Беседа 12

John 1:14. And the Word became flesh... full of grace and truth; and we saw His glory, glory as the only begotten of the Father. 1. What does the saying mean: “glory like the only begotten from the Father.” – 2 and 3. Signs and wonders before the coming of Jesus Christ. - Harbingers and preachers. – Human free will. – Virtue as a product of free will. – Miracles announced Jesus Christ and showed that he is the Only Begotten Son of God. – Miracles performed invisibly and visibly during His death. – What is the glory of Christ in heaven. 1. What we said yesterday, perhaps, seemed to you more than it should be shy and difficult, since we uttered a reproachful word and extended far away the reproach of many for negligence. But if they did this only with the intention of insulting you, then perhaps, rightly, each of you would be indignant. And since we neglected pleasantness in words, having in mind your benefit, then, even if you did not want to accept our care for you, you must at least forgive such our love. We were very afraid that with our efforts, you, for your part, not wanting to show the same diligence in listening, would not be subjected to an even more severe responsibility for the consequences. Therefore, we are forced to constantly excite you and raise you from sleep, so that nothing that has been said is lost to you. Only in this way can you live with boldness in the present century and in the next day stand before the throne of Christ. But since we already touched you enough yesterday, we will now proceed straight to the very sayings of the gospel. “And we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” The Evangelist, having said that we have become children of God, and having shown that this happened only through the incarnation of the Word, now presents another benefit from this. What is this? “And we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” We could not see if He had not appeared to us in the flesh He assumed. If Moses, who had the same nature as us, the people of that time could not see the face, only because it was glorified, and the righteous man even needed a veil to cover the greatness of glory and so that the prophet’s appearance seemed quiet and calm to them, then how could we, mortal and earth-born, contemplate the pure Divinity, which is unapproachable even for the heavenly powers themselves? This is why He moved among us, so that we could safely approach Him, talk and treat Him. What does it mean: “glory as the only begotten from the Father”? Since many of the prophets became famous, for example, the same Moses, Elijah and Elisha, of whom one was lifted up on a chariot of fire, and the other was taken from here in the usual way; After them, they became famous: Daniel, the three youths, and many others, who performed miracles; and the angels who appeared to people revealed to those who looked at them the radiant light of their own nature; and not only angels, but also cherubim appeared to the prophet with great glory, and also seraphim; That’s why the evangelist, taking us away from all these creatures, diverting our thoughts from creation and the glory of slaves like us, raises us to the very height of perfection. Not a prophet, he says, not an angel, not an archangel, not other higher powers and not any other created being, if there is any other, but the Lord himself, the King himself, the truest Only Begotten Son, the Lord most common to us all, we saw the glory. The expression: how - here means not likening or comparison, but confirmation and unquestionable determination; as if the evangelist had said so: we have seen the glory that is appropriate and characteristic of the only begotten and true Son of the King of all, God. This is how it usually happens, and I will not refuse to confirm my words with general custom, because it is not for the beauty of speech and not for the harmony of words that we now need to speak, but solely for your benefit. Therefore, nothing prevents us from confirming our thoughts and the custom of many? What is this custom of many? Many, seeing the king adorned, shining on all sides with precious stones, then, when they tell others about this beauty, splendor, glory, describe as much as they can, the color of the scarlet, the size of the stones, the whiteness of the horses, the golden harness, the shining bedspreads; but how, having retold this and so on, they still cannot express all the brilliance in words, and immediately add the following words: why say much? - in a word to say: like a king - and with this expression: just as they want to show not only that the one they are talking about is like a king, but that he is a true king - so the evangelist used the expression: like, wanting to depict the highest and incomparable superiority of glory (the Son of God). All others, angels, archangels, and prophets, did everything only by command (of God), and He with the power characteristic of the King and Lord. That is why the people marveled that He taught as one having authority. 2. So, as I said, angels also appeared on earth with great glory, for example, to Daniel, David, Moses, but they did everything as servants obeying their Lord; and Christ appeared as the Lord and Almighty, although in a humble and humiliated form. However, even in this form the creature knew its Lord. How? A star that appeared in the sky led the wise men to worship Him; a numerous face of angels, gathered from everywhere, surrounded and sang His praises; other preachers suddenly appeared; everyone, meeting each other, announced this ineffable sacrament: angels to the shepherds, shepherds to the inhabitants of the city, Gabriel to Mary and Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna to those who came to the church. And not only the husbands and wives were inspired with joy, but also the baby, who had not yet come into the world from his mother’s womb - I mean the desert dweller of the same name as this evangelist - leapt in his mother’s womb, and everyone was enlivened by hopes for the future. So it was immediately at His birth; and when He revealed Himself more, then again other miracles occurred, even greater than the first. It was no longer the star and the sky, not the angels and archangels, not Gabriel and Michael, but the Father himself from above from heaven announced Him, and together with the voice of the Father, the Comforter appeared above Him and remained on Him. Therefore, the evangelist rightly said: “we have seen His glory, glory as the only begotten from the Father.” However, this is not only why he said so, but also because of what followed. It was no longer just shepherds, widowed wives, or elderly men who told us, but the very essence of the deeds proclaimed Him louder than any trumpet, and thus it happened that the rumor about His deeds was soon heard here too. “And,” says the Scripture, “the rumor about Him spread throughout all Syria” (Matthew 4:24) and revealed Him to everyone; everything from everywhere proclaimed that the Tsar himself had descended from heaven. Demons ran away from everywhere and withdrew, the devil retreated in disgrace, death itself was at first little by little feared, and then completely abolished, all kinds of diseases were healed, the dead left coffins, demons left the possessed, diseases left the weak. Wonderful and wonderful things were seen, which truly the prophets wanted to see, but did not see. Vision was restored; and that longed-for spectacle that everyone would like to see - how God created Adam from the earth - and Christ showed this spectacle to everyone, although in a small form, but in relation to the best parts of the body. The weakened and disintegrated members were strengthened and united with one another, the dead arms received movement, the weakened legs suddenly jumped up, the ears blocked by deafness opened, and the tongue, hitherto bound by muteness, exclaimed in a loud voice. Just as a skilled artist restores a building that has fallen apart over time, so He is the common human nature: He replenished the severed parts, united the broken and disjointed parts, and restored those that had completely fallen away. What can we say about the restoration of the soul, which is much more amazing than physical healing? Physical health is important, but mental health is much more important, and the more important the soul is superior to the body; and not only because, but also because the bodily nature follows the direction in which the Creator wants to lead it, and does not resist at all, but the soul, being sovereign in itself and having freedom in action, does not always obey God, and precisely in what it does not want. He does not want to make her immaculate and virtuous against her will and by force; Yes, this would not be a virtue; she must be convinced - to freely and voluntarily become like this; and this is much more difficult than physical healing. But He did this too and drove away every kind of evil. And just as He healed bodies, He restored them not only to health, but also to perfect well-being, so He not only freed souls from extreme sinfulness, but also elevated them to the very top of virtue. So the publican became an apostle; the persecutor, blasphemer and annoyancer was the preacher of the universe; the Magi became teachers of the Jews; the robber turned out to be a resident of paradise; the harlot was famous for her great faith; a Canaanite wife and a Samaritan wife - one, being also a harlot, took upon herself to preach among fellow tribesmen and, captivating the whole city, led him to Christ, and the other, with faith and patience, achieved the expulsion of an evil demon from the soul of her daughter. Still others, much worse than these, soon joined the ranks of the disciples. Everything suddenly changed in its appearance: physical ailments, mental illnesses were transformed into health and perfect virtue; and, moreover, not two or three people, not five or ten, not twenty or only a hundred, but entire cities and peoples were converted with great speed. And who can depict the wisdom of the rules, the perfection of heavenly laws, the improvement of the life of the angels? He introduced such a way of life among us, laid down such laws for us, established such morals, that those who assimilate them soon become angels and like God, as far as possible within our strength, even if in themselves they were worse than all people. 3. Citing all these miracles - miracles in bodies, miracles in souls, miracles in the elements - commandments, ineffable gifts, higher than heaven itself, laws, prosperity, the power of conviction, promises in the future, finally, His sufferings - the evangelist uttered these wonderful words filled with lofty teaching: “And the Word became flesh... full of grace and truth; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” We not only marvel at His miracles, but also at His sufferings - how He was nailed to the cross, scourged, strangled, spit on; how he suffered blows to the head from the very ones who had been blessed by Him. So, about this, about everything that seems humiliating, it is worthy to say the same saying, just as the evangelist himself calls all this glory. Indeed, all this was not only a matter of industry and love, but also of ineffable power. Then death was abolished, and the oath was destroyed, and demons were put to shame, and triumph over them was revealed, and the handwriting of our sins was nailed to the cross. But while these miracles were performed invisibly, there were others - visible ones, which showed that He is truly the only begotten Son of God and the Lord of all creation. While His blessed body was still hanging on the cross, the sun hid its rays, the earth shook and was completely covered in darkness, the tombs were opened, the bowels of the earth shook and a great host of the dead arose and came to the city (Jerusalem). Then, when the stones were placed at the door of His tomb, and seals were also attached, He, dead, crucified, nailed, rose up and, having filled His eleven disciples with some invincible and divine power, sent them to all people throughout the universe - to heal their common nature, correct their way of life, spread the knowledge of heavenly teaching throughout the entire earth, destroy the power of demons, reveal great and ineffable blessings, to preach to us the immortality of the soul and the eternal life of the body, rewards that surpass all minds and can never end. So, the blessed evangelist, imagining all this and more than this, which he himself knew, but did not dare to write (because the world could not contain it, as he himself says: “If these things were written in detail, I think that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25) - all this, I say imagining, he exclaimed: “And the Word became flesh... full of grace and truth; and we saw His glory, glory as the only begotten from the Father." And to those who were worthy to see and hear such great miracles and received such a great gift, they must also be shown a life worthy of teaching, in order to be worthy of future blessings. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ came, so that not only here we would see His glory, but also in the next century. Therefore He said: “I want them to be with Me, so that they may see My glory" ( John 17:24) If His glory here was so brilliant and majestic, then what can we say about His glory here? It will no longer be revealed on the corruptible earth, not before beings clothed in mortal bodies, as we are now, but in an incorruptible and immortal creation, and with such greatness that no word can describe it. Oh, blessed, thrice blessed and infinitely blessed are those who are worthy to contemplate this glory! The prophet says about her: “Let the wicked disappear, and not see the glory of the Lord” (Is. 26:10). But let it not be that any of us is rejected and never deserves to see it! And if we do not enjoy it, then it will be fair to say about us: it would be better if we had not been born. Why do we live? Why do we breathe? Why do we exist if we do not achieve such contemplation, if none of us will it not be allowed to see our Lord then? If those who do not see the light of the sun spend a life worse than any death, then how should those who are deprived of that light suffer? Here this deprivation consists only of misfortune, but there it is not only this; However, if this were only the misfortune, then even in this case the punishment would not be equal, but the future is all the more difficult than the present, since the Sun is incomparably more excellent than this one; and, in addition, we must expect another execution. Whoever is not worthy to see that light will not only be cast into darkness, but will also burn in continuous fire, melt in it, grind his teeth and endure other countless sufferings. So, let us not be careless about ourselves, and for short-term negligence and carelessness we will not subject ourselves to eternal punishment; but let us watch and be sober, let us do and arrange everything in such a way as to be worthy of that (eternal) pleasure and to get rid of the river of fire flowing with great noise before the terrible judgment seat. And whoever once falls into it will have to remain there forever, and no one will save him from torment - neither father, nor mother, nor brother. The prophets also cry out about this; one says: “A man will never redeem his brother, nor will he give God a ransom for him” (Ps. 48:8). And Ezekiel says even more: “and if there had been... three men: Noah, Daniel and Job,... then these three men... would not have saved either sons or daughters” (Ezekiel 14:14, 16). There is only one defense - defense by deeds; and whoever does not have it cannot be saved by any other means. So, constantly keeping all this in mind and reflecting, let us purify our life and make it bright, so that we can see the Lord with boldness and achieve the promised blessings, through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: