"Again the devil takes Him up to a very high mountain, and shews Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and saith unto Him, All these things I will give unto Thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Matt. 4:8-9).

Do you understand the nature of this temptation, its power and danger? Satan offered Him power, indivisible, absolute, complete power over all the kingdoms of the earth, if only He would worship him. Of course, the Lord rejected this temptation as well.

Why did he reject it? Because Satan offered the power that any government has. And no state power can in any case do without coercion, without violence. By its laws it compels obedience, punishes non-obedience to them, punishes them severely, forces them, coerces them, and without coercion no authority, even the best and most perfect one, can act. Coercion is a necessary attribute of state power.

And how could the Lord, did He want to act by coercion? Oh no, oh no! He did not want, He rejected all power connected with coercion.

One day a man of the people came to Him and said to Him: "Teacher! tell my brother to share the inheritance with me. And he said unto the man, Who hath appointed me to judge or divide you?" (Luke 12:13-14).

He needed another power: He sought another power, He wanted to rule over the free hearts of men.

People are created with free will, they can choose their own path in life as they like: either the path of truth and suffering for the sake of truth, the path of mercy, the path of love, or the path of rejection of all truth and service to their lusts and passions, they can choose the path of sin.

God does not force anyone to choose one path or another, for He has given us free will. And precisely because we are created with free will, Christ does not want to influence us by coercion, to act in the way that the state power does.

He, as God, could force all people to obey Him with heavy punishments; He could force everyone to abandon the path of evil and unrighteousness, He could destroy even the devil himself, but He does not want to force us. He seeks free, loving submission to Himself. He seeks in the hearts of men faith in Him and love for Him. If He finds faith and love, then by His Divine grace He saves such a person.

Господь и Бог наш Иисус Христос сказал однажды в высшей степени важные слова, которые да не забудет никто из вас: «…из сердца исходят злые помыслы, убийства, прелюбодеяния, любодеяния, кражи, лжесвидетельства, хуления…» (Мф. 15, 19).

Он говорит, что источником всех наших действий, добрых и злых, служит наше сердце и, зная это, хотел очистить сердца людей.

Чрез Своего великого апостола Павла Он говорит: «Разве не знаете, что вы храм Божий, и Дух Божий живет в вас?» (1 Кор. 3, 16).

Сердца ваши по воле, по желанию Спасителя должны быть храмами Духа Святаго, сердца должны быть чистыми, полными любви к Богу, полными ненависти ко всякому злу. И такие вполне очищенные сердца могут исправить и все общественные бедствия.

И при самом лучшем политическом и общественном строе, при самых лучших, справедливых законах находится большое количество людей с нечистыми, злыми сердцами. Они боятся только принуждения, боятся наказания, а не хотят, не хотят подчиняться добрым, справедливым законам, стараются обойти их, и бесы научают их, как обходить даже и справедливые законы. И пока не исправятся сердца человеческие, это неизбежно будет повторяться.