The Lord told this parable: one rich man had a good harvest in his field; and he reasoned with himself: what should I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruits? And he said: This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather there all my bread and all my goods, and I will say to my soul: soul! you have a lot of good things lying around for many years: rest, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him: crazy! This night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared? This is what happens to those who store up treasures for themselves and do not become rich in God.

Beware of covetousness - Christ says to all people today - for a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions. Watch yourself so that the principles of this world do not penetrate your heart, so that they do not dominate it. A person's happiness does not depend on wealth. The life of the soul, without a doubt, is not connected with wealth, because its needs cannot be satisfied by anything material. And the life of the body does not consist in having material abundance. You can live cheerfully and easily, being content with little. As the Scripture says, better dish with greenery and holy love, than a luxurious feast with hatred (Prov. 15, 17).

And on the other hand, as they say, everything is laid before the rich man - but God did not give him health, and he cannot touch anything. You can have all the riches of the earth and be the most unhappy person in the world. To warn us against the danger of covetousness, from which the world is perishing, the Lord tells a parable about the life and death of one rich man. And leaves it to us to judge for ourselves whether this person was happy.

His wealth lay in the abundance of the fruits of the earth. He had a lot of land, and his land was fertile, and he acquired more and more until he had a completely unheard-of harvest. He was even confused by such success, and his life instantly lost peace, both day and night. “What should I do,” he reasoned with himself, “and I have nowhere to gather my fruits.”

The Lord in heaven sees and knows all our intentions and thoughts of the heart, and we are responsible for them before the Lord. Because we sometimes think deeply within ourselves, as if making a final choice, our final fate, earthly and eternal, can be decided. This is, in all likelihood, what happened to this rich man: according to his internal state, the Lord determined his death sentence.

This man, having received a rich harvest, naturally intends to expand his granaries. And perhaps many will ask: what, exactly, is the matter? After all, a person actually received a good harvest, and he must take care of it so that nothing is wasted. And we see what plans are born in this person. “This is what I will do,” he says, “I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather all my grain and all my goods there, and I will live in contentment and peace.” He openly boasts, he is full of complacency, he decisively and irrevocably determines: this is what I will do. But he won’t think about what God wants from him at such an important moment in his life.

I knew one grandmother who, during the war, stored grain in a barn behind ten locks “for a rainy day” when her grandchildren were malnourished. And then, finally, she opened it and saw that instead of grain there was only dust left, and worms were swarming in it. I also remember the story of one pious man. He spoke with tears of amazement and gratitude about how literally a few days before the revolution his father’s large mill burned down. At first everyone was horrified, but then they saw that this saved him and his entire family from death, when everyone with wealth in this village was shot or sent to die in a concentration camp. In this regard, it is appropriate to recall the instruction of the holy fathers that when, in the event of an unexpected loss of earthly riches, we thank God, He imputes this gratitude to us as the voluntary distribution of our wealth as alms.

The parable of the crazy rich man reminds us on what shaky foundations this crazy world in which we live stands, where everything is determined by earthly success, and all the wisdom of life lies in how to achieve this success. We understand that this parable is about the Bolsheviks, about the “new Russians,” about today’s America, about the Americanization and mammonization of the entire world today. A crazy rich man is a modern person who is successful in any field. He knows what the latest technology consume, how to process, how to fertilize the soil, if we are talking specifically about this matter, which seeds to choose for a more favorable harvest. And so in all areas of life, in any sphere. This is the most important thing for a person. A person has learned this, he achieves success. And it seems that the whole society can learn from this.

There seems to be no limit to the wealth of this man and this society. It stands like a merciless idol, blinding the mind and imagination with new grandiose projects for restructuring the world. America now seems to be achieving success in its most of the highest degree. From time to time, the Lord puts people and nations before the collapse of everything, until He crushes everything, until He stops us completely and reminds us of the main thing - our immortal soul.

The greatest madness of the mad rich man was to say to his soul: “Soul, rest, eat, drink, be merry.” It’s as if a person lives to eat! If he had said: “My body, rest, eat, drink, be merry, you have enough goods for many years,” this would have some more meaning. But what does any amount of grain or gold do to the soul? How can a soul eat such food? If this man had the soul of a pig, it might be content to eat and drink. Because the human soul can only feed on truth and goodness, the works of mercy that it does, purity, prayer, the word of God, love, God.

When the Lord says: “Take, eat, this is My Body,” and when He says: “Drink of it, all of you,” then the soul together with the body can eat and drink, and rejoice in the Lord for many years and forever. And hopes only for earthly happiness are insane. The day comes when God calls the very bearer of these hopes with exactly this name: “Madman, this night your soul will be taken from you, but who will get what you have collected?”

He thought in the middle of a sleepless night that he had collected goods for many years, but he would have to part with this goods that very night. He thought that he would enjoy it himself, but he must leave it, and to who knows. Who will actually get this goodness? What will his children, for whom he worked so hard, use his unearned wealth for? Will they be wiser or crazier? How many, if they could see in advance who would inherit their house after death, or how destructive this wealth would be for their own children, would rather burn it with their own hands than collect it during their entire lives by preparing Eternal flame for your children through this wealth!

What have you done with your soul? What have you done with your life? “Give Me an account of your management,” the Lord will say to each of us (Luke 16:2). The meaning of the parable is that a man met God and saw that he had nothing, and this emptiness was revealed as eternal hell. While the Lord wants to give man everything, and gives Himself all.

“This is what happens to everyone,” the Lord tells us, “who lays up treasure for himself and does not become rich in God.” This is the way and this is the end of every person who trusts in earthly wealth. He collects for himself, while the secret of life, all its wealth, lies in self-giving. He does not become rich in God, he does not work for such riches that will be with him even when he leaves the earth and can take them with him.

And so that people would understand this better, the Lord told a parable about the foolish rich man.

One rich man had a good harvest in his field. And he began to reason with himself: “What should I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruits.” And, having decided, he said: “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns, and build new ones larger than the old ones, and I will gather there all my bread and all my goods, and I will say to my soul: soul! You have a lot of good things for many years, rest, eat, drink and be merry!”

But God said to him: “You fool! On this night your soul will be taken from you (that is, you will die); who will get what you have prepared?

Having finished this parable, the Lord said: “This is what happens to those who accumulate treasures for themselves, but do not become rich in God,” that is, this should happen to every person who accumulates wealth only for themselves, for their own comforts and pleasures, and not for God, that is, not for good deeds pleasing to God - it does not help others and does not alleviate their suffering. Death will come to a person, and his earthly wealth will not bring his soul any benefit in the next world, in the future life.

“Therefore I tell you,” said the Savior, “do not worry (overly) about what you will eat, what you will drink, and what you will wear. The soul is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. First of all, seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all this will be added to you,” that is, first of all, take care of the salvation of your soul by fulfilling the commandments of God - show mercy to your neighbors, make your soul righteous, worthy of being in the Kingdom of God. Then everything else, everything that is required for your body, for earthly life, the Lord will send to you.

(Luke 12:16-21)
___________

Today we read the Gospel from St. Luke about a crazy, proud rich man who collected only for himself and did not give from his wealth to those in need (Luke 12:16-21). This is a parable, so its meaning is obviously much broader than it seems at first, and a rich person should mean people of every rank, title and status, endowed by God with all good and material contentment, and not just landowners and people of tax status; Likewise, by a good harvest of the field we should mean not only natural, plant products, i.e., wheat, rye, etc., but all material contentment: a rich inheritance, a large salary received from the state treasury, rich incomes provided by some place or position, direct or indirect, open or secret, good profitable trade, good income from renting houses, profitable craft, etc. Thus, this parable, like a net, captures very many, and, in a word, all those who have good means to life.

What does our divine Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ, want and demand from us in this parable? He wants and demands from us that we not only personally use the gifts of God for our own pleasure, to satisfy our only animal needs, habits, passions and lusts, but that we share, certainly share, our goods according to our means with the poor and needy, who are so there is a lot everywhere, because the Lord sends us all kinds of material contentment not for us alone, but for us and for our neighbors. You have many gifts of God, given to you as much for you as for the common good, and they lie without any benefit, and you turn the source of God’s blessing into a source of curse; you swear at the goodness and generosity of God, you are a friend of the common envious and enemy - the devil, for you are an enemy of God and people, because you destroy many with your hardness of heart. This truth, which seems strange to many, is so clear that it speaks for itself, and a person who looks directly at the matter, who does not have his own preconceived thoughts and false beliefs, has no need to explain and prove it, for we are all rich, as well as poor , noble and simple, educated and uneducated - all close to each other, as if descended from the same blood, members of one great God's family, members, if not of one Church, then of one state, members of one common fatherland, we have one king - a father who cares equally about the welfare of all his subjects, for whom the top desire is that everyone is generally happy and prosperous, everyone works for the benefit of society and each to his own. But our extreme self-love, according to which we are accustomed to consider our material goods exclusively ours, a false view of our relations with others and a strictly judicial, one-sided view of our neighbors who require our help, go against this truth, and many, many say: “Mine - only for me and for no one else, others don’t care about him,” although it is obvious that such a belief is false and extremely inhumane, that is, inhumane. Let us prove its inconsistency on the basis of reason and the word of God and then draw the conclusion that we must not only collect for ourselves, but also become rich in God, that is, rich in mercy, truth and good deeds in general.

Firstly, in all of nature, in everything visible world we notice reciprocity and sociability. The sun from the heights of heaven illuminates, warms and revitalizes the whole earth, all creatures, there is no number of them; the air penetrates everyone and everything - we all breathe and feed on it every minute; winds blowing alternately from all directions produce different places a beneficial change in the air, cleanses and makes it healthier; Rivers, irrigating the different areas through which they flow, bring many different benefits to people and animals. Bees collect fragrant, healthy and nutritious juice from flowers, put it in honeycombs and form honey, which is used by many people; The silkworm spins cocoons, or silk threads, and humans use them for their products. People of art, crafts, agriculture, trade, industry share their treasures with other people; the army lays down its life for the faith, the king and the fatherland - everything and everyone is in interaction and communication. But you have large sums of money, which would be enough to feed a thousand people - what is the use of them? Will only property, money, bread, clothing, housing be our only property, and we will not willingly share it with our needy brothers? Have mercy, my brothers, this is contrary to our nature and reason. Just as all of nature shares its treasures and riches with us, so we must mutually share our wealth with each other for the common good.

Secondly, since we all, since Christians, constitute a joint of the spiritual body of the Church, the Head of which is Jesus Christ, the Pilot, or Ruler, the Holy Spirit, therefore we are obliged to take care spiritually and materially not only about ourselves, but also about others members of the body, according to the words of the Apostle Paul: If one member suffers, all members suffer with it; if one member is glorified, all members rejoice with it. And you are the body of Christ, and separately members (1 Cor. 12:26-27). The church and the state are a living organism, but there are members in it that are sick, weak, incapable, or lack labor and cannot obtain it. If so, then how can a rich man not take care of the poor - a rich man of every rank: a spiritual man, a merchant, a man of secular or military rank, a scientist or a leader in any rank, or a rich artisan? And in this case, higher or high-ranking persons, as more educated, should set an example for the lower ones, according to the word of the apostle: We must bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not please ourselves (Rom. 15: 1). If strong, noble, high-ranking persons or the rich please only themselves, without caring about the poor and weak, then what can people do in their favor, although with good intentions, desires, enterprises, but weak in power and capital? For example, in Kronstadt we have a poor, unprivileged class of registered philistines who have neither business, nor money, nor food, nor clothing, nor housing, nor the slightest moral voice to defend themselves, but who could be useful if If people who are respected by power would pay fatherly attention to them. Tell me, what will happen to them in the end if the mighty in the city do not pay attention to them? Or will they have to wither away and die prematurely from hunger and cold, or will they resort to illegal means of acquisition in order not to die of hunger? And if the noble and rich do not want to give them what they need for life from their granaries or from their rich treasuries, then at least we need to take joint efforts to house them and engage them in labor according to their strength, and to generally assist them. After all, they are also Christians, like us; subjects and children of the same sovereign as we are; members of the same society as we are. Meanwhile, they, our members, due to some strange negligence and hard-heartedness of society, remain to this day without any charity.

O pride, o pride, o hard-heartedness, o devouring self-interest of people arrogant with their false enlightenment! What does scientific enlightenment mean without Christian love? Nothing. The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God (1 Cor. 3:19).

Humble yourself, arrogant mind, before the teaching of the Gospel and before the poverty of Christ, come down from your pedestal, stand lower, approach these poor, whom Christ Himself is not ashamed to call His brethren, and extend a helping hand to them; Don’t just collect for yourself, don’t just satisfy your own whims, but also be rich in God in good deeds, which will follow you after death. So, both nature, reason, and the word of God inspire us to be sociable with our neighbors in our property, pliable, without grumbling, without stinginess, willingly, with zeal, meekly and humbly, complacently helping the poor, as brothers in Christ and as members of the civil society. society. Amen.

We have just heard a parable in which our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us our spiritual attitude towards life. A Christian cannot be complacent, i.e. he cannot say to himself: “Everything is fine with me, I don’t need to do anything, I’m equipped with everything - let everything be as it will be.”

We are all called to work spiritually, fighting evil in our souls. How can you calm down if you know that sins have built a nest in your soul? How can you calm down if you know that ardent faith does not burn in your heart, that there is no true love for your neighbors in your heart? Is it possible to be calm if you know that the time will come and you will have to give an answer not only for every action of yours, but even for every idle one, i.e. empty word? – Because nothing in this world passes without a trace, and a person who has free will is responsible for all the things that he does in his life. Is it possible to be complacent about this?

And so, the Lord very clearly shows us that we cannot be indifferent and complacent. And he gives an example of a man who unexpectedly had a big harvest. This man, who was probably engaged in farming, had such a harvest that he himself did not even expect, and did not imagine, and did not plan that he would have such a harvest. And he began to think: what will I do? And he began to dream and count: “Here, I’ll take it, tear down the premises that I have now, build larger ones, fill them with this harvest and say to myself, to my soul: my soul! Now you have enough of everything, you have everything - eat, drink, be merry!” “And the Lord says to him: “You fool! On this night the Angels will separate your soul from your body - to whom will you leave all this?”

Dear brothers and sisters! This parable teaches us many things. First, it teaches us that at any moment we can appear before the judgment of God. At any moment the Angel of the Lord can come for our soul. How will we appear before God? Where will the Lord find us doing what? What will happen in our heart at this moment?

This parable also teaches us, of course, gratitude to God. Look how this man reasoned, who himself did not expect that he would have such a harvest - did he think to thank the One who gave him this harvest? Did he think to praise God for what had happened? After all, from the parable it is clear that he did not hope that he would have such a successful year this year, and did not imagine it, otherwise he would have built large granaries for himself in advance. So what came to this man’s mind to thank God? - No, it didn’t come.

Dear brothers and sisters! Let's look back at our lives and look at ourselves. When unexpected joys happen to us, when unexpected successes happen to us, do we immediately thank the Lord? Do we immediately remember that the Lord gives us this, or do we forget about everything out of joy and attribute it to ourselves, or our luck, or a coincidence of circumstances? Do we remember who is the giver of all blessings? And, of course, if we are fair to ourselves, we must say: “No! We forget about this all the time.” – Only when misfortune happens to us or difficult circumstances, then we are diligent in prayer, and even then not always. Are we diligent in prayer of thanks?

Dear brothers and sisters! You and I see in this parable how empty his dreams were. Everything could have been different if this person had been grateful to God, if this person had performed acts of mercy. But no, he was only thinking about himself. I only thought about myself and was left with nothing! So the Lord warns us: “This is what happens to those who grow rich for themselves and not for God.”

What does it mean to become rich in God? – This means that the gift of God that the Lord gives us must be generously given to those people with whom we live. We have a bright mind - we need to share it with our neighbors. Do we have the gift of a good word, a comforting conversation - we must strive to say sweet words and do not hesitate to give kindness to all those people who are with us. Whether we have any material wealth, we must be merciful and compassionate and strive to help those whom we can help. If we have health, we must share with those who do not have health, help those who are sick. We must strive to do at least something good for those people who are with us. Then we will grow rich not in ourselves, but in God.

And if, when planning our lives, (we must, of course, plan and assume), we plan first of all not what we will do for ourselves, but we plan how we will be merciful and compassionate towards people, we will plan what What we do for others, then there will be no complacency in our hearts. We'll see how hard it is. We will see how difficult it can be to motivate ourselves to pray a prayer of thanks and thank God. We will see how difficult it is to be merciful. We will see how difficult it is not only to think about yourself, but to have love for people, love for your neighbors and think about them, we will see how heavy the cross is. And then there will be no complacency in our hearts. We will not be able to say to ourselves: “Eat, drink, be merry at all times.”

We will see that we need to work on our soul, correct ourselves, repent of our sins, change. We will see that if our strength is not there, then we need to ask for God’s help, begin the sacraments of the church, begin to partake of the Most Pure Body and Life-Giving Blood of Christ. We will see how necessary we need the grace of the Lord, and we will strive for it, and we will visit the temple of God.

This, dear brothers and sisters, is what the parable we heard today teaches us. Let us turn to the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, so that He will admonish us to live according to His good commandments, so that He will teach us to be grateful, merciful and compassionate.
Amen.

OK. XII, 1-59: 1 Meanwhile, when thousands of people had gathered together, so that they crowded one another, He began to say first to His disciples: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore what you said in the darkness will be heard in the light; and what was spoken in the ear within the house will be proclaimed on the housetops. 4 But I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and then are unable to do anything more; 5 But I will tell you whom to fear: fear the one who, after killing, can cast into Gehenna: I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five small birds sold for two assars? and not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid: you are worth more than many small birds. 8 But I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess it before the angels of God; 9 But whoever denies Me before men will be rejected before the angels of God. 10 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; and whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 But when they bring you to the synagogues, to the rulers and powers, do not worry about how or what to answer or what to say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should say. 13 One of the people said to Him: Teacher! tell my brother to share the inheritance with me. 14 And he said to the man, “Who made me a judge or a divider between you?” 15 At the same time he said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable: A certain rich man had a good harvest in his field; 17 And he reasoned with himself: What should I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruits? 18 And he said, This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather there all my grain and all my goods, 19 and I will say to my soul: soul! you have a lot of good things lying around for many years: rest, eat, drink, be merry. 20 But God said to him: You fool! this night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared? 21 So It happens With those He who stores up treasures for himself and not in God becomes rich. 22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and body than clothing. 24 Look at the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; They have neither storehouses nor granaries, and God feeds them; how old are you better than birds ? 25 And which of you, by caring, can add even one cubit to his height? 26 So, if you cannot do the least, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Look at the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you that Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them. 28 But if God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more so than you, O you of little faith! 29 So do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink, and do not be anxious, 30 for all these things the people of this world seek; but your Father knows that you have need; 31 Seek above all else the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. 32 Fear not, little flock! for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give alms. Prepare for yourselves sheaths that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys, 34 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 35 Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning. 36 And you be like people who wait for their master to return from marriage, so that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open the door to him. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, finds awake; Truly I tell you, he will gird himself and make them sit down, and he will come and serve them. 38 And if he comes in the second watch, and in the third watch, and finds them like this, then blessed are those servants. 39 You know that if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Be therefore ready, for at an hour when you do not think, the Son of Man will come. 41 Then Peter said to Him: Lord! Are you speaking this parable to us, or to everyone? 42 And the Lord said, Who is the faithful and prudent steward, whom the master hath appointed over his servants, to distribute to them in due season a measure of bread? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, finds doing this. 44 Truly I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, “My master will not come soon,” and begins to beat his servants and maidservants, and eat and drink and get drunk, 46 then the master of that servant will come on a day on which he does not expect, and at an hour when who does not think will cut him open and subject him to the same fate as the infidels. 47 But that servant who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, and did not do according to his will, will be beaten many times; 48 But he who did not know, and did something worthy of punishment, will receive less punishment. And from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, from him more will be required. 49 I came to bring down fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I must be baptized with baptism; and how I languish until this is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I came to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division; 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided, three against two, and two against three: 53 father will be against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 54 He also said to the people, “When you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately say, “It will rain,” and so it happens; 55 And when the south wind blows, say: There will be heat, and it does happen. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to recognize the face of the earth and the sky, how can you not recognize this time? 57 Why don’t you judge for yourselves what should happen? 58 When you go with your rival to the authorities, then try to free yourself from him on the road, so that he does not bring you to the judge, and the judge does not hand you over to the torturer, and the torturer does not throw you into prison. 59 I tell you: you won’t leave there until you give back your last half.

A Guide to Studying the Four Gospels

Prot. Seraphim Slobodskaya (1912-1971)
Based on the book “The Law of God”, 1957.

Parable of the Foolish Rich Man

(Luke XII, 15-31)

Jesus Christ taught: “See, beware of covetousness, (i.e., beware of loving to acquire wealth, beware of addiction to wealth), for a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions.

And so that people would understand this better, the Lord told a parable about the foolish rich man.

One rich man had a good harvest in his field. And he began to reason with himself: “What should I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruits.” And, having decided, he said: “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns, and build new ones larger than the old ones, and I will gather there all my bread and all my goods, and I will say to my soul: soul! You have a lot of good things for many years, rest, eat, drink and be merry!”

But God said to him: “You fool! On this night your soul will be taken from you (that is, you will die); who will get what you have prepared?

Having finished this parable, the Lord said: “This is what happens to those who accumulate treasures for themselves, but do not become rich in God,” that is, this should happen to every person who accumulates wealth only for themselves, for their own comforts and pleasures, and not for God, that is, not for good deeds pleasing to God - it does not help others and does not alleviate their suffering. Death will come to a person, and his earthly wealth will not bring his soul any benefit in the next world, in the future life.

“Therefore I tell you,” said the Savior, “do not worry (overly) about what you will eat, what you will drink, and what you will wear. The soul is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. First of all, seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all this will be added to you,” that is, first of all, take care of the salvation of your soul by fulfilling the commandments of God - show mercy to your neighbors, make your soul righteous, worthy of being in the Kingdom of God. Then everything else, everything that is required for your body, for earthly life, the Lord will send to you.

Archbishop Averky (Taushev) (1906-1976)
Guide to Study Holy Scripture New Testament. Four Gospels. Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, 1954.

31. Parable of the Reckless Rich Man

(Luke XII, 13-21)

Someone, seeing how great the influence of the Lord was, turned to Him with a request that the Lord command his brother to share the inheritance with him. The Lord refused him this, for He did not come to earth to sort out petty disputes based on human passions. Moreover, He preached renunciation of estates, and, in addition, one or another of His decisions could cause displeasure and even a clash and judicial investigation in one or another litigant, which the Lord, of course, did not want to allow. However, the reason is not that human interests in general are alien to the Lord, but that the Lord’s task is not external measures to restore order, but the re-education of the heart and will of people. This is an example for all preachers of the Gospel and ministers of the Church. In connection with the request addressed to him, the Lord told a parable warning against the disease of covetousness, i.e. passion for acquiring property to enjoy the blessings of this world. “Human life”, i.e. his well-being or happiness “does not depend on the abundance of his possessions.” One man had a rich harvest in the field. Without thinking at all about the future life, he thinks only about how to use his wealth for pleasure in this life. He has no thoughts about God or spiritual life, but only about animal sensual pleasures: “rest, eat, drink, be merry.” He did not even suspect that the last day of his earthly life had come, and he would not have to enjoy the collected treasures: “Crazy, this night they will take your soul from you: but what you have prepared for those who will be” - “you will no longer receive any benefit from collected wealth, and what happens to this wealth after you is indifferent to you.” Instead of collecting earthly riches for oneself, one must become rich in God, i.e. take care of acquiring eternal, incorruptible riches, or virtues, which can be acquired by spending earthly riches not for base carnal pleasures, but for good deeds of all kinds.

32. Parables about the anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ: about servants awaiting the return of their master and about a faithful and prudent steward

(Matt. XXIV, 42-51; Luke XII, 35-48)

We must be prepared at every hour, for it is unknown when the second coming of Christ will occur or death will come, which has the same meaning for a person, for in both cases, a person will have to give an account to God for how he spent his earthly life . “Let your loins be girded” - the image is taken from oriental wide clothing: when it was necessary to do something, this wide and long clothing was tied with a belt so that it would not get in the way. This expression therefore means to be ready. “The lamps are burning” expresses the same idea: slaves should be ready to meet their master with lighted lamps when he returns home at night. Just as good servants must be ready to meet their master at any time of the night, whenever he returns, whether in the second watch or in the third, so true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must always be morally ready to meet His second coming. For this spiritual vigilance, the Lord promises bliss - blessed are those servants. This bliss is figuratively represented by the fact that the master will gird himself and begin to serve his slaves, making them, as it were, his guests - this is the greatest honor that can only be given to slaves according to Eastern customs. To Peter’s question whether this parable speech applies only to the Apostles or to everyone, the Lord does not give a direct answer, but from further speech it is clear that the Lord’s admonition about spiritual vigilance applies to all followers of Christ. In this second parable, the Lord pleases the faithful and prudent steward, whom the master placed over his servants, for the proper performance of the service entrusted to him - “to give in due season” and predicts the sad fate of that slave-housekeeper who, not expecting the imminent return of his master, begins to be careless about his duties and will become outrageous: “beat slaves and slaves, but eat and drink and get drunk.” Such a slave will be subjected to severe torment: “he will melt him,” i.e. dissection is an execution used in the East for the most serious criminals. Evang. Luke adds to this that the punishment for such careless slaves will not be the same: the one who knew the will of his master will suffer a more severe punishment than the one who did not know, but the latter will also be punished for, of course, not caring to find out the will of the master. Whoever was given more opportunities to fulfill this will will be punished more for failure to fulfill it.

33. The Lord predicts division among people

(Luke XII, 49-53)

“Fire has come to burn on the earth, and whatever I want, even if it is already on fire” - under this “fire” of St. the fathers understand the spiritual zeal that the Lord came to plant in human hearts and which will inevitably give rise to division and enmity between people, for some will ardently, with all their hearts, accept the teaching of Christ, while others will oppose it. Since this fire of jealousy was supposed to burn with special power only after Christ’s suffering on the cross, His Resurrection, Ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, the Lord expresses a desire to be baptized as soon as possible with the baptism with which He should be baptized, i.e. rather to bear the sufferings awaiting Him for the redemption of mankind, as a result of which this fire of jealousy will be kindled. As a result of the redemptive work of Christ, among people there will no longer be that harmful world that unites people on criminal grounds and removes them from God, but a salutary division will come: the followers of the teachings of Christ will be separated from the enemies of Christ.

We saw enmity that arose on this basis even between close relatives, especially during the persecution of Christians by pagans, but it is always inevitable, for evil hates good and seeks to destroy it.

Parable of the Foolish Rich Man

Jesus Christ taught: “See, beware of covetousness (i.e., beware of loving to acquire wealth, beware of addiction to wealth), for a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions.

And so that people would understand this better, the Lord told a parable about the foolish rich man.

One rich man had a good harvest in his field. And he began to reason with himself: “What should I do? I have nowhere to gather my fruits.” And, having decided, he said: “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns, and build new ones larger than the old ones, and I will gather all my bread and all my goods there, and I will say to my soul: soul, you have a lot of goods for many years, rest, eat, drink and be merry!"

But God said to him: “You fool! This night your soul will be taken from you (that is, you will die); who will get what you have prepared?”

Having finished this parable, the Lord said: “This is what happens to those who accumulate treasures for themselves, but do not become rich in God,” that is, this should happen to every person who accumulates wealth only for themselves, for their own comforts and pleasures, and not for God, that is, not for good deeds pleasing to God - it does not help others and does not alleviate their suffering. Death will come to a person, and his earthly wealth will not bring his soul any benefit in the next world, in the future life.

“Therefore I tell you,” said the Savior, “do not worry (overly) about what you will eat, what you will drink, and what you will wear. Life is greater than food, and the body than clothing. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” “First of all, seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all this will be added to you,” that is, first of all, take care of the salvation of your soul by fulfilling the commandments of God - show mercy to your neighbors, make your soul righteous, worthy to be in the Kingdom of God. Then everything else, everything that is required for your body, for earthly life, the Lord will send to you.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Luke, ch. 12, 15-31.

Giving Prayer to Disciples

Once, when Jesus Christ was praying and finished His prayer, one of the disciples said to Him: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Jesus Christ said to them: when you pray, say this: Our Father (Father) who art in heaven! Hallowed be it your name; let him come Your kingdom; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread for this day. And forgive us our debts (sins), as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Luke, ch. 1, 1-4; from Matthew, ch. 6, 9-13.

About forgiveness of grievances. The Parable of the Merciful King and the Ruthless Lender

During one conversation of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Peter approached Him and asked: “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother (that is, my neighbor) who sins against me (that is, if he offends me in some way)? Will it be enough? forgive him up to seven times?

Jesus Christ said to him: “I do not tell you until seven times, but until seventy times seven,” that is, forgive without counting, always.

To better explain this, Jesus Christ told a parable: “One man owed the king ten thousand talents. (Talent is the weight of gold and silver, worth approximately 2,500 rubles. This means that his debt was about 25 million rubles.) But he had nothing. pay. When he was brought to the king, the king ordered him to be sold, and his wife, and his children, and all his property. Then the debtor fell at the king’s feet and, bowing, began to ask him: sovereign, bear with me, and I will give you everything. I will pay. The merciful king took pity on him, forgave him the entire debt and let him go. The man, leaving the king, saw one of his comrades who owed him a hundred denarii (that is, only 20 rubles). grabbed his comrade and began to choke him, saying: “Give me what you owe.” His comrade fell at his feet, begged him and said: “Be patient with me, and I will give you everything.” But he did not want to wait, but went and went. He put him in prison until he paid off the debt. When the Tsar learned from the victim’s comrades about the cruelty of this man, he called him to himself and said to him: “Evil slave! I forgave you all your debt because you begged me. Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your comrade, just as I had mercy on you?” And, angry, the king handed him over to the torturers (that is, the people who had the responsibility to punish criminals) until he paid off all his unpaid debt.”

Having finished the parable, Jesus Christ said: “My Heavenly Father will do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his neighbor from his heart for his sins.”

In this parable, the king refers to God. By the person who owed the king so much, we mean the people. Under debt are our sins. By the debtor's companion we mean those people who are guilty of something before us (our debtors).

From this parable it is clear that anyone who is angry with his neighbors for some of their misdeeds and does not want to forgive them does not deserve (is not worthy) of pardon from God.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 18, 21-35; from Luke, ch. 17, 3-4.

Healing of ten lepers

At the entrance to one village, Jesus Christ was met by ten lepers. Nine of them were Jews, and one was a Samaritan. A common grief brought them together. Lepers were forbidden to come close to people, because their disease was contagious. Therefore, “stopping at a distance, they said in a loud voice: “Jesus the Mentor! have mercy on us."

Jesus Christ told them: “Go, show yourself to the priests.”

The priests examined those who were recovering from leprosy and gave them certificates for the right to live in cities and villages.

The lepers went to the priests; and as they walked, along the way they were cleansed of leprosy, that is, they were healed and became healthy. One of them, seeing that he was healed, returned to Jesus Christ, glorifying God with a loud voice, and, falling at the feet of Christ, thanked Him. And it was a Samaritan. The Jews remained ungrateful.

Then Jesus Christ said: “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Why did they not return to give glory to God, except this foreigner?

Then, turning to the Samaritan who thanked him, he said: "Get up, go; your faith has saved you."

From this it is clear that we should always be grateful to God for all His mercies that He sends to us.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Luke, ch. 17, 11-19.

Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

Jesus Christ told the following parable about those people who love wealth but do not help the poor.

One man was rich, dressed in purple (outer clothing made of expensive red material) and fine linen (fine white clothes) and feasted merrily every day. There was also a beggar named Lazarus, who was lying at the gate of the rich man's house, covered with scabs. He wanted to feed on the crumbs falling from the rich man's table, and the dogs came and licked his scabs.

The beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (the place of bliss of the righteous, paradise).

The rich man also died and was buried. And so, tormented in hell, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus with him and cried out: “Father Abraham! have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am tormented.” in this flame."

But Abraham said to him: “Child, remember how on earth you were blessed, and Lazarus suffered; now here he is comforted, and you suffer. Moreover, between you and us there is a great abyss that neither you nor we can cross.”

Then the former rich man said to Abraham: “So I ask you, father, send Lazarus to earth, to my father’s house, because I have five more brothers left there. Let him warn them and testify to them about the future life, so that they do not fall into this.” a place of torment."

Abraham answered him. "They have Moses and the prophets (that is, their holy Scriptures); let them listen to them."

He objected to Abraham: “No, Father Abraham, but if someone from the dead comes to them, they will repent.”

Then Abraham said to him: “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then even if someone were raised from the dead, they would not believe.”

In this parable, the Lord clearly showed... If a rich man spends his wealth only for his own pleasure, but does not help the poor, does not think about his soul and its eternal fate, then he will be condemned and will not receive bliss in the future life. Those who patiently, with meekness, and without grumbling endure suffering will receive eternal, blessed life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Luke, ch. 16, 19-31.

Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee

Warning us all not to be proud, not to boast, considering ourselves righteous and better than others, but to humbly, seeing our sins, lament over them, not condemning anyone, because only a humble person rises in soul to God, - Jesus Christ said the next parable.

Two people entered the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.

The Pharisee, standing in front, prayed like this: “God! I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, dissolute people, or like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I sacrifice a tenth of everything I acquire.”

The publican stood at a distance. He did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven, but, striking himself on the chest, said: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

Jesus Christ said: “I tell you that the publican went into his house more justified than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

NOTE: See the Gospel of Luke, ch. 18, 9-14.

Blessing of children

Many brought their children to Jesus Christ so that He would touch them, lay hands on them with prayer, and bless them. The disciples of Christ did not allow them, thinking that they should not bother the Teacher because of the children.

But Jesus Christ, seeing this, was indignant and, calling his disciples, said: “Let the children come and do not hinder them from coming to Me, for to such is the Kingdom of Heaven. Truly I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” ".

And, embracing the children, Jesus Christ laid his hands on them and blessed them.

From this we must understand that innocence, kindness, simplicity and kindness of soul, which are characteristic primarily of children, lead a person into the Kingdom of Heaven.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 19, 13-15; from Mark, ch. 10, 13-16; from Luke, ch. 18, 15-17.

Parable of the Prodigal Son

Publicans and sinners came to Jesus Christ to listen to Him. The proud Pharisees and scribes, teachers of the Jewish people, grumbled at Jesus Christ for this and said: “He receives sinners and eats with them.”

To this, Jesus Christ spoke several parables in which he showed that God accepts every repentant sinner with joy and love. Here is one of them:

One man had two sons. The youngest of them said to his father: “Father, give me the part of the estate that is due to me.” The father fulfilled his request. After a few days, the youngest son, having collected everything, went to a distant country and there, living dissolutely, squandered all his property. When he had lived through everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. And he went and joined (that is, joined) one of the inhabitants of that country; and he sent him to his fields to feed pigs. From hunger, he would be glad to eat the horns that the pigs ate; but no one gave it to him.

Then, having come to his senses, he remembered his father, repented of his act and thought: “How many hired servants (workers) of my father eat bread in abundance, and I am dying of hunger! I will get up, go to my father, and say to him: “Father ! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants."

So he did. He got up and went home to his father. And when he was still far away, his father saw him and took pity on him. The father himself ran towards his son, fell on his neck, and kissed him.

The son began to say: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son”...

And the father said to his servants: “Bring the best clothes and dress him; give him a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and kill the fatted calf; let us eat and be merry! For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” And they started having fun.

The eldest son was returning from the field at that time. Hearing singing and rejoicing in the house, he called one of the servants and asked: “What is this?”

The servant said to him: “Your brother has come, and your father killed the fatted calf, because he saw it healthy.”

The eldest son became angry and did not want to enter the house. His father came out to him and called him.

But he answered his father: “Behold, I have served you for so many years and never transgressed (violated) your orders; but you never gave me a kid so that I could have fun with my friends. And when this son of yours came, who wasted his property wantonly , you slaughtered a fattened calf for him."

The father said to him: “My son, you are always with me, and everything that is mine is yours. And you also had to rejoice and be glad, because your brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”

In this parable, the father means God, and the prodigal son means a repentant sinner. Every person who with his soul moves away from God and indulges in a self-willed, sinful life is like the prodigal son; with his sins he destroys his soul and all the gifts (life, health, strength, abilities) that he received from God. When a sinner, having come to his senses, brings sincere repentance to God, with humility and with hope for His mercy, then the Lord, as a merciful Father, rejoices with His angels at the sinner’s conversion, forgives him all his iniquities (sins), no matter how great they may be, and returns to him His mercies and gifts.

Through the story of the eldest son, the Savior teaches that every Christian believer must with all his soul wish for the salvation of all, rejoice at the conversion of sinners, not envy God’s love for them and not consider himself worthy of God’s mercies any more than those who turn to God from their previous lawlessness life.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Luke, ch. 15, 11-32.

Predictions of Jesus Christ about the end of the world and His second coming

Jesus Christ predicted what awaits our entire world and all people in the future. He taught that the world would end and the earthly life of the human race would end; then He will come to earth for the second time and resurrect all people (then the bodies of all people will again unite with their souls and come to life), and then Jesus Christ will judge people and reward everyone according to his deeds. “Do not be surprised at this,” said Jesus Christ, “for the time is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice” of the Son of God, and having heard it, they will come to life; and they will come out of their graves - some who did good for eternal, blessed life, and others who did evil for condemnation."

His disciples asked: “Tell us, when will this be, and what is the sign of Your (second) coming and the end of the world?”

In response to this, Jesus Christ warned them that before His coming, in glory, to earth, such difficult times would come for people as have never happened since the beginning of the world. There will be various disasters: famine, pestilence, earthquakes, frequent wars. Lawlessness will increase; faith will weaken; many will not have love for each other. Many false prophets and teachers will appear who will deceive people and corrupt them with their harmful teachings. But first, the Gospel of Christ will be preached throughout the whole earth, as a testimony to all nations.

Just before the end of the world there will be great, terrifying signs in the sky; the sea will roar and be indignant; despondency and bewilderment will take over people, so that they will die of fear and from the expectation of disasters for the whole world. In those days, after that tribulation, the sun will darken, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of Jesus Christ (His cross) will appear in heaven; then all the tribes of the earth will mourn (for fear of God’s judgment) and will see Jesus Christ coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Just as lightning flashes in the sky from east to west (and is immediately visible everywhere), so (suddenly visible to everyone) will be the coming of the Son of God.

Jesus Christ did not tell His disciples about the day and hour of His coming to earth; “Only My Heavenly Father knows about this,” He said, and taught us to always be ready to meet the Lord.

NOTE: See the Gospel of John, ch. 6, 24-29; from Matthew, ch. 24, 3-44; from Mark, ch. 13, 3-37; from Luke, ch. 17, 20-37 and ch. 21, 7-36.

Parable of the Ten Virgins

In order for people to always be ready to meet the Lord, that is, to the judgment of God, and therefore to death, since death is the beginning of God’s judgment over man, Jesus Christ told the parable of the ten virgins. In this parable, the Lord likened us to virgins who were gathered for marriage. According to eastern wedding customs, the groom followed the bride, who was waiting for him in her father's house. Her friends, the girls, with lit lamps, were supposed to meet the groom in the late evening and lead him to the bride.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins,” said the Savior, “who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Of them, five were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish, taking their lamps, took no oil with them. The wise and, together with their lamps, they also took oil in their vessels. Since the groom slowed down, all the girls dozed off and fell asleep. Suddenly, at midnight, a cry was heard: “Behold, the groom is coming, go out to meet him.” , and they trimmed their lamps. But the lamps of the foolish began to go out without oil, and they said to the wise: “Give us your oil; because our lamps are going out." And the wise answered: "So that there is no shortage for both us and you, you better go to those who sell and buy for yourself." When they went to buy, at that time, the groom came, and those who were ready to meet the groom , went in with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut.

Then other virgins come and say: “Lord! Lord, open to us.”

He answered them: “Truly I say to you, I do not know you” (that is, you are strangers to Me).

And having finished this parable, the Savior said: “Watch therefore (i.e., be always ready), because you know neither the day nor the hour at which the Son of Man will come” (that is how the Savior called Himself).

“Foolish virgins” are like those careless people who know that they need to appear at the judgment of God, but do not prepare for it while they are still living on earth and until death overtakes them; They do not repent of their sins and do not do good deeds.

"Oil in the lamps" signifies good works, especially works of mercy (helping the poor).

"The Maidens' Dream" depicts the death of people.

Our Judge, Jesus Christ, will come to earth (“Bridegroom”) and will awaken all the dead from the sleep of death, that is, he will resurrect. How death found someone - ready or unprepared for the judgment of God - is how he will appear before the judgment of God. Then careless people will have nowhere to look for help, and they will hear bitter words from Christ: “I don’t know you; get away from Me.”

NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 25, 1-13.

Parable of the Talents

And Jesus Christ spoke another parable against our laziness and negligence.

The Son of Man will act like a man who, going to a foreign country, called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to a third one talent, to each according to his strength; and immediately set off.

The one who received five talents went and put them to work and acquired five more talents with them. In the same way, the one who received two talents acquired another two with them. The one who received one talent did not want to work, but went and buried it in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those slaves returned and demanded an account from them. The one who received five talents brought another five talents and came up to him and said: “Sir, you gave me five talents; behold, I acquired another five talents with them.”

The one who had received two talents also came up and said: “Sir, you gave me two talents; here are the other two talents I acquired with them.”

The master said to him: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in little things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”

The one who had received one talent came up and said: “Sir, I knew you that you are a cruel man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter; behold, I, afraid of this, went and hid your talent in the ground. Behold. yours."

The master answered him: “You wicked and lazy servant! with your mouth I will judge you; you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; therefore you had to give my silver to the merchants; and I, if he returned, he would receive what is mine with profit. So, take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has it will be given to him; but from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. crying and gnashing of teeth."

Having told this parable, Jesus Christ exclaimed: “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”

This parable means: all people receive from the Lord various gifts, such as: life, health, strength, spiritual abilities, learning, gifts of the Holy Spirit, worldly blessings, etc., in order to serve God and their neighbors with these gifts. All these gifts of God are meant in the parable under the name of talents. God knows how much to give to each, according to his abilities, and that is why they receive - some more, some less. Whoever used the gifts of God in what way, each person will have to give an account to the Lord at His second coming. Whoever uses them to benefit himself and others will receive praise from the Lord and eternal heavenly joys; and lazy and careless people will be condemned by the Lord to eternal suffering.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 25, 14-30; from Luke, ch. 19, 11-28.

ABOUT the Last Judgment

About His last, terrible judgment over all people, at His second coming, Jesus Christ taught this:

When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He, as a King, will sit on the throne of His glory. And all nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate some people from others (the faithful and good from the ungodly and evil), just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will place the sheep (the righteous) on His right hand, and the goats (sinners) on His left.

Then the King will say to those standing by right side His: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry (hungry) and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me."

Then the righteous will ask Him with humility: “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You as a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? When we saw You sick, or in prison have you come to you?"

The king will answer them: “Truly I say to you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine (that is, for the needy people), you did it to Me.”

Then the King will say to those on the left side: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Because I was hungry, and you did not give Me anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you did not give Me something to drink; I was a stranger. and they did not receive Me; I was naked, and they did not clothe Me; I was sick and in prison, and they did not visit Me.”

Then they too will answer Him: “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve You?”

But the King will say to them: “Truly I say to you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”

And they will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

This day will be great and terrible for each of us. That is why this judgment is called the Terrible, since our deeds, words, and most secret thoughts and desires will be open to everyone. Then we will no longer have anyone to rely on, for the Judgment of God is righteous, and everyone will receive according to their deeds.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 25, 31-46.

Raising Lazarus

The holiday of the Jewish Passover was approaching, and with it came the last days life of Jesus Christ on earth. The malice of the Pharisees and the rulers of the Jews reached the extreme; their hearts turned to stone from envy, lust for power and other vices; and they did not want to accept the meek and merciful teaching of Christ. They were waiting for an opportunity to seize the Savior and put him to death. And, behold, now their time drew near; the power of darkness was coming, and the Lord was handed over into human hands.

At this time, in the village of Bethany, Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, fell ill. The Lord loved Lazarus and his sisters and often visited this pious family.

When Lazarus fell ill, Jesus Christ was not in Judea. The sisters sent to tell Him: “Lord, behold, the one You love is sick.”

Jesus Christ, having heard this, said: “This disease is not for death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Having spent two days in the place where he was, the Savior said to the disciples: “Let us go to Judea. Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him up.”

Jesus Christ spoke to them about the death of Lazarus (about his death sleep), and the disciples thought that He was talking about an ordinary dream, but since sleep during illness is a good sign of recovery, they said: “Lord, if you fall asleep, you will recover.” .

Then Jesus Christ told them directly. “Lazarus died, and I rejoice for you that I was not there, (this is so that) you may believe. But let us go to him.”

When Jesus Christ approached Bethany, Lazarus had already been buried for four days. Many Jews from Jerusalem came to Martha and Mary to console them in their sorrow.

Martha was the first to learn about the coming of the Savior and hurried to meet Him. Maria sat at home in deep sorrow.

When Martha met the Savior, she said: “Lord, if You were here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask God will give You.”

Jesus Christ tells her: “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha said to Him: “I know that he will rise on the resurrection, on the last day (that is, on the general resurrection, at the end of the world).”

Then Jesus Christ said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. And whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Martha answered Him: “So Lord! I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world.”

After this, Martha quickly went home and quietly said to her sister Mary: “The Teacher is here and is calling you.”

Mary, as soon as she heard this good news, quickly got up and went to Jesus Christ. The Jews who were with her in the house and consoled her, seeing that Mary hastily got up and left, followed her, thinking that she had gone to her brother’s grave to cry there.

The Savior had not yet entered the village, but was at the place where Martha met Him.

Mary came to Jesus Christ, fell at His feet and said: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Jesus Christ, seeing Mary crying and the Jews who came with her, was grieved in spirit and said: “Where have you laid him?”

They say to Him: “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus Christ shed tears.

When they approached the tomb (grave) of Lazarus - and it was a cave, and the entrance to it was blocked with a stone - Jesus Christ said: “Take away the stone.”

Martha said to Him: “Lord, it already stinks (that is, the smell of decomposition), because he has been in the tomb for four days.”

Jesus says to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So, they rolled away the stone from the cave.

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and said to God His Father: “Father, I thank You that You heard Me. I knew that You would always hear Me; but I said this for the sake of the people standing here, so that they might believe that You sent Me.” .

Then, having said these words, Jesus Christ cried out in a loud voice: “Lazarus, get out.”

And he came out of the cave, all entwined on his hands and feet with burial shrouds, and his face was tied with a scarf (this is how the Jews dressed the dead).

Jesus Christ told them: “Untie him, let him go.”

Then many of the Jews who were there and saw this miracle believed in Jesus Christ. And some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. The enemies of Christ, the high priests and Pharisees, became worried and, fearing that all the people would not believe in Jesus Christ, assembled a Sanhedrin (council) and decided to kill Jesus Christ. The rumor about this great miracle began to spread throughout Jerusalem. Many Jews came to Lazarus's house to see him, and when they saw him, they believed in Jesus Christ. Then the high priests decided to kill Lazarus too. But Lazarus, after his resurrection by the Savior, lived for a long time and was later a bishop on the island of Cyprus, in Greece.

NOTE: See the Gospel of John, ch. 11, 1-57 and ch. 12, 9-11.

This great miracle of the Savior, the resurrection of Lazarus, is remembered by St. Orthodox Church on Saturday in the sixth week of Lent (the day before Palm Sunday).

The Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem

Shortly after the resurrection of Lazarus, six days before the Jewish Passover, Jesus Christ made a solemn entry into Jerusalem to show that He is the true Christ the King and goes to death voluntarily.

Approaching Jerusalem, having come to the village of Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus Christ sent two of His disciples, saying: “Go to the village that is right in front of you; there you will find a donkey tied and a young donkey with her, which no man has ever visited. did not sit down; untie them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, answer that the Lord needs them.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus Christ commanded them. They brought a donkey and a colt, covered the donkey with their clothes, and Jesus Christ sat on it.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem they learned that Jesus, who raised four-day-old Lazarus, was going to Jerusalem. Many people, gathered from everywhere for the Easter holiday, came out to meet Him. Many took off their outer garments and spread them for Him along the way; others cut palm branches, carried them in their hands and threw them along the road. And all the people who accompanied and met Him exclaimed in joy: “Hosanna (salvation) to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (that is, worthy of praise, coming in the name of the Lord, sent from God) King of Israel! Hosanna in the highest! "

Approaching Jerusalem, the Savior looked at it with sorrow. He knew that the people would reject Him, their Savior, and Jerusalem would be destroyed. Jesus Christ wept over him and said: “Oh, if only on this day of yours you knew what serves for peace (i.e., salvation) for yours! But this is now hidden from your eyes (i.e., you stubbornly close your eyes for all God's favor bestowed upon you). The days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches and surround you and drive you away from everywhere and ruin you, beat your children and leave no stone upon stone in you because you did not recognize ( did not want to know) the time of your visit" (that is, the time when the Lord will shine on you).

When Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem, the whole city began to stir, and those who did not know Him asked: “Who is this?”

The people answered: “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee,” and they said that He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead.

Entering the temple, Christ again, as in the first year of His teaching, drove out all those who were selling and buying, saying to them: “it is written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have made it a den of thieves.”

The blind and lame surrounded Him in the temple, and He healed them all. The people, seeing the miracles of Jesus Christ, began to glorify Him even more. Even the little children who were in the temple exclaimed: “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

The chief priests and scribes were indignant at this and said to Him: “Do you hear what they say?”

Jesus Christ answered them: “Haven’t you ever read: “From the mouths of babes and sucklings You have ordained praise?” (Psalm 8:3).

In the following days, Jesus Christ taught in the temple, and spent his nights outside the city. The chief priests, scribes and elders of the people looked for an opportunity to destroy Him, but did not find it, because all the people persistently listened to Him.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 21, 1-17; from Mark, ch. 11, 1-19; from Luke, ch. 19, 29-48; from John, ch. 12, 12-19.

The solemn entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is celebrated by St. Orthodox Church on the last Sunday before happy holiday Easter. This is one of the great holidays and it is also called Palm Sunday, because on this day, during the all-night service of God (or at matins), consecrated branches of willow or other plants are distributed to those praying. In the old days, kings were greeted with green branches when they returned in triumph after defeating their enemies. And we, holding in our hands the first branches that bloom in spring, glorify the Savior as the Conqueror of death; because He raised the dead and on this very day entered Jerusalem in order to die for our sins and rise again and thereby save us from eternal death and eternal torment. The branch then serves for us as a sign of Christ’s victory over death and should remind us of the future resurrection of all of us from the dead.

Troparion of the holiday

General resurrection assuring - assuring that there will be a general resurrection of the dead; before Your passions - before Your sufferings; Thou hast raised up - Thou hast raised up; the same - therefore; like youths - like children. Children, along with adults, met Christ with tree branches and glorified Him. Wearing signs of victory - wearing signs of victory. Here, the sign, or signs of the victory of Jesus Christ over death, refers to the branches of the trees with which we stand in the temple. We cry out - we exclaim; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; he who comes to the glory of the Lord is worthy of glorification.

The place of burial and glorious Resurrection of the Savior was located next to Golgotha, on its southwestern side. Now this place is majestic temple Resurrection of Christ.

Parable of the Evil Vinegrowers

Answers of Jesus Christ to the questions: about tribute to Caesar, about resurrection of the dead and the Savior’s question to the Pharisees about the Divine dignity of the Messiah - Christ.

While talking in the temple, the Lord Jesus Christ, addressing the high priests, scribes and elders of the people, told them the following parable.

“There was a certain Master of the House, who planted a vineyard, surrounded it with a fence, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, and, having given it to vinedressers, went away.

When the time for fruit approached, He sent His servants to the vinedressers to take His fruit. But the winegrowers seized His servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

He also sent other servants, more than the first. But they did the same with them.

Finally, He sent His only Son, His beloved, to them, saying: “They will be ashamed of My Son.”

But the vinedressers, seeing the Son, began to say among themselves: “This is the heir. Let us go, kill Him, and take possession of His inheritance.” And they seized Him, took Him out of the vineyard and killed Him."

Having told this parable, the Savior asked them: “So, when the Master of the vineyard comes, what will he do with these winegrowers?”

They answered Him: “He will put these evildoers to an evil death; and he will give the vineyard to other tenants, who will give Him the fruit in their seasons.”

The Savior's answer to the Pharisees about taxes to Caesar

The Lord Jesus Christ confirmed their answer, saying: “Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a people who bear its fruits.”

Then the high priests and Pharisees and scribes understood that the Savior was speaking about them. In rage they wanted to seize Him, but they were afraid of the people, because the people considered Him to be a prophet.

This parable is explained as follows. The owner of the house is God. The Vineyard is the Jewish people, chosen by God to preserve the true faith. The fence of the vineyard is the Law of God given through Moses; The winepress where the grape juice flowed - sacrifices (in Old Testament, prefiguring the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross); tower - temple of Jerusalem. Vinedressers are high priests, scribes, and leaders of the Jewish people. Servants of the Master - Holy Prophets. The Son of the Master is the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. The high priests, scribes and rulers who stood at the head of the Jewish people received power in order to prepare the people to accept the Savior, and they used this power only for their own benefit. God sent prophets to them, but they persecuted and killed them. So they turned out to be prophet-killers, and then murderers of the apostles. They rejected their Savior and, taking him out of their city, crucified him. And therefore the Kingdom of God was taken away from them and given to another people, the Church of Christ, made up of pagans.

About tribute to Caesar

The Lord Jesus Christ continued to teach in the temple, and the elders of the Jews at this time consulted among themselves how to catch Him in words, so that they could accuse Him before the people, or before the Roman authorities.

And so, having come up with a crafty question, they send to the Savior some Pharisees (from among their young disciples) and Herodians (i.e., those who recognized the legitimacy of the Roman government), who, pretending to be pious, began to flatteringly tell Him: “Teacher! We know that You you are just, and you teach the true way of God, and you do not care about pleasing anyone; for you do not look at any person. So tell us: is it permissible to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

The enemies of Christ, who came up with this crafty question, calculated this way: if Jesus Christ answers that taxes should be paid, then He will arouse indignation among the people against Himself, since the Jews recognized only God as their king; and they considered themselves to be subjects of a foreign king, and even a pagan, to be a lawless, ungodly thing, and only paid taxes to Caesar under compulsion. If Jesus Christ answers that one should not pay taxes to Caesar, then in this case they will immediately accuse Him before the Roman ruler as a rebel of the people against the Roman government, as an opponent of Caesar.

But Jesus Christ, knowing their wickedness, said to them: Why are you tempting Me, you hypocrites? (A hypocrite is a person who pretends, for the sake of profit, tries to present himself to others as pious and virtuous). Show Me the coin with which you pay the tax."

They brought Him a denarius.

The Savior asked: “Whose image is this and the inscription on it?”

They answered "Caesarean".

Then Jesus Christ said to them: “Render therefore the things that are Caesar’s to Caesar, and God's God". This means: give to Caesar what you receive from him, pay taxes to him for everything that you use from him (money, army, etc.), be submissive to him in everything that is not disgusting God's commandments, - paying taxes is a sign of submission, a legal obligation and necessity. But at the same time, unswervingly fulfill everything that God requires of you in His commandments and serve Him with love, for you owe your existence, your very life, to God.

The Savior’s answer surprised everyone with its wisdom and extraordinary simplicity, so much so that the questioners fell silent and walked away from Him in shame.

About the resurrection of the dead

After this, according to a pre-drawn up agreement, the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, approached the Savior. They decided to confuse Him with their question and said: “Teacher! Moses said: “If anyone dies without having children, then let his brother take his wife for himself and restore seed to his brother.” We had seven brothers: the first one married died and having no children, he left his wife to his brother; likewise the second and the third, even until the seventh, and the wife also died in the resurrection, which of the seven will be her wife?

Jesus Christ answered them: “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God; for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but remain as the angels of God in heaven. And regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: “I am God?” Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

(At that time, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob no longer lived on earth; therefore, if God still called Himself their God, then it means they were alive for Him, for He cannot call Himself the God of a non-existent).

The people again marveled at the wisdom of Jesus Christ's answer. Even some of the scribes said: “Teacher! You spoke well.”

On the Divine Dignity of the Messiah-Christ

The Pharisees, who had hitherto stood at some distance, gathered together and came closer to Jesus Christ, but did not dare to ask Him anything.

Then Jesus Christ Himself, turning to the assembled Pharisees, asked them: “What do you think about Christ? Whose Son is He?”

The Pharisees immediately answered Him: “David.”

The word "son" meant among the Jews not only a son in the proper sense, but also a descendant; Therefore, the expression “Son of David” means a descendant of David.

Jesus Christ asked again: “How then does David, by inspiration, call Him Lord when he says: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool?” So if David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son?”

And no one could answer Him a word. The Pharisees, understanding Scripture not in spirit and truth, did not understand that Christ, as the God-man, was a descendant of David only in His humanity, but in His Divinity He always existed, for He is the Son of God, existing from eternity.

From that day on, no one dared to ask Him.

Thus, the learned pride of man was put to shame before the Divine wisdom of the Savior. And a multitude of people listened to the Lord with delight.

Then Jesus Christ turned to His disciples and the people and in a menacing speech, clearly before everyone, exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes and predicted grief for them.

Jesus Christ said with sorrow: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are shutting up the Kingdom Heavenly people; because you yourself do not enter, and you do not allow those who want to enter.”

... "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe mint, anise and temin (things of little value), and have left the most important things in the law: judgment (justice), mercy and faith; and this should have been done, and this too should not be done.” leave. Blind leaders who strain out the mosquito and swallow the camel!” (This means that they carefully observe the little things and leave the important things unattended.)

"...outwardly you seem righteous to people, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness" ...

This was the last admonition of the Lord, the last attempt to save them from terrible condemnation. But there was no repentance on their faces, but there was hidden anger against the Savior.

NOTE: See in Gospel: Matt., ch. 21, 33-46; Ch. 22, 15-46; Ch. 23; from Mark, ch. 12, 1-40; from Luke, ch. 20, 9-47.

Widow's Mite

At the entrance to the Temple of Jerusalem, a treasury was placed, that is, a collection cup into which worshipers placed their voluntary donations for the temple.

Jesus Christ sat opposite the treasury and watched as the people put money (their donations) into the treasury. Many rich people put in a lot.

One poor widow approached the treasury and put two mites into it (not much more than half a penny), which is a small Roman coin codrant. Such a gift might seem to people not worth any attention.

But the Lord, the Knower of the Heart, pointed His disciples precisely to this modest sacrifice of the poor woman. The Lord assessed her according to her inner worth. Calling the disciples to him, the Savior said to them: “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those who put into the treasury. For everyone put in out of their abundance, but out of her poverty she put in all that she had—all her food.” that is, she put down the last thing she had, and thus dedicated everything she had to God.

NOTE See in the Gospel: Mark 12, 41-44; Luke 21, 1-4.

Betrayal of Judas

On the fourth day after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “You know that in two days there will be Easter, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

On this day, in our opinion it was Wednesday, the high priests, scribes and elders of the people gathered at the high priest Caiaphas and consulted among themselves how they could destroy Jesus Christ. At this council, they decided to take Jesus Christ by cunning and kill Him, but not on a holiday (then a lot of people gather), so as not to cause disturbance among the people.

One of the twelve apostles of Christ, Judas Iscariot, was very greedy for money; and the teaching of Christ did not correct his soul. He came to the high priests and said: “What will you give me if I betray Him to you?”

They were delighted and offered him thirty pieces of silver.

From that time on, Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus Christ not in front of the people.

NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26, 1-5 and 14-16; from Mark, ch. 14, 1-2 and 10-11; from Luke, ch. 22, 1-6.

last supper

On the fifth day after the Lord entered Jerusalem, which means, in our opinion, on Thursday (and on Friday evening the Passover lamb was to be buried), the disciples asked Jesus Christ: “Where do you tell us to prepare the Passover for You?”

Jesus Christ said to them: “Go to the city of Jerusalem; there you will meet a man carrying a jug of water; follow him into the house and tell the owner: The Teacher says: Where is the upper room (room) in which I would celebrate the Passover with My disciples? He will show you have a large, furnished upper room; prepare the Passover there."

Having said this, the Savior sent two of His disciples, Peter and John. They went, and everything was fulfilled as the Savior said; and prepared Easter.

In the evening of that day, Jesus Christ, knowing that He would be betrayed that night, came with His twelve apostles to the prepared upper room. When everyone reclined at the table, Jesus Christ said: “I greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering, because, I tell you, I will no longer eat it until it is accomplished in the Kingdom of God.” Then he stood up, took off his outer clothing, girded himself with a towel, poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and wipe them with the towel with which he girded.

Having washed the feet of the disciples, Jesus Christ put on His clothes and, lying down again, said to them: “Do you know what I have done to you? Behold, you call Me Teacher and Lord, and you call me correctly. So, if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet you, then you should do the same. I have given you an example, so that you also do what I did to you.”

By this example, the Lord showed not only His love for His disciples, but also taught them humility, that is, not to consider it a humiliation for themselves to serve anyone, even a person inferior to themselves.

After eating the Old Testament Jewish Passover, Jesus Christ established the sacrament of Holy Communion at this supper. That is why it is called the “Last Supper.”

Jesus Christ took the bread, blessed it, broke it into pieces and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Take, eat; this is My Body, broken for you for the remission of sins,” (i.e., for you it is given over to suffering and death, for forgiveness of sins). Then he took a cup of grape wine, blessed it, thanking God the Father for all His mercies to the human race, and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink from it, everyone, this is My Blood of the New Testament, shed for you for the remission of sins.”

These words mean that, under the guise of bread and wine, the Savior taught His disciples that very Body and that very Blood, which the next day after that He gave over to suffering and death for our sins. How bread and wine became the Body and Blood of the Lord is a mystery, incomprehensible even to the angels, which is why it is called a sacrament.

Having given communion to the apostles, the Lord gave the commandment to always perform this sacrament, He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” This sacrament is being performed with us now and will be performed until the end of the century during the divine service called Liturgy or Mass.

During the Last Supper, the Savior announced to the apostles that one of them would betray Him. They were very saddened by this and in bewilderment, looking at each other, in fear, began to ask one after another: “Am I not, Lord?” Judas also asked: “Isn’t it me, Rabbi?” The Savior quietly said to him: “you”; but no one heard it. John reclined next to the Savior. Peter signaled to him to ask who the Lord was talking about. John, falling to the Savior’s chest, quietly said: “Lord, who is this?” Jesus Christ answered just as quietly: “the one to whom I dip a piece of bread and give it.” And, dipping a piece of bread in solilo (in a dish with salt), He gave it to Judas Iscariot, saying: “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.” But no one understood why the Savior told him this. And since Judas had a box of money, the disciples thought that Jesus Christ was sending him to buy something for the holiday or to give alms to the poor. Judas, having accepted the piece, immediately left. It was already night.

Jesus Christ, continuing to talk with His disciples, said: “Children, I will not be with you long now. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love among one another. And there is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do what I command you.”

During this conversation, Jesus Christ predicted to the disciples that they would all be offended because of Him that night - they would all run away, leaving Him alone.

The Apostle Peter said: “Even if everyone is offended because of You, I will never be offended.”

Then the Savior said to him: “Truly I tell you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times and say that you do not know Me.”

But Peter began to assure even more, saying: “Even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You.”

All the other apostles said the same thing. But still the Savior’s words saddened them.

Comforting them, the Lord said: “Let not your heart be troubled (i.e., do not grieve), believe in God (the Father) and believe in Me (the Son of God).

The Savior promised His disciples to send from His Father another Comforter and Teacher, instead of Himself - the Holy Spirit. He said, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and will be in you ( this means that the Holy Spirit will abide with all who truly believe in Jesus Christ - in the Church of Christ). can defeat Me), and you will live. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have said to you.” “The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father; He will testify of Me; and you also will testify, because you were with Me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27).

Jesus Christ also predicted to His disciples that they would have to endure a lot of evil and troubles from people because they believe in Him. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer (be strong),” said the Savior; “I have conquered the world” (i.e., I have conquered evil in the world).

Jesus Christ ended His conversation with a prayer for His disciples and for all who will believe in Him, so that the Heavenly Father would preserve them all in firm faith, in love and in unanimity (in unity) among themselves.

When the Lord finished the supper, while still talking, He stood up with His eleven disciples and, singing psalms, went beyond the Kidron stream, to the Mount of Olives, to the Garden of Gethsemane.

NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26, 17-35; from Mark, ch. 14, 12-31; from Luke, ch. 22, 7-39; from John, ch. 13; Ch. 14; Ch. 15; Ch. 16; Ch. 17; Ch. 18, 1.

Jesus Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and taking Him into custody

Entering the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “Sit here while I pray!”

He himself, taking Peter, James and John with him, entered the depths of the garden; and began to grieve and yearn. Then he says to them: “My soul is grieved to death; stay here and watch with Me.” And, moving away from them a little, He knelt down, fell to the ground, prayed and said: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass (pass by) Me (that is, the upcoming suffering); however, let it not be as I want, but like you."

Having prayed like this, Jesus Christ returns to the three disciples and sees that they are sleeping. He says to them: “Could you not watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray, so as not to fall into temptation.” And he went away and prayed, saying the same words.

Then he returns to the disciples again, and again finds them sleeping; their eyes grew heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him.

Jesus Christ left them and prayed for the third time with the same words. An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. His anguish and mental anguish were so great and his prayer so fervent that drops of bloody sweat fell from His face to the ground.

Having finished the prayer, the Savior stood up, approached the sleeping disciples and said: “Are you still sleeping? It is over. The hour has come; and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us go; behold, he who betrays Me has come near.”

At this time, Judas, the traitor, came into the garden with a crowd of people who walked with lanterns, stakes and swords; these were soldiers and ministers sent by the high priests and Pharisees to capture Jesus Christ. Judas agreed with them: “Whoever I kiss, take him.”

Approaching Jesus Christ, Judas said: “Rejoice, Rabbi (Teacher)!” And kissed Him.

Jesus Christ said to him: “Friend! Why have you come? Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” These words of the Savior were the last call to repentance for Judas.

Then Jesus Christ, knowing everything that would happen to Him, approached the crowd and said: “Who are you looking for?”

From the crowd they answered: “Jesus the Nazarene.”

The Savior tells them: “It is I.”

At these words, the warriors and servants stepped back in fear and fell to the ground. When they recovered from their fear and stood up, in confusion they tried to seize the disciples of Christ.

The Savior said again: “Who are you looking for?”

They said, "Jesus the Nazarene."

“I told you it was I,” answered the Savior. “So if you are looking for Me, leave them (the disciples), let them go.”

The soldiers and servants approached and surrounded Jesus Christ. The apostles wanted to protect their Teacher. Peter, having a sword with him, drew it and struck with it a servant of the high priest named Malchus, and cut off his right ear.

But Jesus Christ said to Peter: “Put the sword in its sheath; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword (i.e., whoever lifts the sword against another will himself perish by the sword). Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, so that He would send many angels to protect Me? Should I not drink the cup (of suffering) that the Father gave Me (for the salvation of people)?

Having said this, Jesus Christ, touching Malchus’ ear, healed him, and voluntarily gave Himself into the hands of His enemies.

In the crowd of servants there were also Jewish leaders. Jesus Christ, addressing them, said: “It was as if you came out against a thief with swords and stakes to take Me; I was in the temple every day, sat there with you and taught, and you did not take Me then. But now is your time and power darkness."

The soldiers, having bound the Savior, led Him to the high priests. Then the apostles, leaving the Savior, fled in fear. Only two of them, John and Peter, followed Him from afar.

NOTE: See Gospel; from Matthew, ch. 26, 36-56; from Mark, ch. 14, 32-52; from Luke, ch. 22, 40-53; from John, ch. 18, 1-12.

The Trial of Jesus Christ by the High Priests

First, the soldiers brought the bound Jesus Christ to the old high priest Anna, who by that time was no longer serving in the temple and was living in retirement.

This high priest interrogated Jesus Christ about His teaching and His disciples in order to find some guilt in Him.

The Savior answered him: “I spoke openly to the world: I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple, where Jews always gather, and I said nothing in secret. Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard what I told them; now they know what I mean.” said".

One servant of the high priest, standing close, hit the Savior on the cheek and said: “Is this how you answer the high priest?”

The Lord, turning to him, said to this: “If I said something bad, show me what is bad; and if it’s good, then why are you beating Me?”

After the interrogation, the high priest Annas sent the bound Jesus Christ through the courtyard to his son-in-law, the high priest Caiaphas.

Caiaphas was serving as high priest that year. He gave advice to the Sanhedrin: to kill Jesus Christ, saying: “You know nothing and will not think that it is better for us that one person should die for the people than that the whole people should perish.”

The Holy Apostle John, pointing out the importance of the priesthood, explains that despite his criminal plan, the high priest Caiaphas involuntarily prophesies about the Savior that He must suffer for the redemption of people. Therefore, the Apostle John says: “But he (Caiaphas) ​​did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year, he predicted that Jesus would die for the people.” And then he adds: “and not only for the people (i.e., for the Jews, since Caiaphas spoke only about the Jewish people), but in order to gather the scattered children of God (i.e., the pagans) into one.” (John 11:49-52).

Many members of the Sanhedrin gathered at the High Priest Caiaphas that night (the Sanhedrin, as the supreme court, according to the law, had to meet in the temple and certainly during the day). The elders and scribes of the Jews also came. All of them had already agreed in advance to condemn Jesus Christ to death. But for this they needed to find some kind of guilt worthy of death. And since no guilt could be found in Him, they looked for false witnesses who would tell lies against Jesus Christ. Many such false witnesses came. But they could not say anything for which they could condemn Jesus Christ. At the end, two came forward with the following false testimony: “We heard Him say: I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will erect another, not made with hands.” But even such testimony was not sufficient to put Him to death. Jesus Christ did not respond to all these false testimonies.

The high priest Caiaphas stood up and asked Him: “Why don’t you answer anything when they testify against you?

Jesus Christ was silent.

Caiaphas asked Him again: “I adjure You by the living God, tell us, Are You the Christ, the Son of God?”

Jesus Christ answered this question and said: “Yes, I am, and even I say to you: from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power of God and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then Caiaphas tore his clothes (as a sign of indignation and horror) and said: “What more witnesses do we need? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy (i.e., that He, being a man, calls Himself the Son of God)? What do you think? "

After this, Jesus Christ was taken into custody until dawn. Some began to spit in His face. The people holding Him mocked Him and beat Him. Others, covering His face, struck Him on the cheeks and asked mockingly: “Prophesy to us, Christ, who struck You?” The Lord endured all these insults meekly in silence.

NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26, 57-68; Ch. 27, 1; from Mark, ch. 14, 53-65; Ch. 15, 1; from Luke, ch. 22, 54, 63-71; from John, ch. 18, 12-14, 19-24.

Denial of the Apostle Peter

When Jesus Christ was taken to trial before the high priests, the Apostle John, as someone familiar to the high priest, entered the courtyard, and Peter remained outside the gate. Then John, having told the servant-maid, brought Peter into the courtyard.

The maid, seeing Peter, said to him: “Are you not one of the disciples of this Man (Jesus Christ)?”

Peter answered: “No.”

The night was cold. The servants lit a fire in the yard and warmed themselves. Peter also warmed himself by the fire with them.

Soon another maid, seeing Peter warming himself, said to the servants: “And this one was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

But Peter again denied, saying that he did not know this Man.

After some time, the servants standing in the courtyard again began to say to Peter: “As if you were also with Him, for your speech also convicts you: you are a Galilean.” Immediately a relative of the same Malchus whose ear Peter cut off came up and said: “Didn’t I see you with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane?”

Peter began to swear and swear: “I don’t know this Man about whom you speak.”

At this time the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered the words of the Savior: “before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” At that moment the Lord, who was among the guards in the courtyard, turned towards Peter and looked at him. The gaze of the Lord penetrated the heart of Peter; shame and repentance took possession of him and, leaving the yard, he wept bitterly about his grave sin.

From that moment on, Peter never forgot his fall. Saint Clement, a disciple of Peter, says that throughout the rest of his life, Peter, at the midnight crow of the rooster, knelt down and, shedding tears, repented of his renunciation, although the Lord Himself, soon after His resurrection, forgave him. An ancient legend has been preserved that the eyes of the Apostle Peter were red from frequent and bitter crying.

NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 26, 69-75; from Mark, ch. 14, 66-72; from Luke, ch. 22, 55-62; from John, ch. 18, 15-18, 25-27.

Death of Judas

It's Friday morning. Immediately the high priests with the elders and scribes and the entire Sanhedrin held a meeting. They brought the Lord Jesus Christ and again condemned Him to death because He called Himself Christ, the Son of God.

When Judas the traitor learned that Jesus Christ was condemned to death, he realized the horror of his act. He, perhaps, did not expect such a sentence, or believed that Christ would not allow this, or would miraculously get rid of his enemies. Judas realized what his love of money had brought him to. A painful remorse took possession of his soul. He went to the high priests and elders and returned the thirty pieces of silver to them, saying: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (i.e., betraying an innocent Man to death).

They told him; “what does it matter to us; see for yourself” (that is, be responsible for your own affairs).

But Judas did not want to humbly repent in prayer and tears before the merciful God. The cold of despair and despondency enveloped his soul. He threw the silver pieces in the temple in front of the priests and left. Then he went and hanged himself (that is, hanged himself).

The high priests, taking the silver coins, said: “It is not permissible to put this money in the church treasury, because this is the price of blood.”

After consulting with each other, they used this money to buy land from one potter for the burial of wanderers. From then until this day, that land (cemetery) is called, in Hebrew, Akeldama, which means: land of blood.

Thus the prediction of the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who said: “And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One who was valued, Whom the children of Israel valued, and gave them for the potter’s land.”

NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 27, 3-10.