Further it is said: "Ask, and it shall be given you," the Lord teaches constancy, patience and diligence in prayer. A true Christian, remembering the Lord's admonition, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness," will not seek to receive anything vain, harmful to the salvation of the soul, and therefore can be sure that through his prayer the gift will be revealed to him, as the Lord promises to him who will pray fervently. Ev. Matthew (7:11) says: "Your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him"; and St. Luke, with the words: "He will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him," explains what are the blessings for which one should and should ask. The father will not give his son harmful, and therefore the Lord gives a person only that which is truly good for him.In conclusion of the instructions on our attitude towards other people, the Lord pronounces the rule that is called the golden rule: "In all things, whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them." In this canon there is "The Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:12), since love for people is a reflection of love for God, just as love for brothers is a reflection of love for parents.

The Narrow Path

Christ warns that following His commandments is not so easy, it is "the strait way" and "the narrow gate" (Matt. 7:14), but they lead to eternal and blissful life, while the broad and broad path, attractive to those who do not like to struggle with their sinful passions, leads to destruction.

On False Prophets

At the end of His Discourse on the Mount, the Lord warns believers against false prophets, likening them to wolves in sheep's clothing. The "dogs" and "pigs" of which the Lord has just spoken are not as dangerous to believers as false prophets, because their wicked way of life is obvious and can only repel them. False teachers present lies as truth and their rules of life as Divine. One must be very sensitive and wise to see what a spiritual danger they represent.This comparison of false prophets to wolves pretending to be sheep was very convincing to the Jews who heard Christ, because throughout their centuries-long history this people had suffered many disasters from false prophets.Against the background of false prophets, the virtues of true prophets were especially obvious. True prophets were distinguished by unselfishness, obedience to God, fearless denunciation of human sins, deep humility, love, strictness towards oneself and purity of life. They set themselves the goal of attracting people to the Kingdom of God and were a creative and unifying principle in the life of their people. Although the true prophets were often rejected by the broad mass of their contemporaries and persecuted by people standing at the helm of power, their activities healed society, inspired the best sons of the Jewish people to a virtuous life and podvig, in a word, led to the glory of God. Such good fruits bore the work of the true prophets, who were admired by the believing Jews of subsequent generations. With gratitude they remembered the prophets Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and others. Avoiding the denunciation of sins, they skillfully flattered people, thereby ensuring success among the masses of the people and the mercy of the powerful of this world. With promises of prosperity, they lulled the people's conscience, which led to the moral decay of society. While the true prophets did everything for the good and unity of the kingdom of God, the false prophets sought personal glory and benefit. They did not disdain slander against the true prophets and persecuted them. In the end, their activities contributed to the death of the state. Such were the spiritual and social fruits of the false prophets. But the precocious glory of the false prophets decayed faster than their mortal bodies, and the Jews of subsequent generations remembered with shame how their ancestors had succumbed to deception (the Holy Prophet Jeremiah, in his Lamentations, complains bitterly about the false prophets who destroyed the Jewish people, see Lamentations 4:13)In periods of spiritual decline, when God sent true prophets to guide the Jews to the good path, a large number of self-styled prophets appeared among them at the same time. Thus, for example, they were especially numerous from the 8th to the 6th century B.C., when the kingdoms of Israel and Judah perished, then before the destruction of Jerusalem, in the seventies of our era. According to the prediction of the Savior and the apostles, many false prophets will come before the end of the world, some of whom will even produce amazing signs and wonders in nature (false ones, of course) (Matt. 24:11-24; 2 Pet. 2:11; 2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 19:20). In both Old and New Testament times, false prophets caused much harm to the Church. In the Old Testament, by lulling the people's conscience, they accelerated the process of moral decay, in the New Testament, by leading people away from the truth and planting heresies, they tore off the branches of the great tree of the Kingdom of God. The modern abundance of all kinds of sects and "denominations" is undoubtedly the fruit of the activity of modern false prophets. All sects sooner or later disappear, others vegetate in their place, only the true Church of Christ will remain until the end of the world. Concerning the fate of false teachings, the Lord said: "Every plant which My Father in heaven hath not planted shall be rooted up" (Matt. 15:13)It should be explained that it would be an exaggeration and a stretch to classify every modern pastor or non-Orthodox preacher as a false prophet. After all, there is no doubt that among non-Orthodox religious figures there are many sincere believers, deeply sacrificial and decent people. They belong to one or another branch of Christianity not by objective choice, but by inheritance. False prophets are precisely the founders of non-Orthodox religious movements. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord warns His followers against false prophets and teaches them not to trust their external attractiveness and eloquence, but to pay attention to the "fruits" of their activity: "A bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit... for a bad tree bears bad fruit." By evil "fruits" or deeds it is not necessary to understand the sins and vile deeds that false prophets skillfully conceal. The harmful fruits of the activity of all false prophets, common to all of them, are pride and rejection of people from the Kingdom of God.A false prophet cannot hide his pride from the sensitive heart of a believer. One saint said that the devil can show the appearance of any virtue, except for one – humility. Like the wolf's teeth from under the sheep's clothing, so pride can be seen in the words, gestures, and gaze of the false prophet. False teachers seeking popularity like to show off, in front of a large audience, to perform "healings" or "exorcisms" of demons, to amaze listeners with bold thoughts, to cause delight in the public. Their performances invariably end with large cash collections. How far this cheap pathos and self-confidence is from the meek and humble image of the Savior and His Apostles!The Lord further cites the references of false prophets to His miracles: "Many will say to Me in this day (of judgment): Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? And was it not in Thy Name that demons were cast out? And have they not done many miracles in Thy Name?" Can a false prophet perform a miracle? No! But the Lord sends His help according to the faith of the one who asks, and not according to the merits of the person who pretends to be a miracle worker. False prophets, on the other hand, ascribed to themselves the works that the Lord did out of His compassion for people. It is also possible that the false prophets, in their self-deception, imagined that they were performing miracles. One way or another, the Lord will reject them at the world judgment, saying: "Depart from me, you workers of iniquity! I never knew you!" Thus, although false prophets weaken the Church, tearing away from it the unwary sheep, the faithful children of the Church should not be confused by the sparseness and seeming weakness of the true Church, because the Lord prefers the small number of people who keep the truth to the multitude of people who are in error: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom!" and promises the faithful His divine protection from the spiritual wolves, saying: "I will give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; and no man shall snatch them out of my hand" (Luke 12:32, Jonah 10:28)Thus, false teachers can be recognized by their lives and deeds. As if against modern sectarians, who preach the justification of man by faith alone, without good works, the further words of the Lord are directed: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord! Lord!' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). From this it is clearly seen that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone is not enough, but a life corresponding to faith is also needed, that is, the fulfillment of Christ's commandments, good works. In the beginning of the preaching of Christianity, many people did indeed work miracles in the Name of Christ, even Judas, who received this authority on a par with the 12 Apostles, but this does not save if a person does not care about fulfilling the commandments of God. is like a man who built his house on sand, while he who fulfills the covenants of Christ is in fact like one who built a house on a rock. Such a comparison was close, and therefore understandable to the Jews, since in Palestine frequent torrential rains were common, accompanied by storms and demolished houses erected on sandy ground. Only he who fulfills the commandments of Christ in practice can resist the hour of the onslaught upon him, like storms of grievous temptations. Whoever does not fulfill these commandments easily falls into despair and perishes, renouncing Christ; The Evangelist Matthew concludes the narrative of the Sermon on the Mount with a testimony that the people were amazed at the new teaching, since the Lord taught them as one in authority, and not as the scribes and Pharisees. The teaching of the Pharisees, for the most part, consisted of trifles, useless verbal outpourings and verbal disputes; but the teaching of Jesus Christ was simple and sublime, since He spoke on His own behalf, as the Son of God: "But I say unto you"—in these words His divine authority and power are clearly felt.

Healing the Leper

When the Lord Jesus Christ descended from the mountain after His preaching, a multitude of those who heard Him followed Him and, no doubt, were deeply shaken. And then again, as it had already happened once, as the Evangelists Mark (1:40-45) and Luke (5:12-16) relate, a leper approached Him, asking for deliverance from a terrible illness. Of course, this was far from an isolated case of healing lepers, taking into account the multitude of miraculous healings that the Lord performed in general during His public ministry to people.

Some interpreters believe that if the healed man had not immediately gone to Jerusalem to the priest, but had begun to divulge everywhere about the miracle performed on him, then the rumor of the healing could have reached Jerusalem before his arrival, and then the priests, who were hostile to the Lord, would have been they would assert that the healed man was never sick.

The Healing of the Servant of the Capernaum Centurion

After this, the Lord went to Capernaum, where He once again performed the miracle of healing in absentia the servant of a Roman centurion, who apparently stood at the head of the Roman military garrison of a hundred soldiers. The military garrisons of the Romans were then on guard in some cities of Palestine, subject to the Roman Empire. This centurion was a pagan by birth, but he was disposed to the Jewish religion, as evidenced by the synagogue he built. His servant, according to St. Matthew, suffered cruelly from paralysis, and according to St. Luke, was even on the verge of death. St. Luke tells about this incident in more detail.The centurion first sent Jewish elders to Jesus with a request to come and heal his servant. Then he sent his friends, after which, as St. Matthew describes, he himself went out to meet the Lord who was approaching his house. In his words, "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 you; but speak the word, and my servant shall recover" (Luke 7:6-7) sounds so unusual for a pagan faith and humility that the Lord, as both Evangelists relate, "was amazed" and considered it necessary to emphasize this faith in front of all those around them, that He did not find such faith even among the representatives of God's chosen people, the Israelites. Further, as St. Matthew alone relates, the Lord, refuting the opinion of the Jews that they alone can be members of the Kingdom of the Messiah, prophesies that many of the pagans "from the East and the West" will prove worthy, together with the Old Testament forefathers, to inherit this Kingdom, while the "sons of the kingdom," that is, the Jews, for their disbelief in the coming Messiah, will be cast out into utter darkness, where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 8:12). In these words of the Lord, as in many of His other speeches and parables, the Kingdom of Heaven is presented in the image of a supper, or feast, at which in the East people did not sit, but reclined. The guilty guests were led out of the room where the supper was held, into the outer (pitch-black) darkness, into the cold, which is contrasted with the warm and bright room, and the expelled gnashed their teeth from cold and vexation; This image, understandable to all, was taken in order to more clearly represent the eternal torment of sinners in hell. The centurion's faith and humility were immediately rewarded: his servant recovered in that hour, as soon as the Lord said: "Go, and as thou hast believed, let it be done unto thee" (Matt. 8:13)

Resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain

Only the Evangelist Luke tells about this event, putting it in connection with the subsequent dispatch of John the Baptist of his disciples to Jesus Christ.From Capernaum the Lord went to the city of Nain, located near the southern border of Galilee, on the northern slope of Mount Little Hermon, in the former tribe of Issachar. Nain (pleasant) received its name, probably, because of its location in the magnificent and rich in pastures valley of Esdraelon. The Lord was accompanied by His disciples and a multitude of people. In ancient times, cities were often surrounded by solid walls to protect against enemies, so that it was possible to enter and exit only through one gate. And at such a city gate, the Lord met a funeral procession: a dead young man, the only son of a widow, was being carried out of the city. Seeing the grief-stricken woman, the Lord took pity on her and said: "Do not weep" and touched the bed on which the deceased lay, thereby signaling to stop, and resurrected the young man with the words: "Young man! Everyone was seized with fear, but still none of the witnesses of the miracle recognized Jesus as the Miracle Worker Messiah, He was considered only a "great prophet", and this opinion about Him was spread throughout Judea and the surrounding area.

Embassy from John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist could not doubt the divine dignity of the Lord Jesus Christ (see John 1:32-34). Nevertheless, being already in prison, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus Christ with the question: "Are you the one who is to come, or do we expect another?" (Matt. 11:3; Luke 7:19) The answer to this question was needed not by John himself, but by his disciples, who, hearing so much about the Lord's miracles, wondered why He did not openly proclaim Himself to be the Messiah, if He really was. But the Lord does not give a direct answer, since the name of the Messiah was associated with the hopes of the Jews for earthly glory and greatness. Only the one whose soul is cleansed by the teaching of Christ from all earthly things could be worthy to hear and know that Jesus is truly the Messiah-Christ. That is why, instead of a direct answer, the Lord, referring to the prophecy of Isaiah (35:2-6), draws the attention of John's disciples to the miracles performed by Him, as proof of His Divine messengership, and adds: "Blessed is he who is not offended in Me!" (Matt. 11:6; Luke 7:23), or, in other words: "Blessed is he who does not doubt Me, seeing My humiliated appearance." And lest anyone should think that John himself doubted the Divine greatness of the Lord, after the departure of John's disciples, He began to speak to the people about the high dignity and ministry of John, as the highest of all prophets: "Of those born of women there arose not greater than John the Baptist, but the least in the kingdom of heaven greater than he" (Matt. 11:11; cf. Luke 7:28) — these words indicate the superiority of Christianity over the highest righteousness of the Old Testament." From the days of John the Baptist to this day the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away; for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John" (Matt. 11:12-13). Here the law and the prophets, that is, the Old Testament Church, are contrasted with the Church of Christ, the New Testament. With John, who stood on the border of the two testaments, the Old Testament, which had only a temporary, preparatory significance, ended, and the Kingdom of Christ was opened, which includes all who have made an effort for this. Based on the prophecy of Malachi (4:5), which undoubtedly refers to the second coming of Christ, the Jews waited for the prophet Elijah before the coming of the Messiah. But Malachi prophesied of John only as an angel who would prepare the way for the Lord (3:1). And the angel who foretold the birth of John to Zechariah said, "He shall come before him in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17); but it will not be Elijah himself. John himself, when asked by the Jews whether he was Elijah, answered in the negative. The meaning of the Lord's words, "And if ye will receive, he is Elijah, to whom he must come" (Matt. 11:14) is this: if you take Malachi's prophecy about the coming of Elijah before the coming of the Messiah literally, then know that the one to whom he was to appear before the Messiah has already come: this is John; pay special attention to My testimony of John, and "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:15)Saying, "To whom shall I liken this generation?" (Matt. 11:16; cf. Luke 7:31), the Lord is referring to the scribes and Pharisees. They are like capricious and wayward children whom their comrades cannot please in any way. To them, the Pharisees and scribes, who were waiting for the Messiah as a great conquering king, the great faster, John, could not please them in any way, calling them to sorrow and contrition for their sins; neither could Jesus Christ, who, unlike John, refused to share a meal with sinners in the hope of saving them. The words of the Lord: "Wisdom is justified by her children" (Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:35) are beautifully interpreted by Bl. Theophylact: "When, says Christ, neither the life of John nor Mine please you, and you reject all ways of salvation, then I, the Wisdom of God, prove to be right not before the Pharisees, but before His children." These "children of wisdom" are the simple Jewish people, repentant tax collectors and sinners, who believed in Christ and accepted His Divine teaching with all their hearts; it was they who "justified" God and His wisdom, that is, they showed that the Lord arranged the salvation of people both faithfully and wisely. And it was to them that the wisdom of God was revealed, inaccessible to the proud Pharisees.