Беседа 64

John 11:41–42. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: Father! I thank You that You heard Me. I knew that You would always hear Me; but he said this for the people standing here... and so on. 1. Out of condescension for the weakness of his listeners, Jesus Christ did not always speak as God. – 2. On the equality of the Son with the Father. – 3. The confusion of the Pharisees on the occasion of the resurrection of Lazarus. “They are plotting to kill the Author of Life.” – 4. Against envy. – Who exactly needs to be mourned? 1. What I have said many times, I will say now, is that Christ does not pay so much attention to his own dignity as to our salvation, and does not care about saying anything great, but what can attract us. Therefore, there is little that is lofty and great in His words, and even that is hidden, but there is a lot of humiliation and ordinaryness. Since this latter attracted more attention, He speaks about it more often. However, He does not always speak humiliatingly, so as not to harm the future (listeners of His teaching), and He does not remain silent about it, so as not to tempt those of that time. People freed from low concepts can understand everything from one high dogma; and those who have always had low concepts and would not have come at all if they had not often listened to humiliated things. After all, it is known that even after this the Jews did not lag behind, but threw stones at Him, pursued Him, tried to kill Him and called Him a blasphemer. Thus, when He presents Himself as equal with God, they say: “He blasphemes” (Mark 2:7; John 10:33, 36); and when he said: “Your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:9), they even call Him mad, just as when he said that he who listens to His words is above death (John 8:51). In the same way, they leave Him when He said: “The Father is in Me and I in Him” (John 10:38), and they are tempted when He says of Himself that He came down from heaven. If they did not tolerate such words even when they were rarely spoken, then of course they would have listened to Him even less if His speech had always been lofty, and all composed of such words. Meanwhile, when He says: “As My Father commanded Me, so I speak” (John 8:28), and also: “I did not come of Myself” (John 7:28), then they believe; and what exactly is “then” is clear from the words of the evangelist, who, meaning this, says: “When He said this, many believed on Him” (John 8:30). So, if humiliated speeches attracted people to faith, and high ones alienated them from it, then is it not extremely crazy not to think that the whole reason for the humiliation is that they were spoken in an adaptive way to the listeners? So in another place He wanted to say something great, but kept silent, indicating this reason with the words: “but so that we do not tempt them, go to the sea and throw a fishing rod” (Matthew 17:27). He does the same thing here. After he said: “I knew that you would always hear me,” He added: “But I said this for the people standing here, so that they might believe” (John 11:42). Are these our words? Is this a human assumption? This means that if someone could not be convinced from what was written that they were tempted by lofty speeches, then can he, hearing how Christ himself testifies that He speaks humbly so that they would not be tempted, can he still think that His humiliating words were a matter of His nature, and not of condescension? So in another place, when a voice was heard from above, He said: “This voice was not for Me, but for the people” (John 12:30). However, a great person can say a lot about himself in a humiliating way; but it is indecent for a humble person to proclaim something great and lofty about himself. This happens due to condescension, and has its reason in the weakness of those listening; or better - in order to incite humility, to convince that He is clothed in flesh, to teach listeners not to say anything great about themselves; and also because the listeners considered Him an adversary of God, did not believe that He came from God, thought that He was destroying the law, envied Him and were at enmity against Him because He called Himself equal to God. And when someone, insignificant in himself, says something great about himself, then there is no reason for this, neither plausible nor unseemly: it will only be madness, shamelessness and unforgivable insolence. So. Why does (Christ) speak humbly, in view of his ineffable and great being? Both for the above reasons, and so that He would not be considered unborn. So Paul, apparently, was afraid of something similar, which is why he said: “except Him who put all things in subjection to Him” (1 Cor. 15:27). Indeed, it is wicked to even contemplate this. If, on the other hand, He were less than the One who gave birth, and another creature, and yet He was considered equal, then would He not do everything so that He would not be considered such? But He does the opposite, saying: “If I do not the works of My Father, do not believe Me” (John 10:37). Likewise, when he says that “I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:10), He points us to equality. He should have refuted this with all his might if He had been smaller, and absolutely never said: “I am in the Father and the Father in Me,” or: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), or: “he who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Meanwhile, when He spoke about power, He said: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), and when there was a speech about power, He again said: “As the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to whomever He will” (John 5:21). But He could not do this if He were of another being; and even if He could, He should not have said this, lest they think that (They have) the same being. If, in order not to be considered an opponent of God, He often says things that are unusual for Him, then all the more should one have done so in that case. But He, with the words: “that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father” (John 5:23), and the words: works, “what He does, I also do” (John 5:19), and by the fact that He calls Himself the resurrection and life (John 11:25) and the light of the world (John 8:12), shows that He is equal to the One who gave birth, and confirms the assumption that they made for themselves. Jews. Do you see how much He said to defend Himself in that He does not destroy the law? And the opinion of His equality with the Father not only does not refute, but also affirms. So at the time when they said: you speak blasphemy because you make yourself God (John 10:33), He confirmed this, pointing out the equality of affairs. 2. But why am I talking about the fact that the Son acted this way (speaking humiliatingly about Himself), when the Father, who did not take on the flesh, does the same? And He, for the sake of the salvation of those listening, allowed many humiliating things to be said about Himself. So the words: “The Lord God called to Adam and said to him: where are you?” (Gen.3:9), and: “I will see whether they do exactly what the cry is against them” (Gen.18:21), and: “Now I know that you fear God” (Gen.22:12), and: “whether they will listen or not” (Ezek.3:11), and: “Oh, that they would have such a heart as to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, May it be good for them and their sons forever!” (Deut. 5:29) of this people, and also: “There is none among the gods like You, O Lord” (Ps. 85:8) - this and many other similar things found in the Old Testament are obviously unworthy of the majesty of God. And about Ahab it is also said: “Who would captivate Ahab to Me” (2 Chronicles 18:19)? And he always puts himself above the pagan gods - by comparing himself with them. All this is unworthy of God, but worthy in other respects: He is so loving of mankind that, for our salvation, He neglects expressions befitting His dignity. After all, this very thing is unworthy, that He became a man, that He took on the form of a slave, that He uttered humiliating speeches, and dressed in humble clothes - it is unworthy if anyone begins to look at His greatness, but it is worthy if anyone thinks about the ineffable riches of His love for mankind. But there is another reason for the humiliation of His speeches. Which one exactly? The one who knew and confessed the Father, but did not know Him. Therefore, He often turns to the Father, since He has already been confessed, but He himself seemed not yet worthy of faith - not because of his own weakness, but because of the foolishness and weakness of his listeners. That’s why He prays and says: “Father! I thank You that You heard Me." After all, if He “gives life to whom He will” (John 5:21), and lives just like the Father, then why does He pray? But it’s time to get down to the subject itself. “they took the stone away from the cave where the deceased lay. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: Father! I thank You that You heard Me. I knew that You would always hear Me; But I said this for the people standing here, so that they might believe that You sent Me” (John 11:41-42). Let us ask the heretic: did He receive strength from prayer and raise the dead? How could He do other things without prayer, saying, for example: I say to you, demon, “come out of him” (Mark 9:25), and also: “I want, be cleansed” (Mark 1:41), also: “take up your bed and walk” (John 5:8), and: “Your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9:2), and saying to the sea: “Be silent, cease” (Mark 4:39 )? And how will He be greater than the apostles, if He himself works miracles through prayer? Moreover, they did not do everything through prayer, but often without prayer, calling on the name of Jesus. If His name had such power, then how could He Himself need prayer? And if He needed prayer, then His name would have no power. And did He need what kind of prayer when He created man? Isn't there great equality there? It is said: “Let us make man” (Gen. 1:26). And what would be weaker if He needed prayer? But let’s see what kind of prayer this is: “Father! I thank You that You heard Me." Who has ever prayed like this? Before he says anything, he says: “thank you,” showing that he does not need prayer. “I knew that You would always hear Me.” He said this not because He himself could not, but because (They) have one will. But why did He take on the appearance of one praying? Listen not to me, but to Himself; and He says: “For the people standing here, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” He did not say: “so that they may believe” that I am less, that I need help from above, that I cannot do without prayer, but: “that You sent Me.” Meanwhile, prayer means all this, if we simply understand it. He did not say: You sent Me weak, familiar with slavery, doing nothing in my own strength. But leaving all this aside, so that you do not assume anything like this, represents the true reason for the prayer, namely: so that they do not consider Me an adversary of God, so that they do not say that I am not from God, in order to show that this matter is being done according to Your will. If I were the enemy of God, as He says so, then this (miracle) would not have happened. And the expression: “You heard Me” is used both about friends and equals. “I knew that You would always hear Me,” that is, in order for My will to be done, for this I do not need prayer, but I need it to convince that You and I have the same desire. Why are you praying? For the weak and foolish. “Having said this, He cried with a loud voice” (John 11:43). Why didn’t He say: in the name of My Father, come out? Why didn’t he say: Father, raise him up? Why, on the contrary, by leaving all this and taking on the form of one praying, does He show His power? And this is the work of His wisdom - in words, it expresses condescension, and in deeds - power. Since they could not accuse Him of anything other than that He was not from God, and this was precisely what deceived the people, then He shows this very clearly in His words, and, moreover, in the way that their weakness required. He could have shown his agreement (His with the Father) in another way, and at the same time his own dignity, but the people could not rise to that level. "Lazarus! “Get out,” He says (John 11:43), in accordance with what he said before: “the time is coming... when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and having heard, they will live” (John 5:25). So that you do not think that He received power from another, He told you about it in advance, and then proved it with His own deeds. And he did not say: rise again, but: “go out,” addressing the dead as if they were alive. 3. What can compare with such power? But if He does not do this by His own power, then what will He have more before the apostles, who say: “Why look at us, as if we did by our own strength or piety that he walks?” (Acts 3:12). If, acting not by His own power, He does not add what the apostles said about themselves, then they will in some way be even more philosophical than Him, because they rejected glory from themselves. And in another place: “men! what are you doing? And we are men like you” (Acts 14:15). Thus, the apostles, who did nothing in their own strength, spoke in this way in order to convince of this. Surely He, knowing such an opinion about Himself, would not have refuted it if He had definitely not acted with His own authority? But who can say this? Meanwhile, Christ does the opposite, saying: “He said this for the people standing here, so that they would believe,” so that if they believed, there would be no need for prayer. And if prayer were not inconsistent with His dignity, then why does He provide a reason (for prayer) among the people? Why didn’t I also say: so that they would believe that I am not equal to You? This is exactly what should have been said in accordance with the (former) opinion about Him. When they suspected Him of breaking the law, He uttered these words before they said anything: “Do not think that I came to break the law” (Matthew 5:17); and here it confirms their assumption. In a word: why were such circumlocutions and riddles needed? It was enough to say: I am not equal, and that would solve the matter. What, you say, didn’t He say, “not to do My will” (John 6:38)? But even this (he said) covertly, in order to adapt to their weakness, and for the same reason that there was prayer. What does it mean: “that You heard Me”? This means that I have nothing that is contrary to You. And just as these words: “that You heard Me,” do not show that He did not have strength (because in this case there would be not only powerlessness, but also ignorance, if, that is, before prayer He did not know that God would hear Him, but if He did not know, then as he said: “I’m going to wake him up,” and did not say: I’m going to pray to the Father so that He will awaken him? - as, I say, these words mean not weakness, but like-mindedness, so and the words: “You will always hear Me.” Either this should be understood, or that they were spoken in relation to the opinion of the Jews. But if He knew and was not weak, then it is clear that He speaks humiliating words so that you, in their very extreme humiliation, would be convinced and involuntarily admit that they were (said) not in accordance with His dignity, but out of condescension. the weakness of the listeners, they say, Christ said: “You heard Me,” but in order to show His superiority. But this would not mean to show superiority, but to extremely humiliate Himself, and to reveal that He is no more than a man. It is not characteristic of God to pray, nor of the One who sits on the throne with Him. Do you see that for no reason did He begin to pray to others except because of their unbelief? But look how the deed itself testifies to His power. He called, and “he who had died came out entwined” (John 11:44). Then, so that such a thing would not seem like a deception of the senses - and the fact that the bound one came out seemed miraculous no less than the resurrection itself - He commanded that it be resolved so that they, touching him and coming close, would see that it was he. And he said: “Let him go” (John 11:44). Do you see how far He is from vanity! He does not lead him away, does not command him to walk with Him, so as not to appear vain to anyone: He was so modest! When the miracle happened, some were surprised, while others went and told the Pharisees. Instead of being amazed and amazed, they conspire to kill Him, Him who raised the dead. What madness! They thought to put to death the One who conquered death in the bodies of others. “What should we do? This Man does many miracles,” they say (John 11:47). They also call Him a man, having received such certification of His deity. “What should we do?” One had to believe, serve and worship, and no longer regard Him as a man. “If we leave Him like this, the Romans will come and take possession of our place and people and city” (John 11:48). What are they planning to do? They already want to outrage the people, as if they were in danger on suspicion of stealing the supreme power. As soon as they say, the Romans learn about Him as the leader of the people, they will suspect us, take and destroy our city. Why, tell me? Did He teach treason? Did He not command to give tribute to Caesar? Didn't you want to make Him king, and He disappeared? Didn’t He lead a modest and simple life, not having a home or anything like that? Obviously, they said this not out of fear, but out of envy. And yet this happened, although against their expectations: (the Romans) took both the people and the city, they took it because they killed Him. Truly, His deeds were above all suspicion. He who healed the sick, taught a virtuous life and commanded to obey his superiors, of course, did not plot to usurp supreme power; on the contrary, he destroyed any attempt to usurp power. We, they say, conclude this from what happened before. But they taught indignation, and He taught the opposite. Do you see that their words were feigned? In fact, did He show anything like this? Did you bring in scary squires? Did you pull chariots? Wasn't he, on the contrary, looking for deserts? But in order not to give the appearance that they are speaking out of the inspiration of their passion, they claim that the whole city is in danger, that trouble threatens society and that they are afraid of the consequences. Not this, but the opposite of this, was the reason for your captivity - the present one (from the Romans), both the Babylonian one, and the one that was there under Antiochus. It is not that you had people who worshiped (God), but that there were unrighteous people among you who angered God - that is what made you captives. But such is envy! She, having blinded the soul, does not allow it to see anything it should. Didn't he teach you to be meek? When you hit one cheek, do you turn the other too? To bear insults generously and show more readiness to endure evil than others are inclined to do evil? Tell me, is this characteristic of someone who is plotting to steal the supreme power? Is it not the one, on the contrary, who destroys every attempt to usurp power? 4. But, as I said, envy is a terrible evil and full of hypocrisy. She filled the universe with countless disasters. Because of this disease, the courts are filled with defendants. From her is the passion for fame and acquisition; from her lust for power and pride. Hence there are criminal robbers on the roads, and robbers on the seas. Hence the murders in the universe; hence the division of our family. Whatever evil you see, know that it comes from envy. She also invaded churches. It has long been the cause of many evils. She gave birth to the love of money. This disease has distorted everything and corrupted the truth. “Gifts,” it is said, “blind the eyes of the wise and, like a bridle on the lips, turn away reproof” (Sir.20:29). She makes slaves of the free too. We talk about it every day, but there is no benefit. We are worse than animals, we rob orphans, rob widows, offend the poor, add grief to grief. "Woe is me! for...there are no merciful people on earth” (Micah 7:1–2). And now is the time for us to cry, or, better yet, we should say these words every day. We achieve nothing with prayers, nothing with advice and exhortations; so all that remains is to cry. This is what Christ did: when the Jerusalemites, after many of His admonitions, did not take advantage of them at all, He wept over their blindness. This is what prophets do; This is what we should do now. Now is the time for crying, tears and lamentation. Now is the time for us to say: “Call the mourners,... send for those skilled in this matter, so that they come” (Jer. 9:17). Perhaps through this we will be able to heal from illness those who build bright houses and acquire fields by theft. Cry in time; but you too, robbed and offended, take part in my cry; add my tears to your cry. But let us cry not for ourselves, but for them: they did not offend you, but they destroyed themselves. For your offense you will receive the kingdom of heaven; and they for the wrong acquisition, Gehenna. Therefore, it is better to be offended than to offend. Let us weep for them, but not with human weeping, but with the Holy Scriptures, with which the prophets also wept. Let us weep bitterly with Isaiah and say: “Woe to you who add house to house, adding field to field, so that there is no room left for others, as if you alone were settled on the earth... These numerous houses will be empty, large and beautiful - without inhabitants” (Is. 5:8-9). Let us weep together with Nahum, and say with him: woe to him who builds his house on high! Or better yet, let us weep for them as Christ himself did for those who lived at that time, saying: “Woe to you, you rich! for you have already received your reward and your consolation” (Luke 6:24)! So, I beg you, let us also begin to cry unceasingly; and if it is not indecent, then we will even begin to hit ourselves in the chest at the sight of the carelessness of our brothers. We will not mourn the one who has already died, but we will mourn the predator, the covetous, the money-lover, the insatiable. Why cry for the dead, to whom no benefit can be brought? Let us cry for those for whom change is still possible. But while we cry, maybe they laugh? And it is worthy of tears that they laugh at what should be lamented. If they were in any way moved by our sobs, then they should stop crying, in the hope of their correction. But since they remain insensitive, we will continue to cry - not just about the rich, but about the money-lovers, the covetous and the predators. Wealth is not evil: it can be used usefully if, for example, we spend it on those in need. But evil is covetousness; it prepares endless executions. So, let's start crying. Maybe (from this) there will be some correction. If those who have fallen (into this sin) do not free themselves (from it), then perhaps others will not be subject to this evil, but will beware of it. But God grant that they too will be freed from this disease, and none of us will be subjected to it, so that everyone may be worthy of the promised benefits, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: