The Lord cuts off from our souls the most difficult illness, I mean, the root of arrogance. For whoever does not watch over himself, but only spies on his neighbor and wishes to defame him, he, obviously, captivated by arrogance, has forgotten himself. He certainly thinks of himself that he does not sin, and therefore condemns others when they sin. Therefore, if you do not want to be condemned, do not condemn others. For tell me, perhaps, why do you condemn another as a transgressor of the Divine Laws in all things? And do you not transgress the Divine Law (not to mention other sins) by condemning others? For the Law of God decisively commands you not to condemn your brother. It means that you also transgress the Law. And being a criminal yourself, you should not condemn another as a criminal; for the Judge must be above nature, which falls into sin. Therefore let go, and it shall be forgiven thee; Come on, and it will be given to you. For a good measure, pressed, shaken, and full will be given into your bowels. For the Lord will measure not sparingly, but richly. As you, intending to measure some flour, if you wish to measure without miserliness, press it, shake it, and apply it in abundance, so the Lord will give you a greater and full measure. Perhaps some witty person will ask: How does He say that they will give you a full measure in your bowels, when He said that He will be measured to you by the same measure as you measure, for if it overflows over the top, it is not the same? We answer that the Lord did not say: "He will be measured to you by "the same" measure, but "by the same." If He had said, "By the same measure," then the speech would have been difficult and contradictory; and now, by saying, "In the same way," He resolves the contradiction, for it is possible to measure by one measure, but not in the same way. The Lord says: if you do good, they will do good to you too. This is the same measure. It is called full because for one of your good deeds you will be repaid innumerable. The same is true of condemnation. For he who condemns receives the same measure when he is subsequently condemned; but since he is condemned more as one who has condemned his neighbor, this measure is full. The Lord, having said this and forbidden us to condemn, presents us with a parable, that is, an example. He says: he who condemns another and commits the same sins himself! Tell me, perhaps, are you not like a blind man who guides a blind man? For if you condemn another, and you yourself fall into the same sins, then you are both blind. Though you think that through condemnation you lead him to good, you do not lead. For how will he be guided by you to do good, when you yourself fall? A student is never higher than a teacher. If, therefore, you, the alleged teacher and guide, fall, then, without a doubt, so does the disciple you lead. For even the prepared disciple, that is, the perfect one, will be like his teacher. Having said this, that we should not condemn our weakest and apparently sinners, He adds something else on the same subject.

Why do you look at the mote in your brother's eye, and do not feel the beam in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother! Let me take the mote out of your eye, when you yourself do not see the beam in your own eye? Hypocrite! first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see how to take the mote out of your brother's eye. There is no good tree that bears bad fruit; And there is no bad tree that bears good fruit, for every tree is known by its fruit, because they do not gather figs from thorns, nor take grapes from bushes. A good man brings forth good things out of the good treasure of his heart, but an evil man brings forth evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart, for out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks.

What, he says, do you see the mote, that is, the small sin of your brother, and do not notice the beam – your great sin? This can also apply to everyone, and especially to teachers and superiors, who punish even the small errors of their subordinates, and leave their own, no matter how great, unpunished. That is why the Lord calls them hypocrites, because they seem to be different (for by punishing the faults of others, they seem righteous), and the other is in fact, because they themselves sin, and even worse. Then He confirms His speech by example. As a good tree, he says, does not bear rotten fruit, and a rotten tree does not bear good fruit, so he who intends to make others chaste, to correct and bring them to a better condition, should not be evil himself; but if he himself is evil, he will not make others better. For everyone's heart is a treasury. If it contains good, then man is good, and speaks good; but if the heart is full of evil, then the man is also evil, and speaks evil. All this speech can be understood about the Pharisees. For He, turning to them, said: "Cast the beam out of your own eye first, and then the mote out of your brother's eye," just as in another place He said: "Those who strain out the gnat, but devour the camel" (Matt. 23:24). How, he says, can you, Pharisees, being rotten trees, bring forth good fruit? For as your doctrine is rotten, so is your life, for you speak out of the abundance of your heart. How then will you correct others and punish the crimes of others, when you yourselves sin more?

Why do you call Me, "Lord! Lord!" and do not do what I say? Whosoever cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will tell you to whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who has dug and deepened and laid a foundation on a rock; Why, when there was a flood and the water fell on this house, it could not shake it, because it was founded on a rock. But he who hears and does not obey is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, which, when the water fell on it, immediately collapsed; and the destruction of this house was great.

This necessarily applies to us, who confess Him to be Lord with our lips, but deny Him with our deeds (Titus 1:16). If, he says, I am the Lord, then in all things you must walk as slaves. And the duty of slaves is to do what the Lord commands. Then He tells us what benefit it is to him who hears Him and not only listens to Him, but also fulfills Him in practice. Such a man is like a man who builds a house, who has built it on a rock. The stone, as the Apostle testifies (1 Corinthians 10:4), is Christ. The one who digs and deepens is the one who does not receive the words of Scripture superficially, but seeks their depths in the spirit. Such a one founds on a stone; Then, when there is a flood, that is, persecution or temptation, the river will come up to this house, that is, the tempter, whether it be a demon or a man, and yet he cannot shake it. A tempting person can very justly be compared to the flooding of a river. For as the flood of the river is produced by the water that falls from above, so the tempting man is raised up by Satan, who has fallen from heaven. The house of those who do not keep the words of the Lord falls, and the destruction of this house is great. For the failures of those who hear but do not do are great, because he who does not hear and does not do sins more easily, but he who hears and yet does not do sins more severely.

Chapter Seven

When He had finished all His words to the people who were listening, He entered Capernaum. A certain centurion's servant, whom he cherished, was sick at the point of death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent the Jewish elders to Him to ask Him to come heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy that you should do this for him, for he loves our people and has built us a synagogue." Jesus went with them. And when He was not far from home, the centurion sent friends to Him to say to Him, "Do not labor, O Lord! for I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; therefore I did not consider myself worthy to come to Thee; but speak the word, and my servant shall recover. For I am also a subject man, but having soldiers under me, I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and come; And to my servant, Do this, and he does. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turned and said to the people who were coming after him, "I say to you, even in Israel I have not found such faith." The messengers, returning to the house, found the sick servant recovered.

This centurion is one and the same as the one mentioned in the Evangelist Matthew (ch. 8). Although Matthew does not say that the centurion sent the Jews to beg and beseech Jesus, what of it? For it is very probable that he first sent the Jews, and then he himself went. So what Matthew omitted, Luke says. It may also be that the Jews, consumed with envy, would not have allowed the centurion to come to the feet of Jesus, for this would have brought glory to Jesus, if he, compelled by extremity, had himself come to Jesus. To this it can be said that there is nothing special in sending others, or coming to say it yourself, that is, asking not to come. But the faith of the man, who called himself unworthy of Jesus' visitation, is worthy of wonder. That is why the Lord says: I have not found such faith even in the people of Israel. For the centurion was a pagan, perhaps from the Roman troops. A centurion is also every mind, which, having many things to do in life, prevails over many evils, but has a sick servant – the foolish part of the soul, I mean anger and lust; for these are appointed to be slaves. He calls upon Jesus, sending to Him the Jews as mediators, that is, thoughts and words of confession; for Judas means confession. For do not confession and humility express the words: I am not worthy that Thou should go under my roof, and so forth? Therefore, when he believes in Jesus, he will soon heal his servant, that is, anger and lust.

After this, Jesus went to a city called Nain; and many of his disciples and a multitude of the people went with him. When He approached the city gates, they were carrying out the dead, the only son of the mother, and she was a widow; and many people went with her from the city. Seeing her, the Lord had compassion on her and said to her, "Weep not." And approaching, he touched the bed; Those who carried it stopped, and He said, "Young man! I tell you, get up. The dead man got up, sat down and began to speak; and Jesus gave him to his mother. And fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has risen among us, and God has visited his people.

Having restored the centurion's health even in absentia, the Lord performed another miracle. Lest anyone say, "What has he done new to the servant?" perhaps the slave would not have died? – for this purpose the Lord resurrects the dead, who has already been carried out. Not only does the Lord perform a miracle with a word, but He also touches the bed, so that we may know that His Body is the Body of life. Since His Flesh was His own Flesh of the Word, Who gives life to all things, therefore He Himself gives life and destroys death and corruption. "The dead man got up, sat down, and began to speak," so that no one would think that he had been resurrected in a ghostly way. And the fact that he sat down and began to speak was a sign of the true resurrection. For the body without the soul can neither sit nor speak. By widow you can also understand a soul that has lost its husband, that is, the Word of God, who sowed good seeds. Her son is a mind that has died and is carried away outside the city, the highest Jerusalem, which is the land of the living. Then the Lord, moved with compassion, touches the bed. The bed of the mind is the body. For the body is truly a bed, a sepulchre. The Lord, touching the body, resurrects the mind, making it young and courageous. The young man, that is, this mind, sits down and, having been resurrected from the tomb of sin, begins to speak, that is, to teach others, because as long as he is possessed by sin, he cannot teach and speak. For who will believe him?

This opinion of Him spread throughout Judea and throughout the surrounding area. And his disciples told John all these things. John, having called two of his disciples, sent to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we waiting for another?" And they came to Jesus, and said, John the Baptist has sent us to thee to ask, Are thou the one who is to come, or are we waiting for another? And at this time He healed many from illnesses and infirmities and from evil spirits, and gave sight to many blind people. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor preach the gospel; and blessed is he who is not offended in me! And after the departure of those sent by John, he began to speak to the people about John: "Why did you go into the wilderness to see? Is it a reed shaken by the wind? What did you go to see? Is it a man clothed in soft garments? But those who dress magnificently and live luxuriously are in the royal courts. What did you go to see? Is it a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is one, of whom it is written: "Behold, I send My angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee." For I say to you, Of those born of women, there is no prophet greater than John the Baptist; but the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he. And all the people who heard Him, and the publicans, gave glory to God, being baptized with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected God's will for themselves without being baptized by him.

The rumor of the miracle performed in Nain spread throughout all Judea and the surrounding country. It also reached the disciples of John. Wherefore John, wishing to show them the greatness of Christ and how far he (John) is from Him (Christ), arranges as follows: he does not make any mention of Jesus to the disciples, but, pretending to be ignorant, sends them so that, having seen the miracles, they may believe from their very deeds that the distance between the Lord Jesus and the servant John is very great. For do not think that John really did not know about Christ, and therefore sent his disciples with a question. Even before His birth, in his mother's womb, He leaped up as one who knew Him, and on the Jordan testified of Him as the Son of God. For the prophets are called "sent," and John himself, as the Evangelist says, was a man "sent" from God (John 1:6). And the Lord is the Coming One, for He came with authority, and not against His will. And thus saith He: Art Thou Whose coming into the world is awaited? Others understand by the words: "To whom it must come" the descent into hell, as if it were said: Do you have to come also to hell? What about the Lord? Knowing with what intention John sent the disciples, namely, that they might see His works, and from them come to faith, He said to the messengers, "Declare what you see." Then he enumerates the miraculous actions, which were also foretold by the prophets. For the words: "Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened. Then the lame shall leap up like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing" is also found in Isaiah (35:5-6). Then he says, "And blessed is he who is not offended in me," as if to say to them, "Blessed are ye also, if ye are not offended in me." Since many could easily be offended about John, as he had previously testified so much about Christ, and now sent with the question: "Are you the one to whom he is to come?" – therefore Christ says to the people: "Do not suspect anything of the kind about John." He is not a reed to lean to this side and then to the other, and to bear witness to Me at one time, and not to know Me at another. For if it were so, then why would you go out into the wilderness to see it? He has by no means corrupted his mind with sensual pleasures, for his clothes show that he is above all pleasure; moreover, he would live in chambers if he loved pleasure. But do you yourself consider him a prophet? Verily I say unto you, that he is greater than the prophet. For the other prophets only foretold about Christ, but he saw Him and pointed Him out, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God"; moreover, other prophets prophesied after they had already come out of their mothers' wombs, and he recognized the Lord and leaped out even before he came out of the womb. Then he gives testimony: "Behold, I send My angel" (Mal. 3:1). John is called an "Angel," perhaps because his life is almost bodiless and angelic, or perhaps because he announced the coming of the Savior. "I say to you, of those born of women, there is no prophet greater than John." He places the Forerunner above all others. Then, as if someone would say: "And Thou Thyself, Christ, John is greater"? He adds: but I, who is the least of him, am greater in the Kingdom of Heaven; for though I am considered to be inferior to him in nobility, age, and glory, yet in the kingdom of heaven, that is, in all that is divine and spiritual, I am greater than he. Thus, all the people who listened to John justified God, that is, honored God by accepting His prophet. And the Pharisees did not honor God because they did not accept John. Some understood the words differently: "of those born of women"; namely, the Lord said well, "Of those born of women," thus excluding Himself. For He was born of a virgin, and not of a woman, that is, not of a married woman. The expression "the least in the Kingdom of God" was also understood differently; namely, the lesser in the Christian life is greater than the righteous according to the Law. For example, John is blameless in the righteousness of the law. But if someone is baptized and has not yet done anything either good or evil, then although he is very small in the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, in Christian preaching, he is nevertheless greater than the unbaptized, even if he is righteous according to the Law. And in other words: since John, although almost incorporeal and immaterial, is still in the flesh, the least in the resurrection, which he calls the Kingdom of Heaven, is greater than he. For then, having received perfect incorruption, we will no longer walk in the flesh, and then the little one will be greater than the righteous now, but still bearing the flesh.

Then the Lord said, "With whom shall I compare the people of this generation?" And to whom are they like? They are like children who sit in the street, calling to each other and saying: We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; We sang lamentable songs to you, and you did not cry. For John the Baptist came, eating neither bread nor drinking wine; and say, 'A demon is in him.' The Son of Man came: He eats and drinks; And say, Behold, a man who loves to eat and drink wine, a friend to publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by all her children.

Among the Jews there was a kind of game in the following way: a large number of children were divided into two parts, and, as if in mockery of life, some on one side wept, and others on the other played the pipe, and neither the players agreed with the weeping, nor the weeping with the playing. The Lord also represents the Pharisees as doing something similar. For neither with John, who leads a sorrowful life and introduces repentance, did they grieve or imitate him, nor did they obey or agree with Jesus, who shows a pleasant life, but they did not distance themselves from both, showing no sympathy either for John weeping, or for Jesus playing and letting go. And finally, the wisdom of God was justified, that is, it was honored not by the Pharisees, but by her children, that is, by those who accepted the teaching of John and Jesus.