Further in the Gospel it says: "There is nothing hidden that is not made clear, and there is nothing hidden that does not come out" (v. 22). It would seem to be a difficult word. What does it mean? In connection with what was said in the previous verse about the candle (is it not for this reason that a candle is brought to be placed on a candlestick?), this can be understood as follows. If there is something positive or negative in your soul, in your consciousness, even in your flesh, then sooner or later it will come out. A person who secretly suffers from carnal passion becomes different, he is perceived as such, this is transmitted to others, who either depart from him in disgust or are seduced by it. The same happens with a person who has spiritually comprehended this or that. He may not talk about it, but there is such a change in him that you can feel it around him. People who come into contact with him see, feel, feel that they are communicating with a person in whom there is something special. I remember the words of my spiritual father that no one can tear himself away from the earth and go to heaven, that is, to the Kingdom of God, if he does not see in the eyes or on the face of at least one person the radiance of eternal life. People who came to St. Seraphim of Sarov, to St. Sergius of Radonezh, to saints in general, and even to ordinary people, but who lived and now live a profound spiritual life, feel that it exists. And therefore know that there is nothing secret that will not be revealed. There are no secret sins, no secret inner untruth that would not be expressed and transmitted to others in the form of a destructive infection. Sooner or later, this will be discovered. You must know this from your own experience.

And then Christ warns once again: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Listen to what I say, pay attention, because you can both save and destroy those closest to you, not by what you do, not by what you say, but by what you are.

And further: With what measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and it will be added to you who hear. By what measure do you measure... In the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father," we say, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who are guilty before us..." This is what we are talking about here. If we do not forgive others, then there is no forgiveness for us. If we treat others mercifully, with pity, simply in a human way, God's judgment is happening and will continue to happen over us. And this is extremely important for us to remember. We often think that others should adjust to us, that others should take the first step. As a rule, it is more difficult for the one who is guilty to take the first step towards reconciliation; The one who is right, who knows that he is right (not the one who boasts of his truth, offending another and believing that he is still right, but the one who is really, really right), can, without humiliating himself, but out of deep compassion for a person who has been wounded, approach him and ask for forgiveness or look for ways of reconciliation. Therefore, remember: with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you, because no one will treat you, me, or anyone else differently than we treat others.

And then comes a very mysterious word: Whoever has, to him will be given; but he that hath not, that which hath shall be taken away from him, v. 25. What does that mean? If he has nothing, then what can be taken away from him? In the Gospel of Luke there is an explanation that seems to me very significant and important: "From him who does not have, even that which he thinks he has will be taken away" (Luke 8:18). And this is very important. We often think of ourselves with a sense of self-righteousness: everything is good, everything is fine, everything is fine. And then, when we come to the judgment of God, it will turn out that nothing of the kind happened, that we only imagined... I imagined that I was good; In fact, I threw some crumbs from my table to others, but I never shared my bread with them. I thought I was hospitable, but I only received my friends, and then only until I got tired of them, when I wanted to see someone else, or stay with my family, or just sit quietly and read. And so on; Such examples can be given endlessly. We may imagine that we are hospitable, friendly, generous, we may even imagine that we are wise, that we have such knowledge of life that we can generously share, and everything may turn out to be just a complete illusion. And here we must remember that before the judgment comes, before the result is summed up in our lives, we need to pose a question about ourselves: what is real in me and what is imaginary? What is the fantasy that I have about myself, and what is really in me?

In the evening of the same day he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." And they sent the people away, and took him with them, as he was in the boat; There were other boats with Him. And a great storm arose; The waves were hitting the boat, so that it was already filling with water. And He slept at the stern at the head. They woke Him up and said to Him: "Teacher! Is there no need of Thee that we are perishing? And having risen, He rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Be still, cease. And the wind subsided, and there was a great silence. And he said to them, Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith? And they were afraid with great fear, and said among themselves, Who is this, that both the wind and the sea obey him? (4:35-41).

The picture is so vivid and striking. Christ and His disciples sail on the sea. A storm arose - such that professional fishermen could not cope with it: Peter, Andrew, James, John. Water fills the boat; and Christ, as if offending them by His rest, does not simply sleep in the stern, but sleeps on the head, that is, on the pillow. Does He not care that they are perishing?..

Can we not see in this image the question that so many people put before us: Is your God really so indifferent to our fate? can we really live, perish, and He does not care?..

Christ, the God who became man, sleeps peacefully with a pillow under His head, while His disciples struggle with the sea, trying to save their lives. And the disciples approach Him not only with fear, but with a kind of indignation: "Teacher, is there no need for Thee that we are perishing? And Christ stands up, and His answer to them: "Why are you so afraid? Do you have no faith? Do you not believe that God will not abandon you? Do you not yet believe, after all that you have seen, after all the miracles that I have performed, that I can help you?.." And turning to the wind and to the waves, He commanded them to be still. This is a picture not only about the storm on the Sea of Tiberias, which almost killed the disciples; Here we are talking about us, as it were. We swim across the sea of life, that is, we go through a life that is full of storms, difficulties, and problems. And sometimes we wish that these problems would just be solved, that God would stand up and command the problems to calm down, the sea to calm down, the wind to die down, and then it would be so good to sail on the azure sea. But this is not our calling. Our vocation is to go forward with faith, invincible, unwavering faith through all the difficulties, all the horrors that may present themselves to us. The apostles went through these horrors later. If we turn to the Apostle Paul, this is what he says in his Epistle to the Corinthians: "But we, as co-helpers, beseech you, that the grace of God may not be received by you in vain. For it is said, In the time of favor I heard thee, and in the day of salvation I helped thee. Behold, now is the time of favor, behold, now is the day of salvation (this is a passage from the 49th chapter of the prophet Isaiah, verse eight). We do not stumble over anyone in anything, so that the ministry may not be blamed, but in all things we show ourselves as servants of God, in great patience, in tribulations, in wants, in straits, under blows, in prisons, in vigils, in fasting, in purity, in prudence, in generosity, in goodness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love, in the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapon of righteousness in the right hand and in the left hand, in honor and dishonor, in reproach and praise: we are considered deceivers, but we are faithful; we are unknown, but we are recognized; we are considered dead, but behold, we are alive; we are punished, but we do not die; we are grieved, but we always rejoice; we are poor, but we enrich many; we have nothing, but we possess everything. Our mouths are open to you, Corinthians, our hearts are enlarged. You are not cramped in us; but your hearts are cramped (2 Corinthians 6:1-12).

This is what the Apostle Paul says, who not only experienced this, but also fulfilled it. Nothing stopped him from preaching that God in Christ is indeed the Savior, and that we can trust Him, that we can go through all the most terrible trials, and that in spite of all trials, we can win—win in ourselves, win for others, and pay for this honor with our suffering, if necessary, with our blood, like the Savior Christ.

1 The introduction was published in the journal Alpha and Omega. 1995. № 3(6). Pp. 17-22.

2 The text retains the features of the author's style. (Editor's note)

3 Author's highlights (here and below).