Беседа 47

“Jesus spoke all these things to the people in parables, and without a parable he did not speak to them, so that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the creation of the world.” (Matthew 13:34–35) Explanation 13:34–52. Why did Christ teach in parables? – The parable should not be taken literally. – The importance and value of preaching. – Renunciation of everything worldly is not a loss, but a gain. – Faith alone is not enough for salvation. – The harm of not caring about reading Scripture. – The head and members of virtue. – Ev. Matthew as an example of virtue. – Without alms salvation is impossible. - The superiority of the soul of the arbitrarily wretched over the soul of the rich. 1. Evangelist Mark says that Christ preached the word to them in parables, “as far as they could hear” (Mark 4:33). But the Evangelist Matthew, in order to show that preaching in parables is not something new, brings the prophet to whom this method of teaching was predicted, and together, in order to reveal to us the intention of Christ, with which He spoke in parables, namely, not to leave the listeners in ignorance, but to arouse them to questions, he adds: “without a parable he did not speak to them.” Although Christ spoke about many things without a parable, in this case He did not say anything without a parable. And yet, no one questioned Him, although the prophets were often questioned, such as Ezekiel and many others. Now they did not ask him a single question, although what was said was enough to concern the listeners and encourage them to ask questions. Even the threat of the greatest punishment expressed in the parables made no impression on the listeners. That's why the Lord left them and went away. “Then,” says the evangelist, “Jesus, having dismissed the people, entered the house” (Matthew 13:36). And not one of the scribes follows Him. From this it is clear that they followed Christ solely with the intention of catching Him in the word. But since now they did not understand what was said, the Lord left them. And His disciples come with a question about the parable of the tares (Matthew 13:36). Until now, although they wanted to know, they were afraid to ask. Where did they get their courage from now? They heard: “That it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 13:11), and they dared. That is why they ask in private, not out of envy of the people, but fulfilling the law of the Master, Who said: “But it is not given to them.” But why, having left the parable of the leaven and the mustard seed, do they ask specifically about the parable of the tares? Those parables were left by them as the most intelligible. They want to hear an explanation of this parable because it is closely related to what was said before it, and hints at something more than the previous one (Christ would not have told the same parable twice). They had already seen that the last parable contained a great threat. Therefore, the Lord not only does not reproach them, but also completes what was said before. And what I have repeatedly noted is that the parable should not be taken literally - otherwise one can come to many inconsistencies - the Lord now teaches us the same thing, in explaining the parable, deviating from the letter. He does not say who the slaves who came to the master are. But making it clear that they are introduced only for consistency and completeness of the image, he omits this part of the parable, and explains only the most necessary and essential - the very thing for which the parable was spoken - in order to show, precisely, that He is the Judge and Lord of the universe. “He said to them,” says the evangelist, “in response: he who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age: the Son of Man will send His angels, and from His kingdom they will gather all who offend and those who practice iniquity, and will throw them into the fiery furnace; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:37–43). So, if He Himself is the Sower, sows in His own field and collects from His kingdom, then it is clear that the real world belongs to Him. Think about how inexpressible His love for mankind is, how ready He is to do good, and how far He is from punishing! When he sows, he sows himself; when he punishes, he punishes through others, namely through angels. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” This does not mean that they will glow exactly like the sun. But since we do not know another luminary that would be more brilliant than the sun, the Lord uses images that are familiar to us. In other places Christ says that the harvest has already come; for example, when he speaks of the Samaritans: “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, how they are white and ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). And again: “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2). So, why did He say there that the harvest has already come, but here He says that the harvest will still come? Because the word harvest has different meanings. Why also, having said in another place: “one sows, and another reaps” (Jn. 4:37), here he says that he himself is the sower? Because there, speaking before the Jews and Samaritans, He contrasts the apostles not with Himself, but with the prophets, just as He also sowed through the prophets. In the same way, sometimes He calls the same thing both harvest and sowing, taking these words in different respects. 2. When He understands the obedience and obedience of the listeners, then, as having finished his work, he calls it harvest. When he still expects only fruit from hearing, then he calls it sowing, and the end - harvest. And how is it said elsewhere that the righteous will be caught up first (1 Thess. 4:16)? Exactly, they will be the first to be raptured at the coming of Christ. But first the sinners will be punished, and then the righteous will enter the kingdom of heaven. The righteous definitely should be in heaven, and the Lord will come to earth, judge all people, pronounce judgment on them; then, like a certain king, rising with His friends, He will lead them into a blessed inheritance. Do you see that the punishment will be severe: they will have to burn - and see themselves alienated from glory? But why, finally, when the people dispersed and Christ spoke with the apostles in parables? So that they, having been admonished by what was said before, could already understand the parables. That is why, when, after speaking the parables, He asks them: “Did you understand all this? They say to Him: “Yes, Lord!” (Matthew 13:51)! Thus, the parable, among other things, also made the apostles discerning. What does the Lord say next? “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and out of joy over it he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for good pearls, who, having found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46). Just as above, the mustard seed and the leaven have little difference between each other, so here the two parables about the treasure and the beads are similar. Both of these parables show that preaching should be preferred to everything else. The parables of the leaven and the mustard seed speak of the power of preaching and how it will completely conquer the universe. Real parables show the importance and value of preaching. Truly it expands like a mustard tree, prevails like leaven, is valuable like beads and provides countless conveniences like a treasure. From here we learn that we must not only adhere to the sermon, renouncing everything else, but that we must even do it with joy. And he who renounces his property must know that this is an acquisition, not a loss. Do you see how the sermon is hidden in the world, and how many good things are hidden in the sermon? If you don’t sell everything, you won’t buy it; and if you don’t have a searching and caring soul, you won’t find it. So, it is necessary for you, firstly, to abandon worldly cares, and secondly, to be very vigilant. It is said: “To the seeker of good pearls, who, having found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” There is only one truth, and it is not complex. Just as someone who has beads himself knows that he is rich, but it is often unknown to others that he has beads in his hands, because they are not large, so one can say about preaching: those who have it know that they are rich, but unbelievers, not understanding the value of this treasure, do not know about our wealth. But so that we do not rely too much on one sermon, and so that we do not think that faith alone is enough for our salvation, the Lord pronounces a new formidable parable. Which one exactly? The parable of the net. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of all kinds; and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but threw away the bad” (Matthew 13:47-48). How does this parable differ from the parable of the tares? And there some are saved, while others perish. But there some perish from accepting harmful teachings, and others, as mentioned above, from inattention to the word (of God); here the cause of death is a vicious life. So those who perish are the most unfortunate of all: they acquired knowledge and were caught, but for all that they could not be saved. In other places it is said that it is the Shepherd himself who separates; here this is attributed to the angels, as in the parable of the tares. What does this mean? The fact that the Lord talks with his disciples is sometimes less and sometimes more sublime. And He explains this parable not at the request of the disciples, but according to his own will; Moreover, he interpreted one part of it, and thereby increased fear. So that you, hearing that the evil ones were only cast out, do not consider such a death not yet dangerous, Christ in his explanation indicates the image of punishment, saying that “they will be thrown into a fiery furnace,” where there will be gnashing of teeth and unspeakable torment. Do you see how many paths there are to destruction? Stone, thorns, path, tares, net. So, it is not in vain that it is said that “wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many go in through it” (Matthew 7:13). After this, the Lord, concluding His speech with a threat and adding much like that (because He was especially concerned with this subject), asks the apostles: “Have you understood all this? They say to Him: “Yes, Lord!” (Matthew 13:51)! And for such understanding he again praises them, saying: “Therefore, every scribe who has been taught in the kingdom of heaven is like a master who brings out from his treasury new and old” (Matthew 13:52). He said similarly in another place: “I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes” (Matthew 23:34). 3. Do you see that Christ does not exclude the Old Testament, but praises and exalts it, calling it a treasure? So, those who are ignorant of the divine scriptures cannot be called home-loving people: they themselves have nothing, and do not borrow from others, but, languishing with hunger, do not care about themselves. However, not only they, but also heretics are deprived of this bliss, because they cannot take out of their treasure either old or new. They don’t even have the old, and therefore don’t have the new. Likewise, those who do not have the new do not have the old, but are deprived of both, because the new and the old are connected and connected with each other. So, all of us who are careless about reading the scriptures, listen to what harm and what poverty we suffer from this. In fact, when will we bring our affairs into order if we do not know the very laws by which we should bring them into order? Rich people, madly in love with wealth, often beat out their clothes so that moths do not eat them. And you, seeing in yourself oblivion, more destructive than moths, damaging your soul, do not resort to Scripture, do not destroy the ulcers in yourself, do not decorate your soul, do not peer closely at the image of virtue, do not examine the members and its head. And indeed, virtue has both a head and limbs, more magnificent than any slender and beautiful body. What, you ask, is the head of virtue? Humility. That is why Christ begins with humility, saying: “Blessed are the poor” (Matthew 5:3). Here is the head of virtue! She has neither hair nor curls, but is so beautiful that she attracts God himself. “To whom,” He says, “will I look: to him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and to him who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2)? And again: “My eyes” are on the meek “(faithful) of the earth” (Ps. 75:10, 100:6). And again: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Ps. 33:19). This head, instead of hair and braids, offers sacrifices favorable to God: She is the golden altar and the spiritual altar. “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit” (Ps. 50:19). She is the mother of wisdom. He who has it will have everything else. So, do you see a chapter like you've never seen before? Do you want to see, or better yet, know the face of virtue? Look first at its ruddy, beautiful and very pleasant color, and then find out where it comes from. Why exactly? Because virtue is bashful and always blushes. That is why someone said: “Goodwill precedes the bashful” (Sir. 33:12). This imparts great beauty to all other members. And even if you mix thousands of colors, you still won’t produce such beauty. If you want to see the eyes of virtue, then look: they are carefully outlined by modesty and chastity. That is why they are so beautiful and insightful, because they see the Lord himself. “Blessed are the pure in heart,” He says, “for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). The lips of virtue are wisdom, and reason, and knowledge of spiritual chants. Her heart is a deep knowledge of the Scriptures, observance of true dogmas, love of mankind and good nature. And just as it is impossible to live without a heart, so without a number it is now impossible to be saved. From here all good things are born. Virtue also has its own arms and legs - the manifestation of good deeds. She also has a soul - piety. She has a chest that is golden and harder than adamant—courage. It is easier to overcome everything than to crush this chest. Finally, the spirit that resides in the brain and heart is love. 4. Do you want me to show you an image of virtue in deeds itself? Imagine this very evangelist (Matthew). Although we do not have a complete description of his life, however, in a little we can see his brilliant image. That he was humble and contrite in heart, you hear about this from him himself when in the Gospel he calls himself a tax collector. You can conclude that he was merciful from the fact that he renounced everything and followed Jesus. That he was pious is clear from his teachings. And from the Gospel he wrote, it is not difficult to judge his intelligence and love, because he worked for the whole world. The proof of his good deeds is the throne on which he has to sit. Courage is evident from the fact that he returned rejoicing from the presence of the Sanhedrin. So, let us be jealous of such virtue, especially humility and almsgiving, without which it is impossible to be saved. The proof of this is the five virgins, as well as the Pharisee. Without virginity one can see the kingdom; and without alms there is no possibility of this. Almsgiving is the most necessary, it is everything. That is why, not without reason, we called it the heart of virtue. But the heart itself soon dies if it does not impart spirit to everything; - just like a source rots if there is no constant flow from it. The same thing happens to the rich when they keep their property. That is why it has become a common saying: a lot of goods are rotting at such and such’s place; on the contrary, we do not say that he has greater abundance, countless treasures. Both those who have wealth and wealth itself are subject to decay. Clothes fall into disrepair, gold rusts, wheat is eaten away by worms. The soul of the one who possesses all this most of all rusts and rots from worries. And if you want to bring to shame another soul of a money-lover, you will find that it, like clothes that are eaten away by thousands of worms and on which there is not a whole place left, is also all worn out by worries, rotted and rusted from sins. This is not the soul of the wretched, the wretched arbitrarily. She shines like gold, shines like a pearl, blooms like a rose. Neither moth, nor thief, nor the care of this world touches it. Just like angels, the poor live. Do you want to see the beauty of such a soul? Do you want to know the riches of poverty? The soul of the wretched does not command men, but commands demons; not before the king, but before God; does not make war with men, but makes war with angels; does not have one, two, three, twenty chests, but has such abundance that the whole world is worth nothing. She has no treasure, but she has heaven; does not need slaves - on the contrary, she is subservient to the thoughts that possess kings. The thought that controls the one clothed in scarlet fears the poor man to such an extent that he does not dare to raise his eyes. The arbitrarily wretched one laughs at the royal crown, and at gold, and at everything like that, as if at children's toys. All this seems to him as despicable as wheels, and bones, and pebbles, and balls. It has such decoration that those who play with these toys cannot even see. So, what's better than this wretched one? The sky serves as his footstool; and if this is the footstool, then judge for yourself what serves as a cover for it. Will you say that he has no horses and chariots? But what need does he have for this when he has to walk on the clouds and be with Christ? So, having thought about this, both men and wives, let us seek this wealth, this unexpendable property, so that we may be worthy to receive the Kingdom of Heaven 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: