Беседа 10

Hebrews 6:7–8. The earth, which drinks the rain that falls on it many times and produces grain useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God; but the thorns and thistles that produce are worthless and are close to a curse, the end of which is burning. 1. We must listen to the word of God with fear, with fear and great trembling: “Serve,” says (the Psalmist), “the Lord with fear and rejoice... with trembling” (Ps. 2:11). If our very joy and gladness should be with trembling, then when something terrible is said, what is (said) now, what kind of punishment do we not deserve if we listen to what is said without trepidation? Having shown that it is impossible for those who have fallen away to be baptized a second time and that it is impossible for them again through the font (of baptism) to receive remission (of sins), and explaining how terrible this is, (the apostle) continues: “The earth, which has drunk the rain that falls on it many times and produces grain useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God; but the thorns and thistles that produce are worthless and are close to a curse, the end of which is burning.” Let us be afraid, beloved! This is not Pavlov’s threat, these are not human words; this is the Holy Spirit, Christ, who spoke in Paul. Who is free from these thorns? Even if we were pure, then even then we should not remain calm, but fear and tremble, lest thorns grow in us; and if we are all composed entirely of thorns and thistles, then tell me, how can we remain calm and carefree? What makes us careless? If he who thinks he stands must be afraid lest he fall - “whoever thinks he stands,” it is said, “take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12) - then how much must he who has fallen worry in order to rise? If Paul was afraid, “lest, while preaching to others, he himself should remain unworthy” (1 Cor. 9:27), if he, so worthy, was afraid of becoming unworthy, then we, who have already become unworthy, what justification and forgiveness will we have, having no fear, but fulfilling Christian duties, as if some kind of custom, and only for show? Let us be afraid, beloved! “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven” (Rom. 1:18). Let us be afraid, because he opens himself not only to “wickedness,” but also to every “untruth,” small and great. At the same time (the apostle) also points to God’s love for mankind; and he calls teaching rain, and what he said above in the words: “For, judging by the times, you should have been teachers,” he says the same here. And in many places Scripture calls teaching rain: “And I will command the clouds not to rain on it,” says (the Lord) about the vineyard (Is. 5:6); and in another place the same thing is called a famine of bread and a thirst for water (Amos 8:11); and also: “The stream of God is full of water” (Ps. 64:10). “The earth,” he says, “has drunk the rain that falls on it many times.” Here he expresses that they both received and drank his word, and were often honored to hear it, but did not receive any benefit from it. If, he says, you had not been cultivated, if you had not received rain, then the evil would not have been so great, because “If I had not come,” says (Christ), “and had not spoken to them, they would not have had sin” (John. 15:22); if you often drank and took, then why did you grow something else instead of fruits? “I expected,” says (the Lord), “that he would bring good grapes, but he brought wild berries” (Is. 5:4). Do you see that Scripture everywhere calls sins thorns? And David says: “I became a sufferer when the thorn pierced me” (Ps. 32:4). (The thorn) doesn't just enter, it pierces; and even if there is only a little of it left, if it is not all pulled out, then the smallest part of it produces pain in the same way as the (whole) thorn. But what am I saying: a little? Even after it is pulled out, pain remains in the wound for a long time. Therefore, you need to treat and use it for a long time in order to completely free yourself from it; It is not enough just to cast out sin, but the affected area must also be healed. I am afraid that the words (of the apostle) will not apply to us more than to others: “The earth has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it”; We constantly drink, constantly listen, but immediately, as soon as the sun rises, we lose moisture, and therefore we grow thorns. What are these thorns? Let us listen to Christ, who says: “The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). “The earth has drunk the rain that falls on it many times and produces useful grain.” 2. There is nothing so beneficial as purity of life, nothing so beautiful as a well-ordered life, nothing so desirable as virtue. “And she who grows,” he says, “grain that is useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.” Here he suggests that God is the author of everything, and in some way denounces the pagans who attributed the production of fruits to the power of the earth. It is not the hands of the farmer, he says, that awaken the earth to bear fruit, but the command of God; That’s why it is expressed like this: “receives a blessing from God.” And look: he didn’t say about thorns: the one giving birth to “thorns and thistles”, he didn’t use such an approving expression - but what? - “producing thorns and thistles” - as it were: spewing out, throwing out. "Unfit and close to damnation". Oh, what comfort lies in these words! “Close,” he says, “to damnation,” and did not say: cursed; those. has not yet been cursed, but is only close to it, but maybe far from it. And not only with these words he consoles, but also with the following; did not say: it is obscene, close to damnation and will be burned - but what? “whose end is burning”; expresses that if she remains like this until the end, she will tolerate this too. Therefore, if we uproot and burn the thorns, we will be able to receive many benefits, become useful and receive blessings. He rightly calls sin a thorn in the words: “that which produces thorns and thistles,” because (sin), if you hold on tightly to it, pierces and pricks, and is even ugly in appearance. So, having reproached them enough, frightening and reproaching them, (the apostle) then consoles them so as not to hit them too much and so that they do not become careless, because a lazy person, when he is punished (too much), becomes even more lazy. Therefore (the apostle) does not approve of them for everything, so that they do not become proud, and does not reproach them for everything, so as not to make them more careless, but having said a little reproach, in further words he offers great consolation, in order to thus achieve his goal. What is he saying? “However, for you, beloved, we hope that you are in a better condition and hold on to salvation, although we say this” (Heb. 6:9), i.e., we say this not because we despair of you or consider you full of thorns, but because we are afraid that this might happen; It is better to instill fear in you with words than to actually experience grief. This especially shows the wisdom of Paul. He did not say: we think, we assume, we expect, we hope - but what? “We hope.” So in the letter to the Galatians, he says: “I am confident about you in the Lord, that you will not think otherwise” (Gal. 5:10); he did not say: you understand, but: “you will not think otherwise,” since (the Galatians) were then very worthy of condemnation and (the apostle) could not praise them for their present deeds, then he praises them for the future: “you will not,” he says, “think otherwise.” And here he praises (the Jews) for their real deeds: “we hope that you are in better condition and hold on to salvation, although we say so.” But since he could not praise them much for present deeds, he borrows consolation from past deeds and says: “For God is not unjust, that he should forget your work and the labor of love which you have shown in His name, serving and serving the saints” (Heb. 6:10). Oh, how he encouraged and strengthened their souls, remembering previous deeds and presenting the need to hope that God had not forgotten (their exploits)! Truly, anyone who is not convinced of God’s justice and that He will reward everyone according to the merits of this life inevitably sins and says that God is unrighteous. That is why he instilled in them the need to fully hope for future reward. Those who despair in the present and lose heart can be encouraged by the future. So in the letter to the Galatians (Paul) says: “You went well: who stopped you, so that you did not submit to the truth” (Gal. 5:7)? and again: “Have you really suffered so much without benefit? Oh, if only there was no benefit!” (Gal. 3:4); and just as here he connects approval with reproof when he says: “For according to the time it was necessary for you to be teachers” (Heb. 5:12), so there: “so quickly pass on to another gospel” (Gal. 1:6). Praise is also expressed with reproach, because we are surprised when something great falls. Do you see how praise is hidden in the very denunciation and accusation? And he does not say this on behalf of himself alone, but on behalf of everyone; did not say: I hope, but: “We hope that you are in a better state,” that is, better. Here he speaks either about their life, or about retribution. Having said above: “unworthy and close to the curse, the end of which is burning,” then, so that they would not think that he was saying this about them, he immediately adds: “God is not unjust that he should forget your work and labor of love,” and thereby expresses that he is not talking about them says, “even though we speak thus.” If you are not talking about us, then why are you touching us by calling us lazy, and instilling fear by reminding us of thorns? “We desire, then,” he says, “that each of you, for complete assurance of hope, will show the same zeal to the end, so that you will not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:11–12). 3. “We wish,” he says; therefore, we do not just want this in words. But what, tell me, do you wish? We wish you to be virtuous, not condemning you for the past, but fearing for the future. He also did not say: condemning not for the past, but for the present, since you have become corrupted and become careless. But look how meekly he expressed this, and did not utter a reproach. What does he say? “We wish that each of you, for complete confidence in hope, would show the same zeal to the end.” Paul’s wisdom is amazing: he does not directly say that they have weakened, that they have fallen, because to say: “We wish that each of you” means to say: I wish that you were always careful, so that, as you were before, so you will be now and in the future, by this he makes his reproof more meek and; acceptable. He also did not say: “I want,” which would show teacher authority, but says: “We wish,” using an expression that shows fatherly love and means more than: “I want” and, as it were, says: forgive me if we say something unpleasant. “We wish that each of you, for complete confidence in hope, will show the same zeal to the end.” What does it mean? Hope, says, endures, it strengthens; Do not weaken and do not despair, so that your hope does not turn out to be superfluous; He who does good hopes for good and never despairs. “So that you do not become lazy” - just “let you not be”, although above he said: “you have become unable to listen” (Heb. 5:11). But notice that there he only pointed out the inability to listen, but here, although he uses a similar expression, he still hints at something else: instead of saying: do not remain lazy, he said: “so that you do not become lazy.” Again, their guilt pushes them to the future, saying: “so that you do not become lazy”; and since the future tense does not yet exist, we cannot be guilty. Anyone who, as lazy, is persuaded to be diligent at the present time, can become even more lazy; but this is not the case with those who are persuaded to reform for the future. “We wish,” he says, “that each of you.” Great love! (Paul) cares equally about great and small, remembers everyone, despises no one, but provides equal care for everyone and gives equal honor to everyone; This makes him even more inclined to accept his words, despite their severity. “So that you do not become lazy,” he says. Just as inaction harms the body, so failure to practice goodness makes the soul careless and weak. “But they imitated those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Who these (heirs) are, he explains further. He said in advance: imitate your previous good deeds; and then so that they don’t ask: which one? - he points to the forefather (Abraham), presenting examples of good deeds in their own deeds, and as proof that they are not forgotten, the example of the forefather. He does this so that they do not say that they, as unworthy, are forgotten and abandoned, but know that spending life among temptations is the lot of especially valiant people, and that God has always done this with wondrous and great men. It is necessary, he says, to endure everything with patience, because this means believing. If I said: here I am giving you, and you would immediately receive, then why should you believe? There would be no place for your faith here, but I warn and promise. If I say: here I am giving to you, but I will give it in a hundred years, and you will not despair, then it means that you consider me worthy of faith and have a proper opinion about me. Do you see that unbelief often comes not only from hopelessness, but also from cowardice and impatience, and does not depend on the one who promised? “God is not unjust,” he says, “to forget your work and the labor of love that you showed in His name, serving and serving the saints.” He gives an important testimony about them, pointing not only to their deeds, but also to their diligent deeds, just as he says in another place: “and not only what we hoped for, but they gave themselves, first to the Lord, then to us” (2 Cor. 8:5). now you serve, he says, encouraging them and instilling in them that they did this not for people, but for God. “They provided,” he says, not just for the saints, but for God; This is precisely what the words mean: “in His name,” in which he seems to say: you did everything in His name. Therefore, He who received such zeal and love from you will never despise you or forget you. 4. Hearing this, let us serve the saints, I exhort you. And every believer is holy because he is a believer; even if he was a layman, he was a saint. “For,” says (the apostle), “an unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife, and an unbelieving wife is sanctified by a believing husband” (1 Cor. 7:14). You see: faith brings sanctification. If we see a layman in wickedness, we will give a helping hand. It’s not only those who live in the mountains that we should care about; They, of course, are holy both by life and by faith, but they are also holy by faith, and many of them are holy by life. Not (let us act in such a way that) when we see a monk in prison, we will go to him, and when we see a layman, we will not go; and the latter is also holy, and also our brother. But what do you say if he is unclean and vicious? Listen to what Christ says: “Judge not, lest ye be judged” (Matthew 7:1). You do it for God. But what am I saying? At least we saw even a pagan in misfortune, and we need to show kindness to him, and in general to every person who is in unfortunate circumstances, especially a believing layman. Listen to what Paul commands: “let us do good to all, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). I don’t understand where (the opposite opinion) came from and how our (disgusting) custom has become stronger. He who looks only for monastics, wants to do good only to them alone, and also makes a distinction between them and says: if he is not worthy, if he is not righteous, if he does not perform signs, I will not give him a helping hand, he takes away the most important part of alms, and over time he will also destroy everything else; on the contrary, true almsgiving occurs when it is given to sinners or guilty people; mercy consists in the fact that it has mercy not on those who are good, but on those who have sinned. And so that you can be convinced of this, listen to what Christ says in the following parable. “A certain man,” He says, “was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho and was caught by robbers.” They beat him up and left him half-dead on the road. By chance, a certain Levite was walking along that road and, seeing him, passed by; A certain priest did the same thing - he passed by. But after them one Samaritan came and showed great compassion to him: he bandaged his wounds, poured oil on them, put him on a donkey, brought him to the inn and said to its owner: take care of him and, note the great love, if you spend anything more, I will give it to you. Then (Christ) asked: “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the one who fell among the robbers?” And when the lawyer answered: “who showed him mercy,” then He said: “Go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:30–37). Notice this parable spoken (by the Lord); He did not say that the Samaritan was a Jew, but that the Samaritan showed such mercy. From here we learn that we must take care of everyone equally, and not do good to those close to us only by faith, but not think about others. So you, when you see someone suffering, do not investigate anything about him; he has the right to help simply because he suffers. If you help a donkey when you see that he is dying, and do not ask whose he is, then much less should you ask about the person, whose he is; he is God's, even if he is a pagan, even if he is a Jew. Even if he is unfaithful, he needs help. If you were allowed to examine and judge, then you could say this; but now misfortune itself does not allow you to do research. If we should not judge the healthy and examine the affairs of others, then much less those who are suffering. Otherwise what (will happen)? Have you seen him happy, prosperous, that you say that he is evil and vicious? He suffers; if you see him suffering, then do not say that he is vicious. When we see a person prospering, then perhaps we can say this about him; but when we see a person suffering and in need of help, we should not say that he is vicious; this is a sign of cruelty, inhumanity and arrogance. Who, tell me, was more wicked than the Jews? God punished them, and punished them justly, very justly; however, He favored those who had compassion for them, and He punished those who rejoiced at their misfortune. “And you are not sick,” says (the prophet), “because of Joseph’s calamity” (Amos. 6:6). And elsewhere it says: “Save those taken to death” (Prov. 24:11). It is not said: scout out and find out who they are, although for the most part those taken to death are vicious, but it is said simply: “save”, no matter who they are. This is what mercy especially consists of. He who does good to a friend, without a doubt, does it not for God; and whoever does it to a stranger, does it exclusively for God. (The Wise One) says: “do not spare” money and, even if you had to spend everything, give it back; and we, seeing those exhausted, tormented, enduring suffering more cruel than a thousand deaths, and often unjustly, we spare money and do not spare our brothers; We take care of the soulless and do not think about the soul. Meanwhile, Paul commands “with gentleness to instruct your opponents, lest God grant them repentance to the knowledge of the truth, so that they may be freed from the snare of the devil, who has ensnared them in his will” (2 Tim. 2:25–26). “Will he not give?” he says: Do you see how long-suffering his words are filled? Let us also imitate him and not consider anyone hopeless. Fishermen, throwing their nets into the sea, often pull out nothing, but when they cast their nets for the last time, they get everything. So we do not despair, but we hope that you will suddenly show us ripe fruits. And the farmer, having sowed the seeds, endures one day and another, and waits for a long time, and then suddenly sees sprouted fruits everywhere. We hope this will happen to you too, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: