Беседа 6

Matt. 2:1–2. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?” for we saw His star in the east and came to worship Him. The star that appeared at the birth of Christ does not justify the teachings of astrologers. – She was an invisible force that took the form of a star; - four proofs of this. – The purpose of the appearance of the star and the coming of the Magi. – God in the dispensation of economy is applied to the state and ordinary views of people. – Why does the evangelist indicate the time and place of birth? – Who prompted the Magi to travel. – God does not violate free will. – Why were the Jews confused when they heard about the birth of Christ? – An exhortation to listeners to cultivate in themselves love for the spiritual and contrition for sins. – Tears of repentance cleanse the soul just as much as baptism. – Laughter is condemned by Scripture; it comes from the suggestion of the devil, like the spectacle. – Great harm caused by spectacles. 1. We need to watch a lot, pray a lot, in order to be able to explain the present place, and find out who these wise men were, where and how they came, who prompted them to do this, and what kind of star it was. But if you like, let us better suggest in advance what the opponents of the truth say. The devil has so mastered them that even here they find a reason to arm themselves against the word of truth. What are they saying? It is said that a star appeared at the birth of Christ - this means, they say, that astrology is an undoubted science. But if Christ was born according to astrological laws, then how did He destroy astrology, reject fate, stop the mouths of demons, drive out error, and overthrow all kinds of sorcery? And what do the wise men recognize from His star? That He was the King of the Jews? But He was not the King of an earthly kingdom, just as He said to Pilate: “My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). Yes, He did not show Himself as a King: He did not have with Him any spear-bearers, shield-bearers, horses, or paired mules - in a word, nothing like that; but he led a simple and poor life, leading twelve people with Him, not famous for anything. But if the Magi knew that He was the King, then why did they come? The point of stargazing, as they say, is not at all to find out from the stars who will be born, but to predict from the time of birth what will happen in the future. Meanwhile, the Magi were not present at the Mother’s birth, nor did they know the time when she gave birth, and therefore had no reason to conclude about the future based on the course of the stars. On the contrary, long before birth, having seen a star appearing in their land, they go to see the Born One; and this is even more incomprehensible than before. What reason prompted them? In the hope of what rewards do they go from such a distant place to bow to the King? If they thought that He would be their King, then there would not be sufficient reason for them to go. If He had been born in the royal palace, if His father had been a king and was with Him, then one could say that by worshiping the born Baby they wanted to please their father, and thereby earn their favor. But now they know that the newborn will be the King not of them, but of another people, in a country distant from them; They know that He is not yet of perfect age: why do they undertake such a journey and bring gifts, moreover, being exposed to great dangers in this matter? In fact, when Herod heard it, he was embarrassed, and all the people, when they heard about it from them, were agitated. Didn't they foresee this? But it's incredible. Even with all their short-sightedness, they could not help but know that when they come to a city that has a king, and begin to publicly announce that there is another king besides the one now reigning there, they will expose themselves to a thousand deaths. Why did they worship him who lay in swaddling clothes? If He were of full age, it might be said that they were plunged into obvious danger in the hope of His help; but even that would be a sign of extreme unreason - for a Persian, a barbarian who has nothing in common with the Jewish people, to decide to leave his land, leave his fatherland, relatives and home, and subject himself to someone else’s dominion! 2. If this is unreasonable, then the next one is even more unreasonable. What is it? To go such a long way, just bow, excite everyone and immediately leave. And what signs of kingship did they find when they saw the hut, the manger, the baby in swaddling clothes, and the poor mother? Who did they bring gifts to? And for what? Was it established and accepted as a custom to show respect to every born king in this way? Did they go around the whole universe and about whom they learned that he would become a king from a low and poor state, did they worship him before ascending to the royal throne? But no one can say this. Why did they worship? If for real benefits, then what could they expect from the baby and the poor mother? If in the hope of future ones, then how could they know that the child whom they worshiped when he was in swaddling clothes would remember it later? Let's assume that his mother would remind him of this; but even in this case, they deserve not praise, but blame for the fact that they exposed him to obvious danger, since Herod, embarrassed by them, questioned, searched for and took every measure to kill him. And anywhere, about a baby who was born from private people, to say that he will be a king means only to betray him to death, to bring upon him many troubles. Do you see how many inconsistencies are revealed if we judge this event according to the course of human affairs and according to general custom? And, besides, one could find many other, even greater difficulties. But so as not to confuse you by adding perplexities to perplexities, let us now begin to resolve the issues. Let's start with the star of Christ. If we find out what kind of star it was, and whether it was ordinary or different from the others, whether it was a real star or just looked like a star, then it will be easy to understand everything else. How can you find out about this? From Scripture itself. That she was not an ordinary star, or even a star, but, as it seems to me, some invisible force that took the form of a star, this is proven, firstly, by her very path. No, and there cannot be a star that would have such a path. We see that the sun and the moon and all the other stars go from east to west; and this star flowed from the north at noon: this is precisely the position of Palestine in relation to Persia. Secondly, the same can be seen from time itself: it does not appear at night, but in the middle of the day, with the sun shining, which is not characteristic not only of a star, but also of the moon. Although the moon is larger than all the stars, when sunlight appears, it immediately hides and becomes invisible. The star of Christ, with the superiority of its brilliance, overcame the very light of the sun, was clearer than the sun, and no matter how brilliant it was, it shone more. Thirdly, it is proven by the fact that the star first appears and then disappears again. When the Magi went to Palestine, she was visible and showed them the way; and when they entered Jerusalem, she disappeared. Then, when they, having told Herod why they had come, left him and got ready to set off, the star appears again. This is already the movement not of a star, but of some completely intelligent force. She did not have her own definite path, but when it was necessary to stop, she stood, taking everything into consideration with their needs, like a pillar of cloud along which the regiment of the Jews stopped and rose from their place when necessary. Fourthly, the same can be clearly seen from the very way in which the star indicated the place. She did not point it out from the heights of the sky; in that case, the Magi would not have been able to distinguish the place; but to indicate it, she sank down. You yourself know that an ordinary star cannot be shown such a small space as the hut occupied, especially the space that contained the body of the Child. Since its height is immeasurable, it could not by itself designate and define such a narrow space for those who wanted to know it. Anyone can judge this by the moon; it, being much larger than the stars, seems close to each of the inhabitants of the universe, scattered throughout the earth's latitude. So tell me, how would the star have indicated such a cramped place of the manger and hut if it had not left the heights, descended down, and stood above the very head of the Child? The evangelist also makes this clear when he says: “And behold, the star that they saw in the east went before them, when at last it came and stood over the place where the Child was” (Matthew 2:9). You see how much evidence there is that this star was extraordinary and did not appear according to the laws of external nature. 3. But why did she come? In order to expose the insensitive Jews, and deprive them - the ungrateful ones - of any way to justify themselves. Since the purpose of Christ’s coming was to abolish the ancient rules of life, to call the entire universe to worship Himself, and to accept this worship on earth and at sea, Christ from the very beginning opens the door to the pagans, wanting to teach his own through strangers. Since the Jews, constantly hearing the prophets proclaiming the coming of Christ, did not pay special attention to it, the Lord inspired the barbarians to come from a distant country and ask about the King who was born among the Jews; and they were the first to learn from the Persians what they did not want to learn from the prophets. God did this in order to give them the surest way to be convinced if they were prudent, or to deprive them of all justification if they were stubborn. In fact, what can the Jews, who did not accept Christ after so many prophetic proofs, say in their defense, seeing the Magi, who, after the appearance of only the stars, accepted Him and bowed to Him who appeared? So, God dealt with the wise men in the same way as with the Ninevites, to whom he sent Jonah, as well as with the Samaritan and Canaanite women. That is why it is said: “The Ninevites will rise up in judgment with this generation and will condemn” and: “The queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation and will condemn” this generation (Matthew 12:41-42) - because they believed the lesser, but the Jews did not believe the greater. You may ask why God brought the Magi to Christ with such a phenomenon? But how should it be? Send prophets? But the Magi would not accept the prophets. Give a voice from above? But they would not heed the voice. Send an angel? But they wouldn’t listen to that either. Therefore, God, having left such means, out of His special condescension, uses for their calling what was more familiar to them: He shows a large and extraordinary star, so that it will amaze them with its size, its beautiful appearance, and its extraordinary flow. Imitating this, the Apostle Paul, when reasoning with the Greeks, begins his speech from the altar, and cites evidence from their poets; and when he preaches to the Jews, he talks about circumcision, teaching those living under the law, he begins with sacrifices. Since everyone loves what he is accustomed to, then both God and the people He sends to save the world apply to this. So, do not think that it is unworthy of God to call the Magi through the star; otherwise you will have to reject everything Jewish - sacrifices, purifications, new moons, the ark, and the temple itself, because all this was allowed due to the pagan rudeness of the Jews. And God, for the salvation of the erring, with a slight change, allowed in His service what the pagans observed when serving demons, so that, little by little, distracting them from pagan habits, they would lead them to high wisdom. He did the same with the Magi, deigning to call them by the appearance of a star, in order to then honor them with the highest. He who encouraged them to go and guided them along the way, after placing them before the manger, no longer instructs them through a star, but through an angel; Thus, little by little they ascended to the highest. God did the same with the inhabitants of Ascalon and Gaza. When the five Philistine cities, upon the arrival of the ark to them, were struck by the mortal plague and did not find any means to get rid of the disaster that befell them, then, having convened the wise men, in a general meeting they consulted on how to free themselves from this plague sent from God; The wise men advised taking the cows that were not yet under the yoke and bringing the first calves, harnessing them under the ark and letting them go wherever they wanted, in order to see through this whether it was a God-sent ulcer or some random disease. If the cows, they said, because they are not accustomed to the yoke, break it, or return to the calves, it will mean that the ulcer occurred by chance; if they go straight, the lowing of the calves will not have any effect on them and they will not go astray from the road unfamiliar to them, then it will be obvious that the hand of God has touched these cities (1 Samuel 5:6). The inhabitants listened to the wise men and acted on their advice; and God, in His condescension, did not consider it unworthy for Himself, applying to the opinion of the Magi, to put into effect what they predicted, and to justify their words by the event. Such an action was all the more important because the opponents themselves testified to the power of God, and their teachers confirmed this with their verdict. Many other examples can be seen in the divine economy. So, for example, what is known about the ventriloquist (1 Samuel 28) happened by the same divine providence, which you yourself can judge from what was said above. I said all this to explain what was written about the star; you yourself, perhaps, are able to say even more - it is said: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be even wiser” (Proverbs 9:9). 4. It’s time, however, to turn to the beginning of what we read. What is the beginning? Matthew 2:1. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. The Magi followed the star that led them, but the Jews did not believe the prophets who preached. But why does the evangelist mean both time and place when he says: “In Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod”? Why does he also mention dignity itself? About dignity - for the fact that there was another Herod who killed John; but that one was a tetrarch, and this one a king; he points to the time and place in order to bring to our memory the ancient prophecies, of which one was spoken by Micah: “And you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, are you small among the thousands of Judah?” (Mic. 5:2), the other is Patriarch Jacob, who, having accurately indicated the time, indicated the most important sign of the coming of Christ: “The scepter,” he said, “will not depart from Judah, and the lawgiver from between his feet, until the Conciliator comes, and to Him the submission of the nations” (Gen. 49:10). It is also worthy of research where the Magi came from the idea to go, and who prompted them to do so. It seems to me that this was not the work of one star; but God himself moved their hearts, just as He did with Cyrus, inducing him to let the Jews go. However, He did this without violating free will, just as He called Paul with a voice from above, and together revealed His grace and revealed his obedience. But, you tell me, why didn’t he reveal this to all the Magi? Because not everyone would have believed it, but these were more ready than others. Thousands of nations perished, and the prophet Jonah was sent only to the Ninevites; There were two thieves on the cross, but only one escaped. And so know that the Magi showed virtue not only by the fact that they came, but also by the fact that they acted boldly. So that they are not considered suspicious people, upon arrival they talk about their guide, about the long journey, and at the same time they show courage: “They came,” they say, “to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2), and are not afraid of either the rage of the people or the cruelty of the king. From this I conclude that they were teachers of their compatriots at home; if here - in Jerusalem - they did not hesitate to talk about it, then with great boldness they preached about it in their homeland, after they received a revelation from an angel and a testimony from a prophet. Matthew 2:3. Hearing this, King Herod was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. It was natural for Herod, as a king, to fear for himself and for his children; but what was Jerusalem afraid of when the prophets had long predicted about Christ as the Savior, benefactor and liberator? What confused the Jews? The same frivolity that had previously turned them away from God, their benefactor, so that, having received complete freedom, they remembered the Egyptian meats. Look how the prophets did not omit anything: one of them predicted this long ago: “They will be given over to be burned, as food for the fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isa. 9:5–6). But despite their embarrassment, the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not bother to check what happened themselves, do not follow the wise men, are not curious: they were the most persistent and careless of all! They should boast that a King was born to them, and he attracted the Persian country to himself, and that everyone would submit to them, when circumstances had changed so much for the better, when the very beginning was so brilliant; but even that did not make them better, although they had only just freed themselves from Persian captivity. If no high secrets had been revealed to them, then, judging by real events alone, they could have concluded this: if so much reverence for our Tsar at his very birth, then they will fear him much more and submit to him at his perfect age, and we will become much more glorious than the barbarians. But not a single such thought delighted them: so great was their carelessness, and with it their blindness! Therefore, it is necessary to carefully remove both of these vices from oneself, and one who wants to arm himself against them must be stronger than fire. That is why Christ said: “I came to bring down fire on the earth, and how I wish it would already be kindled!” (Luke 12:49). That is why the Holy Spirit appears in the form of fire. 5. But we are colder than dust and deader than the dead, while we see that Paul ascends above heaven and the heaven of heavens, overcomes everything stronger than any flame and rises above everything below and above, present and future, existing and non-existent. Let us assume that this example is beyond your strength; however, this is an excuse for your carelessness alone (that Paul had too much in front of you, why was it impossible for you to imitate him?). But so that we do not argue, leaving Paul behind, let us take as an example the leading Christians, who abandoned wealth, possessions, worries and all everyday affairs, and devoted themselves completely to God, diligently heeding the teaching of the word day and night. Such is spiritual fire; he does not leave us with any attachment to earthly things, but inflames us with a different love. That is why the one who loves the spiritual, if he needs to leave everything, despise pleasures and glory, give up his very soul, will do all this without any difficulty. The warmth of spiritual fire, penetrating the soul, drives out all carelessness from it, and makes those embraced by it lighter than the pen, and makes them despise everything visible. Such a person is already in constant contrition (of the heart), shedding inexhaustible sources of tears, and receiving great pleasure from it, because nothing brings him closer and unites him to God as much as such tears. Such a person, although he lives in the city, spends his life as if in the desert, in the mountains and in caves, without taking care of those around him, and never being satisfied with his own tears, whether he cries for himself or for the sins of others. That is why God, first of all, blessed those who mourn, saying: “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4). But how does Paul say: “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4)? He talks about the pleasure that comes from these tears. Just as worldly joy is mixed with sadness, so tears for God grow everlasting and unfading joy. Thus the harlot, engulfed in this fire, became more worthy than the virgins. Warmed by repentance, she was inflamed with such love for Christ that she let down her hair, and wet His holy feet with tears, wiping them with her hair, and did not spare the world. But all this was only external; and what was happening in her heart, and what God alone saw, was much more fiery. That is why each of us, hearing about this, rejoices with her, admires her good deed, and forgives her for all her misdeeds. If we, being evil, pronounce such a judgment about her, then think how much she was justified by a man-loving God, and what fruits of repentance she collected, even before receiving the gifts of God? Just as after a torrential rain the air becomes clean, so after the shedding of tears there comes silence and clarity, and the darkness of sin disappears. Just as we were first cleansed by water and the spirit, so later we are cleansed by tears and repentance, unless we do this out of hypocrisy and vanity. She who weeps feigningly deserves even more condemnation than she who embellishes herself with rouge and polish. I demand tears shed not for show, but out of contrition, shed secretly, in a secluded room, without witnesses, in silence and silence, tears from the depths of the heart, from inner grief and sadness, shed only for God, such as Anna’s tears were: “Her lips,” it is said, “only moved, and her voice was not heard” (1 Samuel 1:13). But only tears cried louder than a trumpet; For such tears, God opened her womb, and made the hard stone a soft field. 6. If you cry the same way, then you are imitating your Lord. And He wept over Lazarus (John 11:35), over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), and was troubled in spirit over Judas (John 13:21). Yes, and it often happened that He was seen crying, but that He laughed, or even smiled a little, no one ever saw this - which is why not one of the evangelists mentioned it. Also, Paul himself testifies to this that he wept, and wept for three years day and night (Acts 20:31), and others say this about him; and that he ever laughed, neither he himself, nor another apostle, nor any of the saints, nor about him, nor about anyone else like him, speaks about this anywhere. Scripture speaks about Sarah alone (Gen. 18:12), for which she received a reproach, also about the son of Noah, who for this reason became a slave from a free man. However, I say this not forbidding laughter, but restraining from immoderate laughter. Tell me, why do you rejoice and laugh beyond measure, when you are subject to such responsibility, when you must one day appear at the Last Judgment and give a strict account of everything that you have done in life? We must give an account of all our voluntary and involuntary sins: “Whoever,” says the Lord, “denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). Even if this renunciation was involuntary, however, it will not escape punishment, and we will give an account for it, both for what we know and for what we do not know: “For although I know nothing about myself,” says Paul (1 Cor. 4:4), “I am not justified by this,” both for what was done out of ignorance and for what was done consciously. “For I testify to them,” says the apostle (Rom. 10:2), “that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” However, this does not justify them. And in the letter to the Corinthians: “But I fear, lest, just as the serpent deceived Eve with his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted, straying from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3). You will need to give such a strict report, and you sit and laugh, joke and think about fun? But you say: what good is it if I cry instead? Enormous benefit - such that it cannot be expressed in words. At the human court, no matter how much you cry, you will not escape punishment when the determination is made; but here, if you just take a breath, the sentence is destroyed and forgiveness is received. That is why Christ so often tells us about tears and calls those who cry blessed and those who laugh poor. There is no place for laughter here, and we have not gathered here to laugh, but to groan, and for these groans we will inherit the kingdom. Standing before the earthly king, you don’t even dare to smile slightly; and where does the Lord of the angels dwell, do you stand without trembling and without reverence, even laughing when He has angered you many times? And don’t you think that you irritate Him more with this than with your sins? Truly, God usually turns away not so much from those who sin, but from those who, having committed a sin, do not repent of it. Despite all this, some are so insensitive that, despite what has been said, they say: it’s better for me never to cry, but God forbid I always laugh and play. What could be more reckless than such a thought? It is not God, but the devil who teaches you how to play. Listen to what happened to those playing: “And the people sat down,” says Scripture, “to eat and drink, and then they stood up to play” (Ex. 32:6). This is how the Sodomites behaved, this is how those who lived before the flood behaved. Scripture says about the first that they are proud, and in abundance, and “fedulous and idle” 5 (Ezek. 16:49). And those who lived under Noah, having seen the ark being built for so long, had fun carefreely, not thinking at all about the future; For this very reason the flood destroyed them all, and then subjected the entire universe to shipwreck. 7. So, do not ask God for what you get from the devil. It is God’s nature to give a heart that is contrite and humble, sober, chaste and self-controlled, repentant and tender. These are the gifts of God, because we have the greatest need of them. Indeed, we have a difficult feat ahead of us, a struggle with invisible forces, a battle with the spirits of evil, a war with the principalities, with the authorities; and it would be good if, with all our diligence, sobriety and vigilance, we could resist this ferocious horde. If we laugh, play and always indulge in laziness, then even before the battle we will fall from our own carelessness. It is not our business to constantly laugh, have fun and live cheerfully; this is the business of actors, shameful women, and people destined for this, parasites, flatterers; This is not characteristic of those who are called to heaven, who are not written in the city on high, who have not received spiritual weapons, but of those who have doomed themselves to the devil. It was he, he himself, who invented such an art to attract the soldiers of Christ to himself and weaken the strength of their spirit. That’s why he built theaters in the cities and, having trained laughers, this plague infects the whole city. What Paul commanded to run away (Eph. 5:4) - I mean idle talk and jokes - the devil persuades to love; and what is worst in this is a reason for laughter. When those presenting funny things in the theater say something blasphemous and shameful, then many, being even crazier than them, laugh and are amused by it; for which they should be stoned, they applaud him, and for such pleasure they prepare a fiery furnace for themselves. After all, those who praise those who speak such speeches thereby encourage them to do so; and therefore the punishment that is prescribed for laugh-makers is more fair to fall on those who laugh, because if there were not a single spectator, then there would be no actor. And when they see that you are leaving your workshop, and your work, and what you could have worked, in a word, everything, just to spend time in the theater, then they become more diligent, with greater diligence in carrying out their work. However, I am not saying this to apologize to them, but to make you understand that the beginning and root of this lawlessness actually comes from you, from you, who spend the whole day on this, you expose an honest marriage to ridicule, you disgrace the great sacrament. Truly, it is not so much the one who represents in the theater who sins as in comparison with him you, who force him to do it; and you not only force, but also take care of it, rejoice and laugh, praise the performance, and assist the demonic work in every possible way. Tell me, with what eyes will you later look at your wife at home, having seen her disgraced in the theater? How can you imagine your wife without blushing when you saw her entire sex dishonored? 8. Don’t tell me that what is presented in the theater is just acting. This hypocrisy made many adulterers, and upset many homes. This is what I especially grieve about is that they don’t even suspect the worst in this, but such depraved performances are accepted with applause, exclamations and loud laughter. So, are you saying that this is all a sham? But for this very thing the actors would have cost thousands of deaths, because they learned to imitate what is prohibited by all laws. If a thing is bad, then imitation of it is bad. I’m not even talking about how many people who present these adulterous spectacles make fornicators, and what impudence and shamelessness they teach the spectators to. After all, only the voluptuous and insolent eye can bear to look at these spectacles. You wouldn’t look at a naked woman in the square, much less at home—you’d be offended by such a sight; but you go to the theater to insult the honor of both the male and female sex, and to disgrace your eyes. Do not say that the harlot is naked, because both the harlot and the noble woman have one sex and one body. If there is nothing obscene in this, then why, when you see the same thing in the square, do you run away and drive away the shameless woman? Or when we are apart, then it is obscene, but when we get together and sit together, then it is no longer shameful? This is ridiculous and shameful and signifies extreme madness. It is better to smear your whole face with mud or manure than to look at such lawlessness, because dirt is not as harmful to the eye as the lustful gaze and sight of a naked woman. Remember what was the cause of nakedness in the beginning, and fear what was the cause of this shame. What produced the nakedness? Disobedience and malice of the devil. This is his long-standing and first effort. But the first parents, at least, were ashamed of their nakedness, and you like it, according to the apostolic word: “Their glory is in their shame” (Phil. 3:19). How will your wife look at you when you return from such a lawless spectacle? How will he receive you? How will he speak to you after you have so dishonestly disgraced the entire female sex, been captivated by such a spectacle, and become the slave of a harlot? However, if my word grieves you, then I am very grateful to you for that: “Who will make me glad but the one who grieves me” (2 Cor. 2:2)? Never stop crying and tormenting yourself about this; such sorrow will be the beginning of correction for us. That is why I strengthened my word, to make the wound deeper, to save you from the rotting of infected members, and to return you to perfect mental health, which we all fully enjoy, and may we receive the rewards determined for us for such good deeds of ours, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Church Slav.: “in the abundance of bread and the abundance of wine of your voluptuousness.” You might be interested in: