Беседа 71

John 13:12. He put on his clothes, and lying down again, he said to them: Do you know what I have done to you? and so on. The bitterness of Judas. – The attitude of Jesus Christ towards his disciples as an edifying example for masters who are cruel to their servants. – 2. To explain the lesson of humility taught by the Lord. – 3. It is not the one who suffers insults who is unhappy, but the one who causes them. – Examples of the ancients. – Joseph and Moses as examples of meekness and patience. - The story of Joseph. – You need to forgive in order to receive forgiveness from God. 1. It is dangerous, beloved, it is dangerous to fall into the depths of evil. Then it becomes difficult for the soul to correct itself. Therefore, you need to try in every possible way - not to be caught at first, because it is easier not to give in (to evil) than, having gone into it, to correct yourself. Look at Judas: when he plunged himself (into evil), no matter how much help he receives, he does not rebel. (Christ) said, addressing him: “one of you is the devil”; said: “Not everyone believes” (John 6:70, 64); said: “I am not talking about all of you,” and: “I know whom I have chosen” (John 13:18), but he does not feel any of this. “When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes, he lay down again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?” “He says this, addressing not only Peter, but everyone.” Lord and Teacher; “And speak rightly, for I certainly am” (John 13:12–13). “You call Me,” refers to their judgment. Then, so that it does not seem that these are words of their affection, he adds: “I am exactly that.” Thus, by citing their own words, He thereby makes them not painful; and having confirmed the above words with His own (word), he removes all suspicion from them, he says. Do you see how, when talking with his disciples, He speaks much more openly about Himself? As He said: do not call a teacher on earth, “for you have one Teacher,” He also said: “And do not call anyone on earth your father” (Matthew 23:8–9). And the expression: “one and: one” is said not only about the Father, but also about Him. If He spoke without meaning Himself here, how could He say: “That you may be sons of light” (John 12:36)? And again: if he called only the Father teacher, then how does he say: “I am exactly that,” and also: “You have only one Teacher - Christ” (Matthew 23:10)? “So if I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, then you should also wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do the same as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15). But this is not the same thing, because He is the Teacher and the Lord, and you are fellow servants with each other. What does “the same” mean? With the same zeal. This is why He takes examples from more, so that we do at least less. Likewise, teachers write very beautiful letters for children, so that they, although imperfectly, imitate them. What now - those who despise their fellow men? What now - those demanding honors? Christ washed the feet of the traitor, the blasphemer and the predator, and at the very time of betrayal, despite his unrepentance, made him a partaker of the meal; and you are proud and arrogant? So, you say, we should wash each other’s feet, and therefore the slaves’? What's special if it's for slaves? Here the slave and the free differ only in name, but there in essence. Christ is Lord by nature, and we are slaves; however, He did not refuse to do this either. But now we have to be content if we do not treat the free as we treat slaves and purchased slaves. And what will we say then - we who have examples of such long-suffering, do not at all imitate them, but act completely opposite - exalting ourselves without measure and not giving our due? After all, God himself, having first done this (by washing his feet), made us debtors to each other, although we are obliged to repay each other less (of what He did), since He is the Lord, and if we do this, we will do it for slaves like us. He pointed to this very thing with the words: “if I, the Lord and Teacher,” and also: “then you too.” One should say: all the more so are you slaves; but He left it to the conscience of the hearers. But why did He do it now? Because (the disciples) were soon to receive honor, some more, others less. 2. Therefore, so that they do not rise above each other and do not say, as before: “who is greater,” and are not indignant at each other, He takes away their arrogance from all of them, saying: even if you were very great, you should not rise above your brother in the least. And he did not say what is more important, namely: “if I washed the feet of the traitor, then what great is it if you wash each other’s feet”; but, having shown it in reality, he left it to the audience to judge. Therefore, He said: “Whoever does and teaches, he will be called great” (Matthew 5:19), because to truly teach means to actually do it. What kind of teaching will not destroy arrogance? Which one will not destroy pride and arrogance? He who sat on the cherubs washed the feet of the traitor; and you, man - earth and ashes, dirt and dust - are you arrogant and arrogant? And how worthy will you be of Gehenna? If you really want to have high feelings, come, I will show you the way, because you don’t even know what it means. Whoever clings to the present as to something great has a low soul. Therefore, humility can only exist with the greatness of the soul, and arrogance can only come from the baseness of the soul. Just as small children are partial to insignificant things, to balls, hoops and dice, but cannot even have a clue about great things, so here too, whoever is wise will consider real goods as nothing (and therefore will neither want to have them nor will take them from anyone else), and whoever is not wise will think differently, will be addicted to the web, to the shadow, to sleepy dreams and to that which is even more insignificant than this. “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than him who sent him. If you know this, blessed are you when you do it. I am not talking about all of you... but that the Scripture might be fulfilled: He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me” (John 13:16-18). What he said before, he now says to admonish them. If a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than him who sent him, and I did this, then how much more should you do this. Then, so that someone doesn’t say: why are you saying this? Don't we know this? - added the following: I am telling you not because you do not know, but so that you actually implement My words. Everyone can know, but not everyone can do. That is why He said: “Blessed are you when you do.” That’s precisely why I constantly repeat this to you, even though you know it, in order to get you ready for action. After all, the Jews also know, but they are not blessed, because they do not do what they know. “I’m not talking about everyone,” he says, “I’m talking about you.” O longsuffering! He does not yet reveal the traitor, but, on the contrary, covers up his case, thereby giving him an opportunity to repent. And he opens and does not open, saying in this way: “He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.” It seems to me that the words: “a servant is not greater than his master” were also said so that those who happen to suffer evil from slaves or from some insignificant people would not be tempted by looking at the example of Judas, who, having received countless benefits, paid the Benefactor with evil. Therefore, he added: “he who eats bread with Me,” and, leaving everything else, he said about what could primarily hold him back and shame him: he, he says, whom I fed, whom I made a participant in My meal. He said this, teaching us to do good to people who do us evil, even when they are incorrigible. And since He said: “I am not speaking about all of you,” then, so as not to bring fear to many, He finally separates Judas, saying this: “He who eats bread with Me.” The expression: “not about all” does not necessarily indicate one; therefore He added: “He who eats bread with Me,” showing this unfortunate man that He was being attacked not out of ignorance, but with complete knowledge - and this again could most of all hold him back. And he did not say: he will betray Me, but: “he lifted up his heel against Me,” in order to thereby express the deceit, cunning and secrecy of his plan. 3. Nevertheless, this was written so that we would not be vindictive towards offenders, but would admonish and mourn them. Indeed, it is not those who suffer offense that deserve tears, but those who cause it. A covetous person, a slanderer and anyone who does any other evil harms themselves much more; and they bring us the greatest benefit if we do not avenge ourselves. Suppose, for example, such and such robbed, and you thanked and glorified God for the offense. Through this thanksgiving you acquired for yourself countless rewards, just as he prepared for himself an indescribable fire. If someone says: what if I could not take revenge on the one who offended me, because I am weaker than him? - then I will answer this: you could be angry and angry, because it is in our power, to wish harm to the one who saddened, to curse him a thousand times and dishonor him everywhere. Consequently, whoever did not do this will receive a reward for not taking revenge, since, obviously, he would not have taken revenge even if he could have done so. After all, an offended person, if he is cowardly, uses all kinds of weapons - he takes revenge on the offender with curses, curses, and slander. So, not only do not do this, but also pray for him; and if you not only do not do this, but also begin to pray for him, then you will be like God. “Pray,” it is said, “for those who oppress you,... that you may be like your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44–45). Do you see what great benefit we receive from the insults inflicted on us by others? Does God delight in nothing more than when we do not repay evil for evil? But what am I saying: when we do not repay evil for evil? After all, we are commanded to repay the opposite - with good deeds and prayers. Therefore, Christ rewarded the one who wanted to betray Him with good deeds, namely: He washed his feet, rebuked him in secret, reproached him with meekness, served, honored him with a meal and a kiss, and although (Judas) did not become better from this, He did not stop doing His own. But, if you want, I will teach you by the example of slaves, and especially the slaves of the Old Testament, so that you can see that we cannot have any excuse when we are vindictive. So, do you want me to tell you about Moses? Or should we not raise the word even further? After all, the older the examples are presented, the more convincing they will be. Why is this so? Because then virtue was more difficult. Those who lived at that time had neither written instructions nor examples of life; Only nature labored without any outside help and was forced to swim everywhere without any support. That is why (Scripture), praising Noah, did not just call him perfect, but added: “in his generation” (Gen. 6:9), that is, at a time when there were many obstacles. Of course, others became famous after him, but he will not be any less than them, because he was perfect in his time. Who was patient before Moses? Blessed and valiant Joseph, who, having become famous for his chastity, was no less famous for his long-suffering. He was sold, while he did not commit any offense, but served, worked and did everything characteristic of slaves. They brought an evil blasphemy against him, but he did not take revenge, although he had his father on his side; on the contrary, he even brought food to his brothers in the desert and, when he did not find them, he did not despair and did not return back, although he had the opportunity to do so if he wanted, but he always maintained a truly brotherly disposition towards these ferocious and cruel people. Again, when he was sitting in prison and was asked about the reason, he did not say anything bad about them, but only: “I did nothing,” and: “I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews” (Gen. 40:15). And after that, when he again received power, he fed them and delivered them from countless evils. Thus, when we are vigilant over ourselves, the malice of our neighbor cannot turn us away from virtue. But his brothers were not like that. They took off his clothes and wanted to kill him, and they reviled him for dreaming. He brought them food, and they plotted to deprive him of his freedom and life. They ate themselves, but threw their brother naked into the ditch and despised him. What could be worse than such atrocity? What killers were not more inhumane? And then, having taken him out of the ditch, they betrayed him to a thousand deaths - they sold him to foreign and wild people who went to the barbarians. But he, having become king, not only did not take revenge on them, but freed them, as much as was in his power, from sin, calling everything that happened the work of God’s Providence, and not their malice. And whatever he did to them, he did not do it in order to avenge the insult, but feignedly, for the sake of his brother. That is why, when he later saw that they were not letting go of his brother, he immediately threw off his disguise, began to sob loudly and hug them, as if they, who had previously destroyed him, had shown him the greatest benefit; He transferred them all to Egypt and showered them with countless benefits. What excuse will we have when, after law and grace, after such an increase in wisdom, we do not imitate the one who lived before grace and law? Who will save us from punishment? No, truly there is nothing worse than rancor. The debtor of ten thousand talents also showed this. First, his debt was forgiven, and then demanded again: forgiven because of God’s love for mankind, but demanded again for cruelty and vindictiveness towards his minion (Matthew 18:24-38). Knowing all this, let us forgive the sins of our neighbors and repay them with good, so that we may receive mercy from God, according to the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: