marry” (Matthew 19:25, 10). 4. So, so that they would not say the same now, the Savior had already shown the ease of fulfillment of the commandments He prescribed, citing a number of convincing proofs, and finally presents the very, so to speak, peak of this ease of fulfillment, namely, help from continuous prayers, which provide considerable consolation in labors. He says that we should not only try ourselves, but also call on help from above, which will certainly come and appear and facilitate our deeds, and make everything easy for us. That is why he commanded to ask and promised to fulfill the request. However, he did not just command to ask, but with great care and effort, which is expressed by the word: “seek.” In fact, the one who seeks, having thrown everything out of his thoughts, strains his attention only to what he is looking for, and does not think about anything real. My words are understood by all those who, having lost gold or slaves, then search for them. This is what the Savior means by the word: “seek.” And by saying: “knock,” he shows that we must approach God with strength and warm thoughts. So, do not be discouraged, man, do not put much less effort into virtue than you have into wealth. You often do not find wealth, even though you have tried many times to look for it. And yet, although you know that you will not always find it, you still use all the methods to acquire it. And about virtue, although you have a promise that you will certainly receive help, you do not want to show even a particle of such effort. If you don’t receive it immediately, then don’t despair. This is why Christ said: “knock,” to show that even if he does not open the doors soon, he must wait. If you don't believe my words, then at least believe the following example. “Is there such a person among you,” says Christ, “who, when his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone” (Matthew 7:9)? If you often did this in front of people, you would seem to them both difficult and cruel; but you irritate God more when you don’t do this. If you constantly ask Him, then although you will not soon receive what you ask for, you will certainly receive it. That's why the door is locked, to encourage you to knock; That’s why he doesn’t immediately listen to your requests. So, constantly ask - and you will certainly receive. And so that you don’t say: what if I ask and don’t receive? - to prevent this, the Savior presents you with a parable, again gives evidence, and from human examples raises you to the hope of receiving, showing through all this not only what you should ask for, but also what you should ask for. “Is there a man among you who, when his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone”? So, if you don’t receive it, then you don’t receive it because you ask for a stone. Although you are a son, this is still not enough to receive. On the contrary, this very thing prevents you from receiving that you, being a son, are asking for something useless. So, do not ask for anything worldly, but for everything spiritual, and you will certainly receive. So Solomon, when he asked for what he owed, look how quickly he received it. So, the one who prays must observe two rules: the first is to ask forcefully; the second is to ask for what is due. And you, says the Savior, being fathers, wait for requests from your children; and if they ask you for something useless, then you refuse; When they ask for something useful, you deign and give. Therefore, when you imagine this, do not retreat until you receive it, do not retreat until you find it, do not put off your diligence until the door is opened. If you approach with such a thought and say: I will not retreat until I receive, then you will certainly receive, if only what you ask is appropriate for Him from whom you are asking, and useful for you, the one asking. What would it be? That is, to ask for everything spiritual, to begin asking for the remission of one’s sins, after the remission of the sins of others, to lift up clean hands without anger and doubt (1 Tim. 2:8). If we ask like this, we will receive. But now our petitions are worthy of laughter, and are more characteristic of drunken people than sober ones. Why, you say, do I not receive even when I ask for spiritual things? Of course, because you either do not knock on doors carefully, or have made yourself unworthy to accept what you ask, or have soon stopped asking. But you will say again: why didn’t the Savior say what one should ask? But He already said everything before and showed why one should approach God. So, don’t say: I came and didn’t receive it. One can never fail to receive from God, Who loves so much that His love surpasses the fathers themselves and surpasses them as much as goodness surpasses evil. “If you therefore, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father be in heaven” (Matthew 7:11). Christ said this not as a reproach to human nature, or as a condemnation of the human race - no, but here He calls fatherly love malice to distinguish it from His goodness. So great is His love for mankind. 5. Do you see the inexpressible thought, which even in the most desperate is powerful to arouse good hopes? Here the Savior, as proof of His goodness, points to the example of the fathers, and above he pointed to His greatest gifts - soul and body. But He nowhere yet mentions the most important of blessings, nowhere does He indicate His coming. Will not He who was pleased to give His Son as a sacrifice give us everything? But then this sacrifice has not yet been completed? But Paul already points to this, saying this: “He did not spare His own Son..., how will He not with Him also freely give us all things” (Rom. 8:32)? And Christ himself, in conversation with His listeners, offers further ordinary evidence. Then showing that those who are careless about themselves should not rely on prayer, just as those who are trying to take care of themselves should not rely only on their own efforts, but should ask for help from above and use their own efforts - He constantly inspires both. Indeed, after many instructions, He teaches to pray; Having taught him to pray, he again teaches what he should do; then He again teaches that we must pray unceasingly, saying: “Ask, seek, knock,” and from here he again moves on to the fact that we ourselves must be careful. “So in everything,” He says, “whatever you want people to do to you, do so to them” (Matthew 7:12). In these brief words the Savior concluded everything and showed that virtue is short, convenient, and known to everyone. And he didn’t just say: “in everything, as you want”; but: “So in everything, as you wish”; I used the word “so” not without intention, but with a special thought. If you want, He says, to be heard, then do this in addition to what I have said. What exactly? “In everything, as you want people to do to you.” Do you see how He deduced from this that, along with prayer, we also need a good life? He did not say: what you want from God, do to your neighbor, so that you would not object: how is this possible? He is God and I am a man. But he said: if you want something for yourself from your equal, then do the same for your neighbor. What could be easier than this? Which is fairer? Then, offering the greatest praise, even before the rewards received for keeping this commandment, he says: “For this is the law and the prophets.” From this it is clear that virtue is natural to us, and we all know on our own what we should do, so we can never excuse ourselves by ignorance. “Enter at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many go in through it” (Matthew 7:13). Further: “Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it” (Matthew 7:14). But afterwards He said: “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” And not long before he suggested the same thing. How does one call the path leading to life narrow and cramped? If you pay all your attention, you will see that the Savior here also calls this path very easy, convenient and uncomplicated. You say: how can a cramped and narrow path be comfortable at the same time? This path is convenient because it is a path and a gate, since the other path, although wide and spacious, is still a path and a gate: nothing stops on them, but everything passes, both sorrows and joys in life. And this is not the only reason why virtue is convenient: at the end it becomes even more convenient. Because she can console her ascetics not only with the fact that all labors and exploits end, but even more so with the fact that their end is good, since they end in life. Therefore, the shortness of labor, and the eternity of crowns, and the fact that labor precedes crowns, and crowns will follow them - all this constitutes the greatest consolation in labor. That’s why Paul called the tribulation light, not because of the nature of the tribulation itself, but according to the will of the ascetics and the hope of the future: “For our momentary light suffering produces,” he said, “eternal glory in immeasurable abundance, when we look not at what is seen, but at what is unseen” (2 Cor. 4:17-18). If waves and abysses for sailors, defeats and wounds for warriors, bad weather and frosts for farmers, strong blows for fighters - if all this is easy and doable in the hope of temporary and perishable rewards - then even more so can real sorrows be insensitive when heaven, ineffable blessings and immortal rewards lie ahead. 6. If, despite all this, some consider the path leading to life difficult, then this opinion stems only from their own laziness. See how the Savior makes this path convenient in other ways, when he forbids interfering between dogs, giving oneself over to swine, and commands us to beware of false prophets—in every possible way instructs us to be careful. Even the very name in a close way contributes a lot to making it convenient - because it forces us to stay awake. Just as Paul says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:12), not in order to depress, but in order to stir up the hearts of the soldiers, so exactly the Lord called the path of life difficult in order, so to speak, to awaken travelers from sleep. Not only that: He also encourages one to stay awake by further indicating that there are many who puncture on this path, and - what is even more dangerous - the latter attack not openly, but covertly. This is exactly the kind of false prophets. But look not at this, says Christ, that this path is difficult and narrow, but at where it ends; and again, look not at the fact that the opposite path is wide and spacious, but at where it leads. Yet He says this in order to arouse courage in us. For the same purpose, He said in another place that “those who make effort delight him” (Matthew 11:12). An ascetic becomes more zealous when he clearly sees that the ascetic honors his difficult deeds. So, let us not grieve if many misfortunes happen to us along the way of life. Let the path be sad and the gate be narrow; but this is not the city to which they lead. That is why we should not expect peace here, nor should we assume anything sad there. When the Savior says that “few find them,” then here again he reveals the laziness of many, and inspires His listeners to pay attention not to the prosperity of the many, but to the labors of the few. Much more, He says, there are people who not only do not follow the regrettable path, but do not even choose it - which shows extreme madness. But one should not look at many and therefore be embarrassed; but we should be jealous of a few and, strengthening ourselves in every possible way, thus follow that path. Besides the fact that this path is narrow, many people also prevent us from going along it. That is why Christ added: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Now, besides dogs and pigs, there is another kind of slander and deceit, much more dangerous than the first: those, at least, are known and obvious, and these are hidden. That’s why the Savior only commanded those to move away, but to examine these ones carefully, since it is impossible to recognize them at first sight. That’s why he said: “Beware,” inspiring all the more carefulness in recognizing them. Then, so that those who have heard that they must walk a narrow, regrettable and for many unpleasant path, moreover, keep themselves from dogs and pigs and from other (enemies) of the most evil kind, i.e. that is, from wolves - so that, I say, those who heard this would not become despondent from many sorrows, since it was necessary to follow a path unpleasant for many, and, moreover, keep in mind the above-mentioned obstacles - for this the Savior brought to mind the incidents that happened during the time of their fathers, mentioning specifically the false prophets. Everything similar happened then. So, he says, don’t be embarrassed. Nothing new or special will happen. The devil always adds deception to the truth. Here, by the name of false prophets, it seems to me, Christ did not mean heretics, but those who, leading a depraved life, cover themselves with the guise of virtue - which people are usually called deceivers. That is why the Savior added: “By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:16). Among heretics one can often find a good life; but for those I mentioned - never. You say: what if they are pretending here too? But they can conveniently be caught. The path that Christ commanded to follow is, by its very nature, difficult and painful. A hypocrite will never want to work; his job is only to pretend. Therefore, he can easily be exposed. When the Lord says: “few find them,” he again separates these few from those who do not find it, but only pretend, inspiring them to look not at hypocrites, but at those who truly walk along this path. But why, you say, did the Savior not reveal such hypocrites, but force us to test them ourselves? In order for us to stay awake and always be on guard, protecting ourselves not only from obvious, but also hidden enemies, to whom Paul, pointing, said that “with eloquence they deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom. 16:18). So, let us not be embarrassed when we see many of them even now. Christ foretold this in advance. 7. Notice the meekness of the Savior. He did not say: punish them; but only: beware so that you do not get harmed from them and so that you do not inadvertently fall into their snares. Then, to prevent your objection that it is impossible to recognize such people, he gives another proof, borrowing it from human example: “Do they gather grapes from thornbushes,” He says, “or figs from thistles” (Matthew 7:16)? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17). “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). These words contain the following meaning: the people in question have nothing meek, nothing sweet, they are sheep by their skin alone, which is why it is easy to recognize them. And so that you do not hesitate at all, for this Christ compares what cannot be otherwise with natural necessity. Paul says about this: “To be carnally minded is death...; for they are not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:6–7). Although the Savior says the same thing twice, there is no identity here. Lest anyone say that an evil tree, although it bears evil fruits, can also bear good ones, and with double fruiting it is difficult to make a distinction, in refutation of this the Savior says that this cannot be, that it bears only evil fruits, but will never bear good ones; as well as vice versa. Well, can’t a good person become bad, and vice versa? Human life is filled with many such examples. But Christ does not say that it is impossible for a bad person to change, or that it is impossible for a good person to fall, but that a person cannot bear good fruit as long as he lives badly. A thin man can pass to virtue; but as long as it remains bad, it cannot bear good fruit. How did David, although he was good, bear bad fruit? Not in a state of virtue, but having already changed, he did it, so he would not have brought such fruit if he had always remained what he was, because, while remaining virtuous, he would not have dared to do what he dared to do. The Savior said these words both in order to stop the mouths of those who recklessly slander, and to bridle the tongue of those who slander. With these words He wanted to deprive those evil people of any excuse, because of whom even good people are suspected. After that you can no longer say: I was deceived, I didn’t guess! - because I have offered you the most effective means of understanding vicious people, that is, I am commanded to consider their actions, and not to recklessly confuse everything. Further, although the Savior did not order them to be punished, but only to beware, nevertheless, in order, on the one hand, to comfort those who were offended by them, and on the other, to frighten those who offended them and encourage them to correct themselves, He determines their punishment, saying: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:19). Then, somewhat softening His word, he added: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:20). So that the listeners do not think that He inspires them only with threats, He touches their hearts, offering His teaching in the form of advice and admonition. Here, it seems to me, He also means the Jews who showed such fruits, which is why He reminded them of the words of John, describing their execution in the same words. And he said the same thing, reminding them of the ax, and the tree that is cut, and the unquenchable fire. And it seems that there is only one punishment here, namely burning; but if anyone looks more closely, he will find two punishments. In fact, whoever is burned is undoubtedly deprived of his kingdom; and this punishment is worse than the first. I know that many are horrified by Gehenna alone; but I think that deprivation of heavenly glory is a torment more cruel than Gehenna. If this cannot be represented in words, then there is nothing surprising; After all, we do not know the bliss of eternal blessings in order to clearly see the misfortune that comes from their deprivation. But Paul, who clearly knew this, saw that falling away from the glory of Christ is the most terrible thing. We will find out this too when we experience it ourselves. 8. Oh, if we had never been subjected to this, Only Begotten Son of God, if we had never experienced this unbearable punishment! It is impossible to clearly express how great the evil is to be deprived of heavenly blessings; however, I will try as best I can and hasten to at least explain this to you somewhat with an example. Let us imagine such an amazing young man who would combine reign over the universe with virtue, and who would be so perfect in everything that he could arouse fatherly love in everyone. What, do you think, would this young man’s father not be willing to endure, just so as not to lose his company? Or, no matter what misfortune, be it great or small, he would not dare, just to see and have fun with it? We should think in the same way about heavenly glory. Truly, it is not so much the father’s love and desire for his child, no matter how perfect he may be, but the desire for him to receive those blessings, to be resolved and to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23). Gehenna and the torment therein are unbearable; but if we imagine thousands of hells, then all this will mean nothing in comparison with the misfortune of being deprived of that blessed glory, of being hated by Christ and hearing from Him: “I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12) and the accusation that we, seeing Him hungry, did not feed. Truly, it is better to be subjected to countless strikes of lightning than to see how the meek face of the Lord turns away from us and His clear eye does not want to look at us. And indeed, if He loved me, His enemy, with all the hatred towards Him and disgust from Him, so much that I did not even spare Himself, but gave Himself up to death, and if, after all this, I do not give Him bread when He is hungry, then with what eyes will I look at Him? But here too, notice His meekness. He does not count His blessings, does not complain that you have despised such a great benefactor, does not say: I brought you from non-existence into existence, breathed a soul into you, made you ruler over everything that is on earth; for you I created the earth and the sky, the sea and the air, and all things; I was despised by you and seemed to you lower than the devil, but despite all this I did not leave you: I discovered countless means for your salvation, I wanted to become a slave, I was beaten on the cheek, spat on, slaughtered, and died a most blasphemous death; even in heaven I intercede for you, I give you the Spirit, I make you worthy of the kingdom and offer you such benefits; I wanted to be your head, bridegroom, robe, house, root, food, drink, shepherd, king and brother; He chose you as His heir and joint heir, and brought you out of darkness into the region of light. Although the Lord could have said this and even more, He does not say anything like that, but only mentions your sin alone. He also shows here His love and mercy that he has for you. He did not say: “Go... into the eternal fire” prepared for you, but “prepared for the devil.” And first he talks about how he was offended, but even here he mentions not all the offenses, but a few. Moreover, before condemning those who offended Him, He calls the righteous to show that He justly accuses. What torment is not more terrible than these words of His? No one, seeing his benefactor melting away from hunger, will despise him; and even if he despised it, then after that it would be better to agree to hide in the ground with reproach, rather than hear an accusation of this in front of two or three friends. What will happen to us when, before the whole universe, we hear from the Lord such an accusation, which, however, He would not have uttered even then if He had not wanted to justify His judgment? And that He pronounced this accusation not to reproach sinners, but to justify Himself and to show that He did not say to them at all and not without reason: “Depart from Me,” this is obvious from His ineffable benefits. If He wanted to subject sinners to reproach, He would display all His good deeds; but He speaks only of what He suffered. 9 So, beloved, let us be afraid to hear these words. Our life is not a game, or better said, present life is a game, but the future is not a game. Or maybe not only a game, but even worse. It does not end in laughter, but it also causes great harm to those who do not want to carefully improve themselves. Tell me: how are we, who create magnificent houses, different from children who play and build houses? What is the difference between their dinner and our luxury? There is none - except that we do it with torment. If we do not notice the insignificance of all this, there is nothing surprising, because we have not yet become men. And when we do, we will find out that all this is child's play. Coming to adulthood, we laugh at children's activities, although in childhood we consider these activities to be very important and, collecting shards and dirt, we are no less vain than those who build high walls. And yet, what we have built is soon destroyed and falls; and even if it did, what would we be good for? So are our magnificent houses. After all, they cannot accept a heavenly citizen, and the one who has the highest fatherland will not want to live in them; but just as we destroy children’s toys with our feet, so he overthrows our buildings with his spirit. And just as we laugh at children crying about the destruction of the house they built, so he not only laughs, but also cries when we cry about our homes, because he has a compassionate heart and sees the great harm that this causes for us. So let's be husbands. How long will it take for us to crawl on the earth? How long will it take to be proud of stones and trees? How long to play? And if only they played! No, we leave even our very salvation. And just as children who neglect learning and only engage in games are subjected to severe punishment, so we, having exhausted all our efforts in worldly pursuits, and finding ourselves unable to actually give an account of the spiritual teaching that will be required of us after death, will suffer extreme punishment. And no one can deliver us, be it a father, a brother, or anyone else. But everything to which we are now devoted will perish, and the torment resulting from this will be endless and unceasing. This is what happens to children when their father, because of their laziness, completely destroys all their children’s toys, and thereby makes them cry incessantly. And in order to convince you of the truth of my words, I will present the thing that people most of all consider worthy of respect, namely, wealth, and I will contrast it with any spiritual virtue that you please: then you will clearly see all its poverty. So, let’s imagine two people (I’m not talking about covetousness, but about wealth correctly acquired), and let one of them increase his property, let him cross the seas, cultivate the land and use all other means to acquire; although I do not know whether, by doing so, he can make a legal acquisition, let us assume that he acquires benefits in a legal manner. So be it; let him buy fields, slaves, etc., let there not be a single lie in his acquisition. On the contrary, let another, equally rich, sell his fields, sell his houses, gold and silver vessels, give to those who demand; let him ease the lot of the poor, heal the sick, help those in need; let him release from bondage, lead some out of the mines, free others from strangulation, free prisoners from punishment... Which side would you like to be on? However, I have not yet spoken about the future, but for now about the present. So, which of them would you like to follow: the one who collects gold, or the one who delivers others from misfortune? Is it the one who buys fields, or the one who has determined himself to serve the human race? Is it the one surrounded by a lot of gold, or the one crowned with countless praises? Is this latter not likened to a certain angel who descended from heaven to correct other people? And doesn’t the other one look more like some kind of child who collects everything without purpose or meaning, rather than like an adult? If the legal acquisition of wealth is so worthy of laughter, and is a sign of extreme madness, then how can one not call him the most unfortunate of all who also unjustly collects it? If even now he is worthy of great laughter, then what tears will his life be worthy of after death, when Gehenna and the deprivation of the kingdom are added to it? 10. But let us consider, if you wish, another type of virtue. To do this, let us again imagine another person - powerful, commanding everyone, endowed with a great dignity, having a brilliant herald, a belt, staff-bearers, and a large number of servants. Doesn't all this seem great and desirable to you? Now let us contrast this person with another: gentle, meek, humble and generous; let them insult him and beat him, but let him bear it patiently and bless those who do this to him. So, tell me: who is worthy of surprise, the arrogant and pompous one, or the humiliated one? Isn't this latter likened to the impassive forces on high, and the latter - to an inflated bubble, or to a person suffering from water sickness and a strong tumor? Isn’t this one like a spiritual doctor, and this one like a funny child puffing out his cheeks? And what are you proud of, man? Is it because you ride on a high chariot? Or the fact that you are carried by harnessed mules? So what? This also happens with stones. Or because you are dressed in beautiful clothes? But look at the one who is clothed with virtue instead of clothes, and you will see that you are like rotting grass, and he is like a tree that bears wonderful fruit and gives great pleasure to the spectators. You carry on you the food of worms and moths, which, if they attack you, will soon strip you of this adornment (since clothes are the yarn of worms, and gold and silver are earth and dust; yes, earth - and nothing more). He who is adorned with virtue has such clothing that not only moth, but even death itself cannot damage. And this is very fair: the virtues of the soul do not have an earthly origin, but are a spiritual fruit, and cannot be eaten by worms. These garments are woven in heaven, where there are no moths, no worms, or anything like that. So tell me which is better: to be rich or to be poor? Should I be in glory or in humiliation? Should you have abundance or suffer hunger? Of course, it is better to be in honor, to have abundance and wealth. So, if you want the things themselves, and not just names, then leave the earth and everything that is on it, and move to heaven. Everything here is one shadow, and everything there is motionless, unshakable, and cannot be stolen by anyone. So, let us seek heavenly things with all diligence, so that we can be freed from the worries here, and, having sailed to that quiet refuge, appear with a great load and indescribable wealth of alms. Oh, that we might all reach this refuge and wealth through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: