Беседа 30

“As Jesus passed from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the toll booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” (Matthew 9:9) Exposition 9:9–17. Why is Matthew called after the others? – The power of Christ and the obedience of Matthew. - The reliability of the gospels. – Why did Christ share a meal with Matthew and other sinners? – The treatment and reformation of sinners is preferred to that of victims. – Those who are not approved should not be burdened with heavy commandments. – In correcting others one must imitate Christ, starting with the easiest. – Instructions on how to correct wives who love to decorate themselves. 1. Having performed a miracle over the paralytic, Christ did not remain in Capernaum, so as not to kindle even greater envy among the scribes with His presence; but to please them, and to tame this passion of theirs, he leaves. Likewise, we should not irritate our enemies by being with them, but in order to soften their anger, we must yield and move away from them. But why did the Savior not call Matthew at the same time as Peter, John and others? Because just as Jesus came to those at a time when they were able to listen to Him, so He called Matthew when he was ready to follow Him. For the same reason, he called the Apostle Paul after his resurrection. He who knew the hearts and knew the innermost thoughts of each person knew when one of them would be ready to follow Him. Therefore, he called Matthew not at the beginning, when he was still little receptive, but after he had performed a great many miracles, and when the glory of Him spread everywhere, and Matthew became more capable of obedience. The wisdom of the Evangelist Matthew is also worthy of surprise. He not only does not hide his former life, but also calls himself by name, while others hid their name under a different name. Why did the evangelist say: “sitting at the toll booth”? In order to show the power of the Lord, Who called him not after he abandoned his dishonest bargaining and stopped engaging in it, but snatched him from the midst of evil, just as he converted blessed Paul when he was furious, breathing rage and malice against the church. Paul himself, wanting to show the power of the One who called him, writes about this to the Galatians: “You have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, that I cruelly persecuted the Church of God” (Gal. 1:13). And the Lord called the fishermen when they were engaged in their craft. But their craft did not contain anything dishonest; it was characteristic of uneducated and simple people. On the contrary, the profession of tax collectors was shameful and shameless. This is unexcusable self-interest, dishonest gain, theft under the guise of the law. And yet the Caller was not ashamed of any of this; and is it surprising that He was not ashamed of the tax collector, when He not only was not ashamed to call a harlot, but also did not forbid her to kiss His feet and wet His feet with her tears? This is why He came, to heal not only the body, but also to heal the soul from evil. This is what He did with the paralytic. Having clearly shown during the performance of this miracle that He can forgive sins, the Savior then calls on Matthew, so that others, seeing that He accepts a publican among His disciples, would no longer be embarrassed. If He has the power to forgive all sins, then why be surprised if He makes the publican an apostle? But having known the power of the One who called, now know the obedience of the one called. He did not resist, did not doubt and did not say: what does this mean, is the Lord really calling me, such a great Sinner? - such humility would be inappropriate - but he immediately obeyed, and did not even show any desire to go to the house and consult about this with his relatives, as the fishermen did. Just as they left the nets, the boat, and their father, so Matthew left his craft and profit, followed Jesus, showing complete readiness for everything, and suddenly renouncing everything worldly, with perfect obedience confirmed the timing of his calling. But why, you may ask, is it not said anywhere about how the other apostles were called, but only about the calling of Peter, James, John and Philip? Because they had despicable and base occupations: what is really worse than the title of publican, what is less important than the occupation of fishermen? And that Philip was of humble origin, this is shown by his fatherland. That is why the evangelists primarily talk about the calling of these disciples and their activities. They wanted to show through this that they should be believed in stories about important matters. In fact, if, when telling about the deeds of the Teacher and His disciples, they do not omit anything that apparently related to their dishonor, and even talk about it in particular detail, then why could one suspect them when they talk about glorious deeds? If they are silent about the many signs and wonders of Jesus, and yet they narrate in detail the events that took place at the cross, apparently humiliating, and, without shame, speak about the low occupations and poor condition of the disciples, about the ancestors of the Teacher, known either for their sins or for their poverty, is it not obvious that they greatly respected the truth, and did not write anything out of passion or vanity? 2. Having called Matthew, Christ honored him with great honor, and then partook of his meal. Through this He gave him good hope for the future, and gave rise to greater hope in him. Not with long-term healing, but suddenly he healed the illness of his soul. However, Christ did not recline at the table with Matthew alone, but also with many others. Apparently, this also served as a reproach for Jesus that He did not remove sinners from Himself; but the evangelists do not hide this either, and say that the Pharisees condemned Him for such an act. Many publicans came to Matthew as their companion, because he, counting the visit of Christ to himself as an honor, summoned them all. Christ used all kinds of healing. He saved many from spiritual illnesses not only when he taught, or healed the sick, or denounced enemies, but also when he reclined at the table, teaching us that every time and every deed can bring us benefit. And although everything that was offered at this meal was collected through untruth and robbery, nevertheless, Christ did not deny being a participant in it; since His presence could bring great benefit, He agreed to be in the same house and at the same table with great sinners, although He brought upon Himself a bad reputation for eating with the publican in the publican's house and with many publicans. This is the fate of the doctor: if he does not want to tolerate the rotten smell from the sick, then he cannot heal them of their illness. Look how the Jews revile Him for this: “Here is a man who loves to eat and drink wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). Let everyone who fasts try to gain great glory for themselves hear this, and let them think that our Master was called a man who “loves to eat and drink wine,” and He was not ashamed of this, but ignored everything in order to fulfill His intention, which He accomplished: the publican changed, and thus became better. And in order for you to be convinced of how great the significance of Christ’s participation in their meals was for sinners, listen to what Zacchaeus, another publican, says. Hearing from Christ the words: “Today I need to be in your house” (Luke 19:5), he said in delight: “I will give half of my property to the poor, and if I have offended anyone, I will repay him fourfold” (Luke 19:8). Then Jesus said to him: “Now salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). Thus, in every way one can mentor others. How, you say, does Paul command: “Whoever, while calling himself a brother, remains a fornicator, or a covetous...; You shouldn’t even eat with someone like that” (1 Cor. 5:11)? But, firstly, from these words it is not yet clear whether the apostle gives such instruction to teachers, or to brothers alone. Then, the tax collectors were neither among the perfect ones nor among the brothers. Moreover, Paul commands those brothers to leave who do not want to give up their vices, and the tax collectors stopped doing evil and changed. But nothing enlightened the Pharisees; they reproach the disciples of Jesus, saying: “Why does your Teacher eat and drink with publicans and sinners” (Matthew 9:11)? In another case, when it seemed to them that the disciples had sinned, the Pharisees turned to the Teacher himself with reproaches, saying: “Behold, your disciples are doing what should not be done on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:2). Here they slander the teacher in front of the students. They did all this with bad intentions, wanting to distract the students from the Teacher. What does infinite Wisdom answer? “It is not the healthy,” she says, “that need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9:12). See how the Lord draws a completely opposite conclusion from the words of the Pharisees. They blamed Him for communicating with publicans; but He, on the contrary, says that not to have communication with them is a matter unworthy of Him and incompatible with His love for mankind, and that correcting such people is not only not deserving of any reproach, but, on the contrary, is very important, necessary and worthy of countless praises. Then, so that you do not think that the Lord blames those who are called, calling them sick, look how He again softens His words when, in rebuking the Pharisees, He says: “Go, learn what it means: I want mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13). He said this in order to reproach them for ignorance of the Scriptures, and used a stern word not because He Himself was angry with the Pharisees, but to lead the tax collectors out of doubt. He could have said: or do you not know how I forgave the sins of the paralytic? How did he strengthen his body? But He does not say anything like that, but first uses general evidence, and then quotes the words of Scripture. Having said: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick,” and thus, secretly calling himself a doctor, he added: “Go, learn what it means: I want mercy, and not sacrifice” (Hos. 6 - “For I want mercy, and not sacrifice”). The Apostle Paul does the same. Having first used general evidence to support his thought, and said: “Whoever tends a flock does not eat the milk of the flock” (1 Cor. 9:7), he then cites the words of Scripture, saying: “Do not muzzle an ox when he threshes” (Deut. 25:4); and again: “So the Lord also commanded those who preach the Gospel to live from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14). But this is not how the Savior convinces His disciples; He reminds them of His signs, saying: “You do not understand or remember the five loaves of bread for the five thousand [people], and how many baskets you picked up” (Matthew 16:9)? 3. But Christ acts differently with the Pharisees; He reminds them of their common weakness, shows that they themselves are weak because they do not know the Scriptures and, neglecting other virtues, limit all their service to God to sacrifices alone. Mainly pointing to this, the Savior concludes in brief words what all the prophets said. “Learn,” He says, “what it means: I want mercy, not sacrifice.” With these words He admonishes them that it is not He who acts unjustly, but they; as if he were saying: Why do you accuse Me? Is it because I correct sinners? But in this case, you accuse My Father of the same thing. So, with the words: “Go, learn what it means: I want mercy, and not sacrifice,” He expresses the same thought, which is contained in His other words: “My Father works until now, and I work” (John 5:17). As the Father, He says, wants this, so do I. Do you see how He presents one thing as unnecessary and another as necessary? He did not say: I want mercy and sacrifice, but “I want mercy, not sacrifice”: he approved one, and rejected the other, and thereby showed that the treatment of sinners, for which He was accused, is not only not prohibited, but is also prescribed by law, and is even preferred to victims; and as proof of this he cites the very passage from the Old Testament, in which it is prescribed to do the same thing that Jesus did. So, having refuted the Pharisees both by general evidence and the testimony of Scripture, He adds further: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The Savior said these words to the ridicule of the Pharisees, just as it was said: “Behold, Adam has become like one of Us” (Gen. 3:22); and in another place: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you” (Ps. 49:12). And that there was not a single righteous person on earth, Paul clearly testifies to this, saying: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). On the other hand, the words of Christ served as consolation for those who were called - He seemed to say this: I not only do not disdain sinners, but I came for them alone. And in order not to make them careless, for this, having said: “I came to call not the righteous, but sinners,” I did not stop at these words, but added: “to repentance,” - that is, I came not so that sinners would remain sinners, but so that they would change and become better. So, when Christ completely blocked the mouths of the Pharisees with evidence borrowed both from Scripture and from the ordinary order of things, and they could not say anything contrary to Him - because, accusing Him, they themselves turned out to be guilty and opponents of the Old Testament law - then, leaving Him, they again begin to accuse the disciples. Evangelist Luke says that they were accused by the Pharisees (Luke 5:33), and Matthew attributes this to the disciples of John. But it is likely that both of them accused the disciples of Christ. One might think that the Pharisees, not knowing what to do, took John’s disciples with them, just as they later took the Herodians. Indeed, John’s disciples always envied Christ and contradicted Him, and then they only humbled themselves when John was thrown into prison; then they came to tell Jesus about this, but then they returned to their former envy. What are they saying? “Why do we and the Pharisees fast a lot, but Your disciples do not fast” (Matthew 9:14)? This is the disease that Christ, foreseeing the evil that could come from it, healed before, saying: “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face” (Matthew 6:17). However, He does not reproach John’s disciples, and does not call them vain and arrogant, but answers them with all meekness, saying: “the sons of the bridal chamber” cannot fast “while the bridegroom is with them” (Matthew 9:15). When Christ defended others, namely publicans, then to console their contrite spirit he strongly rebuked their slanderers; and when they reproached Him and His disciples, He answered with all meekness. The meaning of the words spoken by John’s disciples is as follows: let You, as a doctor, do this; but why do your disciples, having left fasting, take part in such meals? And in order to give more force to the accusation, they set themselves up as an example, firstly, themselves, then the Pharisees, wishing through comparison to increase the guilt of the disciples of Jesus. Both we and the Pharisees, they say, fast a lot. Indeed, both of them fasted, the first - having learned from John, the second - from the law, just as the Pharisee said: “I fast twice a week” (Luke 18:12). What is Jesus' answer? “Can the sons of the bridal chamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them?” Previously, He called Himself a doctor, but now He calls Himself a groom, revealing ineffable secrets with these names. He could have denounced them more strongly with these words: you have no right to make laws regarding fasting! What is the use of fasting when your soul is filled with wickedness, when you blame others, when you condemn them, having beams in your own eyes, and doing everything to show off yourself? First of all, we must drive out vanity and practice all the virtues, such as love, meekness, brotherly love. But Christ does not say anything like that, but with all meekness answers them: “Can the sons of the bridal chamber grieve while the bridegroom is with them,” reminding them through this of the words of John: “He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, standing and listening to him, rejoices with joy, hearing the voice of the bridegroom” (John 3:29). The meaning of Christ’s words is as follows: the present time is a time of joy and gladness; therefore, do not make it a time of sorrow. And fasting really has something sad in it, not by its nature, but because the disciples are still weak, although, on the contrary, for those who want to be wise, it is a pleasant and desirable activity. Just as the health of the body brings great joy, so the well-being of the soul brings even greater pleasure. Thus the Savior adapted His answer to their thoughts. So Isaiah, speaking about fasting, calls it humility of the soul (Is. 58:3), as well as Moses (Num. 30:14?). 4. However, this is not the only way the Savior stops the lips of John’s disciples, but also in another way, when he says: “The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” With these words, the Lord shows that this was not for the sake of pleasing the belly, but for some wondrous look; responding to the words of his opponents, He at the same time begins to predict about His suffering, teaching His disciples in advance to think about apparently sorrowful events. If the Savior had told them about this themselves, it would have been difficult and regrettable for them, because even later the conversation about suffering confused them. But when this was said to others, it was less painful for the disciples to hear. And since John’s suffering, as I think, puffed up his disciples, then with these words the Savior overthrows their arrogance. But He does not yet say anything about His resurrection, because the time has not come. It was natural for Him to die as a man, as He was usually revered, but to be resurrected is above nature. Further, the Savior acts here in the same way as he did before. Just as previously he proved the opposite to those who tried to accuse Him of eating with sinners, that is, that His act not only did not deserve blame, but, on the contrary, was still worthy of praise - so now those who wanted to accuse Him of not knowing how to instruct His disciples, He shows that speaking in this way is characteristic of those who revile others without any reason and do not know how to treat their followers. “And no one,” He says, “puts patches of unbleached cloth on old clothes” (Matthew 9:16). The Savior again confirms His words with general evidence. The meaning of His words is this: the disciples have not yet established themselves, and require greater condescension; they have not yet been renewed in spirit; and in such a state they should not impose heavy commandments on them. Saying this, He gave His disciples a law and a rule, so that when they accept as their disciples all those living in the universe, they would treat them with great meekness. “Neither do they put new wine into old wineskins” (Matthew 9:17). Do you see how these examples - clothing and furs - are similar to those used in the Old Testament? So Jeremiah calls the people gluttonous, and mentions wine and wineskins (Jer. 13:11–12). The Savior borrows examples from these things because it was about gluttony and meals. Evangelist Luke also adds that the new is torn apart if you attach it to the old. Do you see that not only does no good come from here, but only even greater harm? Speaking about the present, Christ at the same time foreshadows the future, namely, that His disciples will be renewed in the future; but until this happens, no strict and difficult commandments should be imposed on them. Whoever, before the proper time, says Christ, offers people a high teaching, will in due time no longer find them capable of following it, making them forever useless. This does not depend on the wine or the bottle into which it is poured, but on the untimely haste of those pouring it. Having used these comparisons, the Savior revealed to us the reason why He, when talking with His disciples, often used modest expressions about Himself. In accordance with their weakness, He said many things that were much beneath His dignity. The Evangelist John testifies to this, citing the words of Christ: “I have many things to tell you; but now you cannot contain it” (John 16:12). So that they would not think that He could only tell them what He said, but would imagine that He could say many other things, much more important, for this Christ pointed out their weakness, promising to say the rest when they were strong. The Savior expresses the same thing here, saying: “The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Therefore, at the very beginning, we should not demand everything from everyone, but only what is possible, and then we will more quickly achieve the rest. If you are in a hurry and try to finish the job as quickly as possible, then you shouldn’t be in a hurry because you are trying to finish it as quickly as possible. If my words seem mysterious to you, then understand this from the very nature of things, and then you will easily see their full power. Do not be embarrassed if someone untimely accuses you - and here, after all, the Pharisees accused and reviled the disciples. 5. And yet nothing prompted Christ to change His mind, and He did not say: it is a shame for some to fast, and for others not to fast. But just as a skilled helmsman does not look at the angry waves, but at his own art, so Christ did then: it was not that they should be ashamed that they did not fast, but that for fasting they received mortal wounds, were beaten and tormented. Imagining this, we should act in a similar way with our household, for example, with a wife who loves to adorn herself and anoint herself with various fragrant substances, is devoted to excessive luxury, is talkative and careless. Although it is impossible to think that all the vices are combined in one woman, we can imagine such a woman. Why, they will say, do you represent your wife and not your husband? It is true that there are men worse than such a woman; but since the husband is given the right to rule over his wife, we will present the woman, and not because women are more depraved. Indeed, among men one can find many such vices that women do not have, such as murder, tomb robberies, beast hunting, and much the like. So, do not think that I am doing this out of contempt for gender: not at all! I do this only because it is now useful to present such an example. So, let us assume that such a wife exists, and let the husband try in every possible way to correct her. How will he fix it? He will achieve his goal if everything does not suddenly forbid her, but he will start with the easiest thing, to which she is not particularly attached. If you suddenly want to fix it, you won’t have time. So, do not immediately take away her precious decorations, but let her use them for a while. These decorations can be considered a lesser evil in comparison with various rubbings and anointings. So, first destroy the ointment; and do this not with fear and threats, but with persuasion and affection: say that they are condemned for this, and pronounce your own judgment and opinion, and often remind her that you not only do not like such facial decoration, but it is also very unpleasant; assure her that this greatly upsets you; then, having pronounced your own judgment, add to this the opinions of others; say that this disgraces even beautiful women, in order to thus destroy her passion. Do not tell her anything about Gehenna or the kingdom, because you will talk about it in vain; but assure me that you like it better in the form in which God created it; and when she smoothes, rubs and anoints her face, she does not seem beautiful and comely to others. So, first convince her with general evidence, and cure the disease, referring to the general court. And when you soften her with such convictions, then tell her about Gehenna and the kingdom. And if you tell her many times and she does not listen to you, then do not stop repeating your words, however, not with enmity, but with love; and sometimes show a dissatisfied look, and sometimes caress and please her. Don't you see how painters, wanting to paint a beautiful face, now apply and then erase paint? Don't do worse than them. If they, wanting to depict any body, make such efforts, then all the more should we use all our art when depicting the soul. If you decorate the soul of your wife, then you will no longer see on her body either an ugly face, or bloody lips, or lips like the lips of a bear, stained with blood, or eyebrows blackened with soot, as if from touching the hearth, or cheeks like the walls of coffins sunk in: all this is soot, dust, ashes and a sign of extreme ugliness. 6. But I did not notice how I was carried away by these denunciations and, while advising others to teach meekly, I myself turned aside to anger. So, let us return again to gentle exhortation, let us endure all the weaknesses of our wives, just to correct in them what we want. Don’t you see how we endure the crying of babies when we want to take them away from their breasts, and we endure everything just to wean them off their previous food. We will do the same with women: we will endure everything else patiently, just to wean them from this vice. When you correct this vice, it will be easy for you to correct others; then you can move on to gold jewelry, and talk about it in the same way. And thus, little by little admonishing your wife, you will become an excellent painter, a faithful slave and a good worker. At the same time, remind us of the ancient wives: Sarah, Rebekah, the good and the bad, and prove that they were all chaste. So Leah, the wife of the patriarch Jacob, not being beautiful, did not think about any embellishment, and despite the fact that she was unseemly and not very loved by her husband, she did not think about such things at all, and did not spoil her face, but always kept its features unchanged, although she was raised by pagans. And you, faithful one, having Christ as your head, use Satan’s trick for us! Remember the water that washed your face, the sacrifice that adorned your lips, the blood that stained your tongue! If you imagine all this, then no matter how great your attachment to jewelry is, you will not dare, and you will not want to lay these dust and ashes on yourself. Know that you have been united with Christ, and move away from such ugliness; He dislikes such decorations; He demands a different beauty - spiritual beauty, which he loves very much. The prophet commands you to acquire such beauty, saying: “And the King will desire your beauty” (Ps. 44:12). So, let us not disgrace ourselves with unnecessary decorations; all God's creations are perfect, and not a single one needs your correction. If anyone, of his own volition, decided to add anything to the exhibited picture representing the king, he would be subjected to great punishment for such insolence. Why do you correct the creation of God’s hands, when you add nothing to what man has made? It’s true that you can’t imagine the fire of hell, it’s true that you don’t feel the emptiness in your soul! It is as if you have completely neglected your soul, because you exhaust all your care on your flesh. And what am I saying about the soul? And you are not delivering to your body itself what you are trying to achieve. Look: you want to appear beautiful, but your jewelry makes you ugly; you want to please your husband, but this saddens him more, and it gives both him and others the opportunity to judge you. You want to appear young, but this will sooner lead you to old age. You want praise, but this brings you disgrace, because such a wife is ashamed not only of her equals, but also of the slaves and slaves who know her, and above all, she is ashamed of herself. But what can we say about this? I have omitted here the gravest evil: the fact that you offend God, violate chastity, kindle the flame of jealousy, imitate the harlots of an indecent house. So, having imagined all this, laugh at satanic pomp and devilish tricks, and, leaving these decorations, or better yet, ugliness, prepare beauty in your soul, which is desired by the angels, and dear to God, and pleasing to your husbands, so that you, both in the present and in the next century, may acquire glory, which may we all be deemed worthy to receive through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion. forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: