Discourse on Melchizedek

In the short “Conversation on Melchizedek” (3 chapters) St. John Chrysostom speaks out against misconceptions about the origin and status of Melchizedek, a priest of the Most High God. The Melchizedekites believed that he was greater than Christ, relying on the words of Scripture: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 109:4). Saint John proves the opposite. Melchizedek is a man subservient to us and no greater than Christ or even John the Baptist: “Among those born of women there has not arisen a greater one than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). Others were mistaken in saying that he was the Holy Spirit. The saint answers: “What need would there be for the Word of God to become man if the Spirit had already been a man for a long time?” In his reasoning, St. John Chrysostom concludes that Melchizedek was a righteous man, and truly bore the image of Christ. Moved by a prophetic spirit, he foresaw the Sacrifice made for the nations, and honored God with bread and wine, imitating the coming Christ. The Jewish synagogue, following the order of Aaron, sacrificed not bread and wine, but bulls and rams, glorifying God with bloody sacrifices. And to Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, God calls: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Those. not according to the order of Aaron, who sacrificed bulls and rams, but always offered sacrifices of bread and wine. 1. Today I want to offer you an apostolic meal, and I am preparing to turn my speech to the sea of ​​​​Paul's sayings. But what will happen to me? I am perplexed and afraid that, having left the pier and entering the depths of the apostolic thoughts, we will not suffer the dizziness that inexperienced swimmers experience. Those, having left the earth and seeing the sea on both sides of the ship and not seeing anything else but the sea and the sky, are stunned and imagine that the ship is revolving around them along with the sea. But dizziness does not come from the quality of the sea, but from the inexperience of the swimmers. Other swimmers with naked bodies throw themselves into the waves and do not experience anything similar, but, plunging into the very depths, they spend their time safer than those sitting on the ground, and, taking sea water with their lips, eyes, and whole body, they do not feel any trouble. So great and such is the evil - inexperience; and this is the benefit - experience. This one inspires despise and horror; and she makes you fear and fear even non-dangerous things. Some, sitting on the deck of a ship, feel dizzy just looking at the sea; and others do not become embarrassed even among the waves. The same thing happens with our soul. And she is often overwhelmed by waves of passions, fiercer than the waves of the sea, such as: a storm of anger that overthrows the heart, breaths of vicious lust that produce great confusion in the mind. An inexperienced and careless person, when a storm of anger arises, is immediately embarrassed, confused and confused; sees the soul drowned by passions and suffering shipwreck. But an experienced and attentive person endures all this courageously. He, like a helmsman at the helm, having placed his mind above passions, does not cease to use measures until he leads the ship to the quiet haven of wisdom. What happens at sea and happens to the soul also, of necessity, happens when the Scriptures are explained; Sometimes we need to be perplexed and embarrassed, just like when we go out to sea - not because the sea is scary, but because we are inexperienced swimmers. That indeed sometimes speech, which is naturally easy, becomes difficult due to the inexperience of the listeners, to this I will present you with Paul as a witness. Having said that Christ was a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and, exploring who this Melchizedek was, he added: “We should have spoken a lot about this; but it is difficult to interpret, because you have become unable to hear” (Heb. 5:11). What are you saying, Pavel? “Difficult to interpret” for you, who have spiritual wisdom, who have heard the unspeakable, who have been caught up to the third heaven? If this is “difficult to interpret” for you, then for whom is it comprehensible? For me, he says, “it is difficult to interpret,” not because of my own weakness, but because of the inability of the listeners. Precisely, having said: “it is difficult to interpret,” he added: “because you have become unable to listen.” Do you see that it was not the quality of speech, but the inexperience of the listeners that made the easy difficult? And the same reason made the short speech not only difficult, but also long. That’s why he said that it was not only “difficult to interpret,” but also “a lot,” imagining that the reason for both the duration and difficulty of speech was dullness of hearing. Just as the sick should not be offered a monotonous and carelessly prepared meal, but a variety of dishes should be prepared for them, so that if the patient does not want one thing, he would take another, and if he does not find this pleasant, he would find a third suitable for himself, and if he rejects this too, he would take up something else, and so that we can overcome difficulty with variety and heal his bad disposition with a variety of food, so should we often do in relation to listening when we are weak; it is necessary to prepare a long speech, filled with various parables and examples, proofs and arguments, and much more of the like, so that from all of them it is convenient for us to choose what is useful. However, although “about this we should speak a lot” was “difficult to interpret,” the apostle did not deprive the listeners of the teaching about Melchizedek. With the words: “difficult to interpret,” he awakened their zeal, so that they would not be too careless in listening; and, by offering a meal, he rewarded their desire. 2. We will do the same. Although we are not able to penetrate into this sea and into the depths of these thoughts, we dare to set out into the sea, relying not on our own strength, but on the grace given to us from above; Let us go into the sea not out of our own courage, but for your benefit, and in this imitating Paul. That he did not really deprive his listeners of the teaching about Melchizedek, listen to the following. Having said: “We should talk a lot about this; but it is difficult to interpret,” he added: “for Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, the one who met Abraham and blessed him returning after the defeat of the kings, to whom Abraham divided tithes from everything - first, by the sign of the name, the king of righteousness, and then the king of Salem, that is, the king of the world, without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither the beginning of days nor the end of life, being made like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever” (Heb. 7:1-3). Didn’t he strike your ears when he spoke about a person and said: “without father, without mother, without genealogy”? And what am I saying about the person? If this were said about the Son (of God), would not many questions arise? If He is without a Father, then how is He the Son? And if without a mother, then what about the Only Begotten? A son must have a father; otherwise he would not be a son. And, however, the Son of God is “without father” and “without mother”: without a father by earthly birth, without a mother by heavenly birth; He had neither a father on earth nor a mother in heaven. "Without pedigree". Let those who examine His being listen to this. Some people think that this expression: “without genealogy” refers to heavenly birth. The heretics do not want to allow this either; they explore and strive to recognize this heavenly birth; and the more moderate of them, abandoning this, think that the words “without genealogy” were spoken about earthly birth. So, let us show that Paul said this about both births, both heavenly and earthly. After all, it’s scary, and it’s very mysterious. Therefore, Isaiah says: “Who will explain His generation?” (Is.53:8) But, they will say, he is talking about that birth - a heavenly one. Why, we say, did Paul mention this and other births and then add “without genealogy”? In order for you to believe that He is “without genealogy” not only by the birth by which He does not have a mother, but also by the one by which He does not have a father, i.e. according to the earthly; for this purpose He mentioned both births and then said: “without genealogy.” And this earthly thing is incomprehensible; and we don’t even dare to get involved in that. If the vestibule of the church is so scary and inaccessible, then who will dare to enter the inner sanctuary? That He was born of the Father, I know, but how, I don’t know; that He was born of a Virgin, I know this, but I do not comprehend the method (of birth) here either. Both births are confessed, but the manner of both is kept silent. Just as here in relation to the Virgin, not knowing how He was born of the Virgin, I confess that He was born, and by this ignorance I do not destroy the matter itself, so do you in relation to the Father: confess, although you do not know how the Son was born. And if the heretic says to you: how was the Son born from the Father? - you cast down his arrogance to the ground and tell him: come down from heaven and show how He was born of the Virgin, and then talk about that too. Retain him and besiege him, do not allow him to evade and retreat into the labyrinth of judgments, but restrain and constrain him not with your hand, but with your word; do not give him rest; otherwise he will run wherever he wants. That is why they confuse those who talk with them, because we follow them, and do not bring them under the laws of the Divine Scriptures. So, surround him on all sides, as if with a wall, with the testimonies of the Scriptures, and he will not be able to open his mouth. Tell me how the Son was born from the Virgin? I will not leave you and I will not go away. But, even if he used a thousand efforts, he could not explain to us the method of this birth. When God hides, who will then reveal? This is accepted by faith alone. If you do not understand, but are looking for evidence, then I will also tell you what Christ said to Nicodemus: “If I told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things” (John 3:12)? I spoke about the virgin birth, and you don’t know and don’t dare to open your mouth, but you try to explore the heavenly? And, oh, if only heaven! But you also search the Lord of heaven. “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe”; He did not say: “you are not convinced,” but: “you do not believe,” showing us that if earthly things need faith, then much more heavenly things. Meanwhile, He was then talking with Nicodemus about a much lower birth; it was about baptism and spiritual rebirth. It is obvious that this too is comprehended by faith. He called it earthly not because it is earthly, but because it takes place on earth and, in comparison with the heavenly birth, ineffable and surpassing all understanding, is earthly. So, if it is impossible to know how we are reborn in the waters, but we must accept what happens by faith alone, and not investigate the method, then what madness would it be to use human judgments about the heavenly birth of the Only Begotten Son and investigate the method of His birth? However, it is sufficiently shown how the Son of God is “without father, without mother” and “without genealogy.” 3. But since many, not understanding what is written about Melchizedek, say that he is even greater than Christ, have formed their own heresy, are called Melchizedekites and argue with us, trying to prove that he is greater than Christ, citing the words: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 109:4), then it is necessary to say something against them. They say: how can there be no greater than Christ, in whose image and order Christ is priestly? But we say that he is a man subservient to us and no more than Christ and even John the Baptist; “Of those born of women,” says Christ, “there has not arisen a greater one than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). Others, again mistaken, say that he is the Holy Spirit; but we don’t say that either. Otherwise, what need would there be for the Word of God to become man, if the Spirit had already been a man for a long time? In order to explain that he is not greater than Christ and not the Holy Spirit, let them tell us to what region they attribute him: to the heavenly, earthly, or underworld? So, if they say that Melchizedek of the heavenly region, or some other one, then let them hear that he, too, kneels before Christ, incarnate from the Mother of God Mary; The Apostle specifically says that “at the name of Jesus every knee bowed,” etc. (Phil. 2:10). So, if every knee bows before Him, then Melchizedek is less than Christ, since he worships the worshiped Christ. If those pitiful and unfortunate ones pay attention to the following words - and the apostle adds: “being made like the Son of God” (Heb. 7:3) - then you need to understand them in such a way that he was in the image and likeness of God, just like us. The Jews say that he was born of adultery, and therefore has no genealogy. We will tell them: you speak badly. And Solomon was born of the adulterous wife of Uriah; however, he has a pedigree. But, since Melchizedek was a prototype of the Lord, and bore the image of Christ, like Jonah, therefore Scripture was silent about his father, so that in him, as in an image, we contemplate Christ, who is truly “without a father” and “without genealogy.” The Melchizedekites, objecting to us, also say the following: what do the words that the Father says to Him mean: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”? We answer them that this Melchizedek was a righteous man, and truly bore the image of Christ. He, moved by the prophetic spirit, foresaw the Sacrifice that was to be offered for the nations, and honored God with bread and wine, imitating the coming Christ. Since the Jewish synagogue, according to the order of Aaron, sacrificed to God not bread and wine, but bulls and rams, and glorified God with bloody sacrifices, then to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, God calls out and says: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”; not according to the order of Aaron, who offered bulls and rams, but: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,” always offering the sacrifice of those who offer bread and wine; through Him to the Father, with the all-holy Spirit, be glory, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: