Беседа 16

2 Corinthians 7:13. Therefore we have been comforted by your consolation; and we are even more delighted with the joy of Titus that you all calmed his spirit. Praise for Titus. - An exhortation to mercy. “Giving alms is more important than raising the dead.” 1. See how (the apostle) again praises (the Corinthians), and expresses his love for them. Having said above about his joy that his (first) message was such a success and brought such benefit, “I rejoice,” he says, “not because you were sad, but because you were saddened to repentance” (2 Cor. 7:9), - and, expressing his love for them: “if I wrote to you,” he says, “it was not for the sake of the offender and not for the sake of the insulted, but so that our care for you would be revealed to you,” he now represents another trait of goodwill, which also brings them great praise and shows the sincerity of their love. “We were comforted,” he says, “and we were even more delighted with the joy of Titus” (2 Cor. 7:12-13). Apparently, this does not show his strong love (for the Corinthians), because he rejoices more about Titus than about them. “No,” he says, “I rejoiced not so much for Titus as for you.” further indicates the reason, saying: “that you all calmed his spirit” (“as his womb rested from all of you”) He did not say “they calmed him,” but “his spirit,” i.e., “his love for you.” “From everyone,” because this is the greatest praise. “If I boasted of anything about you before him” (“As if he should boast about you”) (2 Cor. 7:14). It is great praise when a teacher boasts: “I was not left in shame” (“I was not put to shame”), he says. “Therefore I rejoiced that you showed yourself to be the best, and in fact justified my words. Thus, I get a double decoration: both you showed yourself to be more perfect, and I did not appear.” a liar against the truth." “But just as we told you everything that was true, so before Titus our praise turned out to be true” (“But as all our praise was true to you, so was our praise to Titus.”) Here he also means something else, namely: “Just as I spoke one truth to you,” and he probably praised Titus a lot, “so what I said about you to Titus turned out to be true.” you" (“And his womb is overflowing toward you”) (2 Cor. 7:15). This already refers to the praise (of Titus) that he is strongly disposed and attached to them. And he did not say: “his love,” but: “his heart.” Then he gives, as he does everywhere, the reason for such a disposition, so as not to seem like a flatterer and so that, on the one hand, as I said, to avoid suspicion of flattery, and on the other, to arouse them themselves more to virtue, attributing all the praise to themselves and showing that they themselves gave (Titus) the reason and reason for such love. Having said precisely: “his heart is very disposed toward you,” he adds: “in remembrance of the obedience of you all” (“remembering the obedience of you all”) (2 Cor. 7:15). By this (the apostle) expresses gratitude to the benefactors of Titus, who separated from them, having impressed everyone in his soul, and always remembers them, constantly has them on his lips and in his heart, and at the same time even more praises the Corinthians for releasing (Titus), having given him such a zealous reception. He further mentions their obedience, thereby arousing their jealousy, which is why he adds: “how you received him with fear and trembling” (“as if you accepted him with fear and trembling”), that is, not only with love, but also with great honor. Do you see how he testifies to their double virtue - that is, that they both loved (Titus) as a father and feared him as a leader - that in them neither fear darkened love, nor love weakened fear? He expressed the same thing above: “the very thing that you were saddened for the sake of God, look what zeal has produced in you..., what fear, what desire!” ("even though you were offended by God, because you were filled with care..., but with fear, and with lust") (2 Cor. 7:11). “Therefore I rejoice that I can rely on you in everything” (“I rejoice because I am confident in you in everything”) (2 Cor. 7:16). Do you see that the apostle rejoices more over them? He says: “You have not disgraced your teacher in any way, and you have not proven yourself unworthy of my testimony.” Consequently, he rejoiced not so much for Titus that he received such an honor, but for them that they showed such nobility of spirit. But lest he be considered rejoicing any longer for Titus, see how here he presents the reason for the joy; as he said above: “I was not left in shame if I boasted of anything about you to him,” so here he says: “I rejoice that I can rely on you in everything.” “Do I need to reproach you, I am not afraid that you will resign for this, do I need to boast about you, I am not afraid of being convicted of vain praise: “I can rely on you,” whether I praise you as submissive, or as loving, or as zealous. I said, “Cut off,” and you cut off; He said, “Accept,” and you accepted; told Titus that you are great, worthy of admiration and know how to honor teachers - and you have proven this in fact; and he learned this not so much from me as from you yourself. That’s why he returned to me, filled with strong love for you, since you showed in practice more than I told him.” “We inform you, brethren, of the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia” (“I tell you, brethren, the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia”) (2 Cor. 8:1). 2. Having encouraged (the Corinthians) with praise, (the apostle) again proceeds to exhortation. With these praises, he dissolves his reproof so that, directly moving from reproof to exhortation, he does not make his instructions inconvenient for them. On the contrary, softening the ears with their praises, paves the way for exhortation. He wants to talk about alms; In view of this, he previously said: “I rejoice that I can rely on you in everything,” thus arousing their zeal for alms with their previous virtues, which they had already shown. However, he did not suddenly say: “So, give alms,” but notice with what prudence the word leads from afar and from above. “We inform you, brethren,” he says, “of the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia.” He calls deeds of mercy grace, so that they do not become proud; and, reporting on the deeds of the Macedonians, by praising them he arouses jealousy in the Corinthians. And he attributes double or, better yet, triple praise to the Macedonians - both for the fact that they patiently endure temptation, and for the fact that they know how to give alms, and for the fact that they showed generosity in alms, being themselves poor. Indeed, their estates were plundered, as Paul himself pointed out when in his letter to them he wrote: “you, brethren, have become imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus, which are in Judea, because you also suffered the same things from your fellow tribesmen as those from the Jews” (“you became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea... In this way you also will suffer from your own people, just as you also suffered from the Jews” (1 Thessalonians 2:14). Listen to what he wrote later in his letter to the Hebrews: “and they accepted the plunder of your goods” (“and the plunder of your goods they accepted with joy”) (Heb. 10:34). He calls alms grace not only in order to keep them in humility, but also in order to call them to alms, and to make his word not hateful. For this reason he called them brethren, in order to suppress all envy, because he wants to praise (the Macedonians) extremely. Listen to the praise. Having written: “We notify you of the grace of God,” he does not say “given in this or that city,” but praises the whole people, saying: “in the churches of Macedonia.” Then he describes grace itself: “for in the midst of the great trial of sorrows they abound in joy” (“as in the many temptations of sorrow there is an abundance of their joy”) (2 Cor. 8:2). Do you see his prudence? At first he says not what he wants, but something else, so that they don’t think that he started talking about it deliberately, but so that, starting with something else, he will naturally reach the desired subject. "In the midst of the great trial of tribulations". He said the same thing in his letter to the Macedonians: “You have become imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word through much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit”; and further: “so that you became a model for all believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you the word of the Lord flashed not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place the glory of your faith in God spread” (“You became like the Lord, receiving the word in great sorrow with the joy of the Holy Spirit... the word of the Lord flashed from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith went forth to God”) ( 1 Thessalonians 1:6–8). What do the words mean: “in the midst of the great trial of sorrows they abound in joy” (“in the many temptations of sorrow their abundance of joy”)? The fact that they had both in abundance - both sorrow and joy. And what is very strange is that such abundant pleasure grew for them out of such sorrow. Sorrow - and the most severe sorrow at that - not only did not give rise to sadness in them, but was also a cause of joy for them. By saying this, (the apostle) meant to teach (the Corinthians) to be courageous and unshakable in tribulations, because the Macedonians not only grieved, but in tribulation they became more skilled through patience; however, he does not say through patience, but what is much higher than patience is joy; and not just joy, but an excess of joy, because indeed their joy was great and inexpressible. “Their deep poverty overflows into the wealth of their hospitality” (“And even in the depths their abundance overflows into the wealth of their simplicity”). Again, both in abundance. Just as great sorrow produced great joy and abundance of joy, so great poverty produced great wealth of almsgiving. This is what the apostle expressed when he said: “the wealth of their hospitality abounds,” since generosity is valued not according to the amount of alms given, but according to the disposition of the givers. That’s why he doesn’t say anywhere: the wealth of what is given, but “the wealth of their hospitality.” The meaning of his words is this: poverty not only did not prevent them from being generous, but also served as the cause of abundance, just as sorrow is the cause of joy. The poorer they themselves were, the more generous they became and the more diligently they gave. That is why he is very surprised at them that in such poverty they showed such generosity. “Their deep poverty,” that is, great and unspeakable, showed their simplicity. However, he did not say “showed”, but “abundantly”, and he also did not say “simplicity”, but “the wealth of simplicity”, i.e. simplicity equal to their squalor; or - better said - they showed an even greater preponderance of generosity. Further, he expresses the same thing more clearly, saying: “I am a witness” (“as I testify by power”) (a reliable witness), “and more than strength” - that is, “their abundance of hospitality abounds in the riches” (2 Cor. 8:2-3). And not only with these, but with all subsequent words, he explains the same thing, namely, he says: “They are willing” (2 Cor. 8:3-4). Here is another superiority. “With much prayer” is the third and fourth. “Begging for us” is also the fifth. “And being themselves in sorrow and poverty” - this is the sixth. And the seventh - “they gave in abundance.” 3. Further, since his main goal was to bring the Corinthians to the point where they would give alms freely, he especially dwells on this, saying: “they asked us very convincingly” (“with much supplication they besought us”). We didn’t ask them, but they asked us. What did they “ask us” for? - “to accept the gift and their participation in the service of the saints” (“Grace and fellowship of service to the saints”). Do you see how he again extols alms, calling them sacred names? Since (the Corinthians) were zealous for spiritual matters, he calls alms “grace” so that they would resort to it, and “fellowship” so that they would know that they not only give, but also receive. “They, - He says, “they asked us to accept such a service.” “And not only what we hoped for” (“And not as we hoped”) (2 Cor. 8:5). He says this both in relation to the quality (of alms) and to sorrows. And in other matters (the apostle) showed their thoroughness, saying: “but they gave themselves first to the Lord, then to us according to the will of God” (“but they gave themselves first before the Lord, and to us according to the will of God”). “In everything they were obedient more than we hoped, and, while helping the poor, they did not neglect other virtues, “but they gave themselves, first, to the Lord.” What does it mean: “gave yourself to the Lord”? They dedicated themselves to Him, showed themselves to be skilled in faith, and showed great courage, decorum, meekness, love, readiness and zeal for all other virtues in temptation. What does it mean: “and to us”? - “They were obedient to us, loved us and submitted to us, both fulfilling God’s laws and uniting with us in love.” Look, just like here, the words “they gave themselves to the Lord” show their extraordinary zeal (for God). They did not submit partly to God, and partly to the world, but they completely surrendered themselves to God. Helping the poor, they did not become proud; on the contrary, they gave alms with great humility, with great obedience, with great reverence, with great wisdom. What does it mean: “according to the will of God”? Since he said: “gave... themselves to us,” then (and indicates) that they did this not according to human calculations, but according to the will of God. “Therefore we asked Titus, so that he, just as he began, would also complete this good work with you” (“Let us entreat Titus, that as it was first begun in you, he might also finish this grace”) (2 Cor. 8:6). What is the connection here with the previous one? Very big and cramped. “Since we recognized,” he says, “the firmness and zeal (of the Macedonians) in everything - in temptations, in alms, in love for us, in the impeccable purity of their entire life, we sent Titus to you, so that you too could be compared with them.” Although (the apostle) did not say so, he expressed the following thought. And notice the abundance of his love. “When,” he says, “they asked and convinced us, we took care of you so that you would not fall behind them. That is why we sent Titus, so that you, excited and inspired by this, would compete with the Macedonians,” because Titus was there when this letter was written. At the same time, it shows that (Titus) began this work even before Pavlov’s admonition, as can be seen from the words: “so that he, as he began.” That is why he expresses great praise for Titus, both at the beginning of the epistle saying: “I had no rest for my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there” (2 Cor. 2:13), and here, in addition to all of the above, adding these last words. Considerable praise lies in the fact that he began first - this was a sign of an ardent and zealous soul. This is why he sent Titus, so that his very presence would serve (for the Corinthians) as an incentive to give alms. He praises him in order to better position the Corinthians towards him, since even this has great persuasive power if those who are persuaded are disposed towards the persuader. Mentioning alms for the first, second and third times, he beautifully calls it grace: “We inform you, brethren, of the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia”; and again: “willingly... very convincingly asked us to accept the gift and their participation in serving the saints”; and also: “so that, just as he began, so he finishes this good deed with you.” 4. And indeed, alms are a blessing and a gift from God; and giving alms makes us similar in power to God himself. This, more than anything else, is what makes a person human. That is why someone, presenting an example of a person, said among other things: “Many praise a person for his mercy, but who can find a truthful person?” ("a great thing is a man, and a precious thing is a man who shows kindness") (Prov. 20:6). This grace is more important than the gift of raising the dead. Feeding the hungry Christ is much more important than raising the dead in the name of Jesus. There you do good to Christ, and here He benefits you. And the reward is for the one who does good himself, and not for the one who accepts it from another. Here, when performing miracles, you yourself become a debtor to God, but in the act of alms you lend to God. Alms are such only when you give them willingly, generously, when you think that you are not giving, but are accepting, when you recognize it as a benefit and gain for yourself, and not a loss. Otherwise it is not grace. He who shows mercy to another should rejoice and not be sad. Is it not reckless, in fact, to alleviate the grief of another, to grieve yourself? Then you make your alms no longer alms. If you are sad because you saved someone else from sadness, then you are setting an example of extreme cruelty and inhumanity. It’s better not to deliver than to deliver like that. And what, in essence, are you sad about, man? Is it about the fact that your gold will decrease? But if you have such a disposition, then don’t give it at all. If you don’t believe that great treasure is laid up for you in heaven, then don’t give it. But you want retribution here. For what? Leave alms to be alms and not purchase. True, many received reward here, but this does not mean that they will have more than those who did not receive here. On the contrary, some of them (received a reward here) as the weakest, because they had not yet strongly desired future benefits. Just as greedy people who do not know decency and are slaves to the belly, being called to the royal meal and not waiting for the proper time, like little children, deprive themselves of true pleasure when they grab ahead and fill their belly with worse dishes, so those who seek reward here and receive it reduce their future reward. When you lend, you want to get back what you lent after a long time, and not soon, so that by slowing down your profit will increase. And in the matter of alms you immediately demand reward, and, moreover, knowing that you will live not here, but there forever, that you will not be judged here, but there you will give an account. If someone built you a house where you do not think of living, then you would consider such a thing a loss for yourself: how do you want to be rich here, from where you can leave more than once before the coming evening? Don't you know that we, like strangers and strangers, are here on a foreign side? Don't you know that strangers are expelled when they neither expect nor think? All of us on earth are subject to this fate. That’s why, whatever we cook here, we leave it here. Whether we build houses, or buy fields, slaves, vessels, or something else like that, the Lord does not allow us to take all this with us when we leave here. And not only does he not allow you to take things with you when you leave here, but he doesn’t even give you payment for it, because I told you in advance: don’t collect or spend someone else’s, but collect and spend only your own. Why do you, having left your own, work on someone else’s and spend someone else’s, in order to destroy both the work and the reward, and then be subjected to extreme punishment? Don't do this, I pray you. But if we are aliens by nature, then we will also be aliens by choice, so that we will not be despised and rejected aliens there. If we here wish to become citizens, we will not be citizens either here or there. If we remain aliens and live as aliens tend to live, then we will receive the rights of citizens both here and there. The righteous, even if he has nothing, still disposes of everything here as if he were his own, and having passed on to heaven, he will see his eternal shelters; here he will not tolerate any trouble, because no one can make a stranger for whom the whole earth is his fatherland, and, having reached his fatherland, he will receive true wealth. So, in order for us to take advantage of both these and other benefits - both present and future, let us use the present as we should. In this way, we will become citizens of heaven, and we will receive great boldness, which we all will be worthy of through grace and love for mankind (our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen). You might be interested in: