The Lord also gives us an example of this, so that we may strive to the end for the benefit of those who fall. And "the Son of Man," he says, "goeth," not because he cannot defend himself, but because he ordained death for the salvation of men. "But woe to the man to whom He surrenders." Though He is destined to suffer, why are you so angry as to betray Him? For this reason "woe" will fall into your lot, because you have been inclined to betrayal, since the serpent is also cursed because it served as an instrument of the devil's wiles. "Hearing this, the disciples were confused. You will learn more about this in the commentary on the Gospel of John (ch. 13). They are now troubled not only by the suspicion of betrayal, but from this confusion they pass on to dispute, arguing about which of them is greater. They came to an argument about this successively. Probably, one of them said to the other: "You want to betray," and this one again said to him: "No, you want to betray." From here they moved on to the fact that they began to say: I am better, I am more, and so on. What about the Lord? He calms their confusion with two examples. First, by the example of the Gentiles, whom they considered filthy, declaring that if they thought so, they would be like the Gentiles. Secondly, by His own example, for by explaining that He serves them, He thereby leads them to humility. It was at that time, as it is said, that He divided the bread and the cup with them.

Why then do you have thoughts unworthy of them? Moreover, I did not do so that I should serve one and not the other, and all of you are equal. Therefore you also have the same feelings. Perhaps, from all this, you will understand how the disciples were then still imperfect, and afterwards shone so wonderfully. Let the Manichaeans be ashamed, who say that some are incapable of learning by nature, and that it is impossible for them to change.

But ye have dwelt with me in my afflictions, and I command unto you, as my Father hath commanded me, a kingdom, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and that ye sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Lord said, Simon! Simon! Behold, Satan asked that he should sow you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith may not fail; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. He answered Him, "Lord! with Thee I am ready to go to prison and to death. But He said, "I say to you, Peter, the will not crow today, until you deny three times that you do not know Me." Having said, "Woe" to him who betrays Me, and at the same time having taught them (the disciples) that they should be humble-minded, the Lord predestines "woe" as the lot of the betrayer, so, on the contrary, He says to them: "But you are those who have only remained with Me in My temptations; wherefore I also bequeath to you a recompense, that is, I make arrangements with you, that just as my Father bequeathed unto me, that is, appointed unto me a kingdom, ye also shall eat and drink at my table. He said, "Eat and drink," not because there would be viands, and as if His kingdom was sensual. For in His answer to the Sadducees He Himself taught that there is angelic life (Luke 20:36); and Paul teaches that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink (Rom. 14:17). Therefore, when no one hears the words, "Eat and drink at my table," let no one be offended, but let him understand that they are spoken in reference to those who are honored by the kings of this world. For those who share the king's table are considered to be the first over all. So the Lord says of the apostles that He prefers them to all. Likewise, when you hear about sitting on thrones, do not understand thrones, but glory and honor. For of the created and begotten, no one will sit there. It is fitting for the one holy Trinity, the uncreated and King of all God, to sit, but the creature, as a slave, must stand, and then we speak bodily about sitting and standing. "To judge," i.e., to condemn those who do not believe from among the twelve tribes. For the unbelieving Israelites are no small condemnation of the apostles, who are themselves Israelites, yet they believed. "And since He repaid the betrayer with grief, and to them, who remained in love for Him, He foretold a high honor in the future, so that they would not become proud, as if they had done something great, that they remained in love for Him and did not betray You, Satan asked to "sow" you, that is, to confuse, spoil, tempt; but "I prayed." Do not think, he says, that all this perfection is from yourselves. For the devil exerts all his strength to tear you away from My love and make you traitors. The Lord addresses this speech "to Peter," because he was both more bold than the rest, and probably became proud of Christ's promises. Therefore, humbling him, the Lord says that Satan was much stronger against them. "But I've prayed for you." He says this for mankind, for, like God, what need did He have to pray? I, he says, prayed "that thy faith may not fail." Though thou shalt be shaken a little, yet the seeds of faith will remain in thee, and though the spirit of the tempter shakes the leaves, yet the root is alive, and thy faith shall not fail. "And thou shalt be converted and strengthen thy brethren." This is convenient to understand, namely: since I was the first to address you with My word, then, after you have lamented your denial of Me and come to repentance, strengthen the rest. For this befits you, who first confessed Me by the rock, and by the foundation of the church (Matt. 16:16-18). But these words can be applied not only to the apostles, whom Peter was then to affirm, but also to all believers until the end of time. Peter!

Satan asked to sow you and spoil you like pure wheat, mixing mud into it, because he, as usual, envies you in love for Me. He did the same with Job. But I have not forsaken thee altogether, lest thy faith be utterly impoverished. Though I Myself prayed for you, yet thou shalt not fall, but, having turned, that is, having brought repentance and tears, be also an example of repentance and hope to the rest of the faithful. What about Peter? Relying on strong love, he promises something that is not yet possible for him. But the Lord, seeing that he speaks thoughtlessly (for, having once heard from the self-existent Truth, which told him that he would be subjected to temptation, he should not have contradicted him), declares to him also a form of temptation, namely, renunciation. From this we learn the truth that human volition is not enough without God's help. Peter was not left for long, and apparently loved him even fervently, but when God forsook him, he was stumbled upon by the enemy. Likewise, God's help is not enough without human consent. Judas, although the Lord did everything for his benefit, did not receive any benefit, for he had no good will. And so, let us shudder at the thought of the wiles of the devil, how powerful they are against the careless. And here, too, although Peter was strengthened by God, nevertheless, when he was abandoned for special purposes, he came to renounce. What would he have undergone if he had not been preserved by God, and if there had not been good seeds hidden in him? For the devil's goal was to bring him to betrayal; for the devil has "luxurious food," as the prophet says (Hab. 1:16). Thanks be to God, Who does not forsake the holy, righteous and good in heart, such as Peter was, tenderly loving and devoid of any suspicion about the Teacher.

And he said to them, When I sent you without a bag, and without a bag, and without shoes, did you lack anything? They answered: in nothing. Then he said to them, "But now whoever has a bag, let him take it, and also the bag; but whoever has not, sell your clothes and buy a sword; For I say unto you, that which is to be fulfilled in me, and that which is written, and is numbered with the evildoers. For that which is about Me comes to an end (Isaiah 53:12). They said, "Lord! Behold, there are two swords here. He said to them, "Enough." The Lord, at the beginning of the sermon, sending His disciples to the villages and cities, commanded them not to take too much, not to carry with them anything even necessary, and not to worry about anything. And in that case, they had to know His power. For Himself caring for them as for the weak, He arranged it so that even without their care, everything necessary flowed to them in abundance.

I, he says, your caring Father, am already departing. Henceforth, take upon yourselves the care of your affairs, and do not lay everything on Me; for your works will not be as easy and not difficult, but you will be exposed to hunger, and thirst, and many calamities. This is hinted at by the words about the bag, the bag and the sword. Therefore be cheerful, for you are hungry and in need of food, as the "sword" hints, and courageous, because you will fall into many dangers, as the "sword" indicates. He says this, of course, not in order that they should carry swords with them, but, as I have said, to declare wars and calamities, and to make them ready for anything. Lest posterity think that the apostles did not bring anything of themselves for piety, but everything was from God, the Lord says: no, let it not be so. For I do not want to use My disciples as soulless instruments, but I demand that they also add what they can of themselves. And indeed, you will find that the apostles, and especially Paul, successfully performed many of the human arts (read Acts 18:3; 20:34); except that God's help was not lacking in them. At the same time, this was useful for the modesty of the apostles. For if they, not caring about anything themselves, expected everything from God and everything was given to them, then they could become proud, as having received as their lot something higher than human nature. Moreover, nature would become inactive and corrupt if they did not invent anything of their own accord, but expected everything in a ground form, as they say. For this reason the Lord says to them: "From now on, carry "bags", that is, arrange yourselves and take care as those who have hunger, and buy "swords", that is, take care of yourselves as those who have to meet dangers and wars. "Some people understood the purchase of a sword differently. By this, they say, He hints at the imminent attack on Him, and that He will be captured by murderous men. Since before this time they argued with each other about primacy, the Lord says: now is the time not for disputes about primacy, but for danger and murder. For I, your Teacher, will also be led away to death, and to a dishonorable death at that. But through this will be fulfilled in Me that which was said: "And I was numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12).

I think that the Lord speaks in this way so that they may benefit later, when they remember and understand. For then they were in such a misunderstanding that they said, "Lord, here are two swords," and He, seeing that they did not understand, said, "Enough," although it was not enough. For if it were necessary to use human help against those who came in a robber way, then even a hundred swords would not be enough. If not human, but divine assistance was needed, then two swords were also superfluous. However, the Lord did not want to rebuke them for their lack of understanding, but, saying "there is enough to eat," he went. This is just as when we talk to someone and see that he does not understand our words, we say: "Okay, leave it; although not good, but in order not to offend him, we leave him. The Lord did this because He saw that the disciples did not understand what was said. He goes forward and leaves the speech, leaving the understanding of what was said to the flow of circumstances, just as He once said: "Destroy this church," and the disciples understood only later, after His resurrection (John 2:19, 22). Some say that the Lord by the word "enough" indicated the inconsistency of the words with the circumstances. The disciples said, "Here are two swords," and the Lord, they say, pointing out this incongruity, said, "If there are two swords, then this is very much and sufficient for us against the crowd that will come against us."

And he went out as usual to the Mount of Olives; His disciples followed Him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, Pray that ye may not fall into temptation. And He Himself departed from them to cast a stone, and kneeling down, prayed, saying, Father, forgive them! Oh, that Thou wouldst be pleased to carry this cup past Me! however, not My will, but Yours be done. And an angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Rising from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them asleep with sorrow, and said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Stand up and pray that you may not fall into temptation. After supper, the Lord does not indulge in inactivity, pleasure and sleep, but teaches and prays, giving us an example and an example for this. Woe, therefore, to those who, after supper, turn to shameful acts of fornication. Having taught this to His disciples, the Lord ascends to the Mount of Olives to pray. He liked to do this in private, so he was excommunicated from his disciples. However, He takes His disciples with Him, but not all of them, but only those three who saw His glory on the mountain (Luke 9:28).

For in order to assure that He was truly a man, He allowed this nature to act according to His own way. Like a person. He desires to live and prays for the passing of the chalice, for man loves life; and through this He overthrows the heresies, according to which He became incarnate illusory. For if even after such actions (of human nature) they found occasion to talk idly in this way, what would they not have said if these actions had not taken place? Thus, the desire that the chalice should be carried past belongs to human nature, and soon afterwards the words "Not My will, but Thine be done" show that we too must have the same disposition and also be wise, submit to the will of God and not deviate, even though our nature draws us in the opposite direction. "Not My" human "will be done, but Yours," and this Yours is not separated from My Divine will. The one Christ, having two natures, undoubtedly had the will or desires of each nature, divine and human. Thus, human nature first desired to live, for this is inherent in it, and then, following the Divine will that all people might be saved, the will common to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, decided to die, and thus there was only one desire—salvific death.

For those who work hard are usually said to sweat blood, just as those who mourn bitterly are said to weep blood. Wishing to show this, namely, that it was not some subtle liquid that flowed from Him, as if for appearances, but large drops of sweat were falling, the Evangelist used drops of blood to depict reality. From this it is evident that the nature that exuded sweat and was in agony was human, and not divine. For human nature was allowed to experience such states, and it did, in order to show, on the one hand, that He was not illusory man, and on the other hand, to have a hidden purpose, in order to heal the timidity common to human nature, exhausting it in Himself and subordinating it to the will of God. Some may say that sweat coming out of the body and falling to the ground means that, with the encouragement and strengthening of our nature in Christ, the sources of timidity in us evaporate, turn into drops, and fall from us. For if He had not had this in mind, that is, the desire to cure our human timidity, He would not have sweated so much, even though He had been very fearful and faint-hearted. "And an angel appeared unto him from heaven, and strengthened him." And this is for our consolation, namely, so that we may know the strengthening power of prayer and, having learned, turn to it in case of misfortune. At the same time, the prophecy of Moses, said in the great song, is fulfilled: "And let all the sons of God be strong" (Deuteronomy 32:43). And some interpreted these words in such a way that an angel appeared to Him, glorified Him, and said, "Thy strength, O Lord! For Thou hast overcome death and hell, and hast set the human race free. That's right. "He, having found the disciples asleep, reprimands them and at the same time exhorts them to pray in temptations, so as not to be overcome by them. For not to fall into temptation means not to be swallowed up from temptation, not to become under its power. Or simply commands us to pray that our possessions may be safe and that we may not be subjected to any trouble. For to plunge oneself into temptation is to dare and be proud. How then does James (1:2) say: "Receive with great joy when you fall into various temptations"? What is this, do we not contradict ourselves? No, for James did not say, "Cast yourselves down," but when you are subjected to it, do not lose heart, but have all joy, and make the involuntary things free. For it would be better if temptations did not come, but when they did, why grieve madly? "Would you show me a place in the Scriptures where it would literally be commanded to pray in order to fall into temptations?" But you can't point it out. "I know that there are two kinds of temptation and that some people have a duty to pray for not falling into temptation as a temptation that conquers the soul, for example, the temptation of fornication, the temptation of anger. And we must have any joy when we are subjected to bodily illnesses and temptations. For to the extent that the outer man decays, to that extent the inner man is renewed (2 Corinthians 4:16). Though I know this, I prefer that which is truer, and which is nearer to the real goal.

While He was still saying these things, the multitude appeared, and one of the twelve, called Judas, went ahead of him, and he came up to Jesus to kiss Him. For he gave them such a sign: whomever I kiss, He is. And Jesus said to him, "Judas! Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? And those who were with Him, seeing what was going on, said to Him, "Lord! shall we not strike with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. Then Jesus said, "Leave it, it is enough." And touching his ear, he healed him. And to the chief priests, and to the rulers of the temple, and to the elders who were gathered against him, Jesus said, "As if you had come out against a thief with swords and stakes to take me." Every day I was with you in the temple, and you did not lift up your hands against me; But now is your time and the power of darkness. Judas made a sign to those who were coming against Jesus, but so that they would not be mistaken because of the night, he did not point them out from afar. "In order that Jesus may not hide, for this purpose they come with lanterns and lamps. "What about the Lord?" He admits to Himself with this enemy kiss. And thunderbolts did not fall on the ungrateful and treacherous! Thus, the Savior teaches us to be gentle in such circumstances. He reproachfully says only: "Judas! Are you not ashamed of the very sight of betrayal? Why do you mix betrayal with a friendly kiss, an enemy affair? And who are you betraying? "The Son of Man," that is, humble, meek, forgiving, incarnate for your sake, and the true God at that. He says this because until recently he burned with love for him. Therefore he did not offend him, nor called him inhuman and exceedingly ungrateful, but called him by his own name, "Judas." And he would not have reproached him, if this did not serve to improve him, if he wished. For He did this, and apparently rebuked Him, so that Judas would not think that He would hide Himself, but that at least now, recognizing Him as Lord, as omniscient, he would fall down before Him and repent. The Lord knew that Judas was incorrigible, yet He did His own, just as His Father did in the Old Testament; He knew that the Jews would not listen, but he sent prophets. And at the same time He teaches us this Himself, namely, that we should not be offended in correcting those who fall. "The disciples are inflamed with zeal and draw their swords. Where did they get them from? It was natural for them to have them, since they had slaughtered the lamb and left the table. But the ardent Peter is reproached because he used jealousy contrary to the Lord's intention. While others ask whether we should strike, he does not expect approval (how fervent he was everywhere for the Master!), but strikes the servant of the high priest and cuts off his right ear. This was not done by chance, but as a sign that the chief priests of that time had all become slaves and had lost their correct hearing. For if they had listened to Moses, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (John 5:46). Jesus puts his ear up; for it is fitting for the great power of the Word to heal the disobedient, and to give them an ear to hear. Jesus performs a miracle in order to show His gentleness by this visible miracle above His ear and at least by a miracle to make them think of refraining from rage. He speaks to the chief priests and the "rulers" of the temple, that is, to the administrators appointed to satisfy the demands of the priests; or he calls the leaders those to whom the construction and decoration of the temple were entrusted. He said to them, "I taught every day in the temple, and you did not want to take me, but now you have come as against a thief." However, you are truly undertaking the affairs of the night, and your power is the power of darkness. Therefore, you have precisely chosen such a time that is appropriate for both you and the work you undertake.

And they took him, and led him away, and brought him to the house of the high priest. Peter followed from a distance. When they had made a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter also sat down among them. A certain maidservant, seeing him sitting by the fire and looking at him, said, "This one was also with him." But he denied Him, saying to the woman, "I do not know Him." Soon afterwards another, seeing him, said, "Thou art also one of them." But Peter said to the man, "No." About an hour passed, and someone still insistently said, "Surely this one was with Him, for he is a Galilean." But Peter said to the man, "I don't know what you say." And immediately as he was still speaking, a crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as He had said to him, "Before the crows, you will deny Me three times." And he went out, wept bitterly. Peter, according to the prophecy of Christ, turned out to be weak and denied the Lord Christ not once, but three times, and denied with an oath, for Matthew says: "Then he began to swear and swear that he did not know this man" (Matt. 26:74). Perhaps such timidity took possession of him, and he was left for some time for his boldness, as if to teach, so that he would be lenient to others as well. For he was very bold, and if he had not been chaste by this circumstance, he would have acted in many respects autocratically and without condescension. But then he fell into such terror that he would not have felt the fall, if the Lord, turning, had not looked at him. O goodness! He himself is under condemnation, but cares about the salvation of the disciple. And rightly so. For He endured the very condemnation for the salvation of man. "First the student renounced, then the rooster crowed. He denied again, even up to three times, and the rooster crowed again again. Thus Mark describes it accurately and in detail (see chapter 14) and conveys it as having learned from Peter, for he was his disciple. And Luke, since this is spoken of in Mark, spoke briefly, without going into details. And Luke's words do not contradict what Mark said. For it is the custom of the to sing two and three times at each reception. And so Peter was brought into such oblivion by human infirmity that he did not come to his senses even from the's crowing, but even after the had crowed, he denied it again, and once more, until the gracious look of Jesus brought him to memory. "And he went out, wept bitterly." Mark says that Peter went out even after the first denial (Mark 14:68). Then it was natural for him to go in again, so as not to give any more suspicion that he was Jesus. When he came to his senses again, then he came out and wept bitterly. And in order not to be noticed by those who were in the courtyard, he goes out secretly from them. "Some, I know why, make an insane defense in favor of Peter, boldly saying that Peter did not renounce, but said: I do not know this 'man,' that is, I know him not as a simple man, but as God made man. Let us leave this insane argument to others. For they represent the Lord as a liar, contradict the connection of the Gospel speech, and will not be able to agree on the order of the narration. And why should Peter weep if he did not renounce?

The people who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him; And having covered Him, they smote Him in the face, and asked Him, Prophesy, who smote Thee? And many other blasphemies were uttered against Him. And when the day came, the elders of the people, the chief priests, and the scribes, gathered together, and brought him into their Sanhedrin. And they said, Are you the Christ? Tell us. He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe; but if I ask you, you will not answer me, neither will you let me go; henceforth the Son of Man will sit down at the right hand of the power of God. And they all said, "Are you therefore the Son of God?" He answered them, "You say that I am." And they said, "What more testimony do we need?" for we ourselves have heard from His mouth! Those who did this to Jesus were some scoffers and unrestrained people; For it was necessary that the devil should not abandon a single form of malice, but pour it all out, so that our nature, being holy in all things, would conquer and trample upon him.

Therefore He endures mockery and scourging, and, being the Lord of the prophets, He is mocked as a false prophet. For the words, "prophesy" unto us, "who smote thee," refer to him as a deceiver, and yet arrogating to himself the gift of prophecy. "And when the day came."