And Herod the tetrarch, who was rebuked by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all that Herod had done evil, added to everything else that he had put John in prison. And when all the people were baptized, and Jesus was baptized, and prayed, "The heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son; in Thee is My good pleasure! The Evangelist inserted a word about Herod here. It is as if he were saying this: although the people thought very highly of John, yet Herod, rebuked by him, added to all his wickedness that he had imprisoned him. He narrates, as it were, with deep sorrow and strong pity, that Herod had so wrongly treated John, while the people had a high opinion of him. - "Heaven was opened" in order to show us that baptism opens the heaven that Adam had locked up to all. "The Holy Spirit has descended" upon Jesus, so that we may know from this that the Spirit also comes upon us when we are baptized. For the Lord had no need of the Spirit, but does all things for our sake, and Himself is the firstborn in all things (Col. 1:18), which we had afterwards to receive, that we might be the firstborn among many brethren. "Like a dove" so that we may learn that we need to be meek and pure. And just as in Noah's time the dove depicted the calming of God's wrath, so here the Holy Spirit, having drowned sin, reconciled us to God. And the Son hears a voice spoken from the Father, to show that he has granted sonship to us who are baptized. "In Thee is My good pleasure," in Thee I have rested.

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years old, and was thought to be the Son of Joseph, Eli, Matthat, Levi, Melchite, Jannait, Joseph, Mattathia, Amos, Naum, Stim, Naggai, Maath, Mattathia, Semeite, Joseph, Judah, Ioannan, Rishay, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Niri, Melchi, Addi, Kosam, Elmodam, Ire, Josiah, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi, Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonan, Eliakim, Melea, Mainan, Mattatha, Nathan, David, Jesse, Obid, Boozov, Salmonov, Naasson, Aminadab, Aramov, Esromov, Pharez, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Farrin, Nahorov, Serukhov, Rahab, Polekov, Ever, Salin, Cainan, Arphaxadov, Sim, Noah, Lamech, Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahaleleel, Cainan, Enos, Seth, Adam, God. The Lord was baptized when He was thirty years old, because this age is the most perfect, and in it a person turns out to be honorable or worthless. Luke presents the genealogy of the Lord in the reverse order, in comparison with the Evangelist Matthew, in order to show that he who is now born in the flesh is of God - for see how the genealogy ascends to God - and at the same time, so that we may know that He became incarnate in order to raise up all intermediary fathers to God and make them sons. I can also say otherwise: the birth of the Lord, as seedless, met with unbelief. Therefore, the Evangelist, wishing to show that at other times man was without seed, ascends from the lowest to Adam and God. He says, as it were, "If you do not believe, as the second Adam was born without seed, then, I beseech you, turn your mind to the first Adam, and you will find that he was created by God without seed, and after that do not be unfaithful." Some ask: How does Matthew call Joseph the son of Jacob, and Luke the son of Eli? For it is impossible, they say, for one and the same thing to be the son of two fathers. To this it is answered, that Jacob and Eli were half-brothers, but of different fathers, that after the death of Eli, Jacob took his wife, that he might raise up children by her, and that therefore Joseph is called the son of Jacob by nature, and Eli by the law. For Jacob really begat him by nature, and he was his own son, and he was the son of Eli only according to the law. For the Law commanded that the wife of the deceased should be married to his brother without child, and that the one born of this union should be considered the child of the dead (Deuteronomy 25:5, 6), although by nature it was of the living. Therefore, the evangelists speak correctly, and do not contradict each other. Matthew recorded Joseph's natural father, and Luke the father due to him according to the Law, that is, Eli; and both show that the Lord was born to sanctify nature and the Law.

Chapter Four

Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. There He was tempted by the devil for forty days, and did not eat anything during these days, and after they had passed, He hungered for the end. And the devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, then command this stone to become bread." Jesus answered and said to him, "It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." And having brought Him up to a high mountain, the devil showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and the devil said to Him, "To Thee will I give power over all these kingdoms and their glory, for it is delivered to me, and I give it to whomsoever I will; therefore, if you worship me, all things will be yours. Jesus answered and said to him, "Get thee behind me, Satan; it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the wing of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, His angels shall give charge concerning thee to keep thee; and they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus answered and said to him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. The Lord was baptized in order to sanctify the waters for us who have to taste grace. After Baptism, "He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness," for the Holy Spirit led Him into the struggle against the devil. He goes "into the wilderness" in order to give the devil a reason to attack Him, for he approaches us especially when we are alone. He fasts "forty days" and does not exceed the measure of the fast of Moses and Elijah, so as not to give Satan the idea that He is greater than them, but so that he approaches Him, thinking that He too is a man, and at the same time so that he does not appear incarnate only in a ghost. He is "tempted" after Baptism, in order to show us that after Baptism we will be met with temptations. He fasts because fasting is a great weapon in temptations, and because after baptism we should give ourselves over not to sensual pleasures, but to fasting. The enemy attacks Him first with gluttony, as he did with Adam (Gen. 3), then with covetousness, showing Him all the kingdoms. How did he show it? Some say that I presented them to Him in thought. But I think that it was not in thought, but in sensuality, that I showed them to Him, putting them before His eyes in a phantom, and not in the imagination of the Lord. Further, he attacks Him with vanity, for He says: "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down." He spoke idly of this, caressing Him, so that He, deceived by flattery and wishing to show Himself to be the Son of God, would throw Himself down and thus reveal Himself to Him who He was. "Thou shalt not tempt," he says, "the Lord thy God," for no one should expose himself to obvious danger in self-deception that God will help him. Note also that it is very useful to know the Scriptures; for the Lord also smote Satan with the Scriptures. "Man shall not live by bread alone," this is the Mosaic saying about manna (Deuteronomy 8:3); for though manna was not bread, yet it nourished the people. Likewise, the sayings of Moses: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God" and "Thou shalt not tempt" (Deuteronomy 6:13, 16).

And having finished all the temptation, the devil departed from Him for a time. And Jesus returned in strength of spirit to Galilee; and the fame of him spread throughout all the country round about. He taught in their synagogues, and was glorified by all.

Although the Lord was tempted by three temptations, Luke says that He finished all temptations, because the foundations of all temptations are these three: gluttony, covetousness, and vanity. The Lord repelled the temptation of satiety with the words: "Man shall not live by bread alone." Before all other temptations, He brought this temptation upon Him, as well as upon Adam. For he could not stumble Adam with covetousness, since Adam, being alone, had no one more to desire against; nor with anger, for he had no one to be angry with; nor envy; but stumbled him with gluttony. The Lord repelled the temptation of covetousness by not falling, not bowing down before him. For when he sensually showed all the kingdoms in a ghost, the Lord did not submit to him. Some understood this about kingdoms not sensual, but conceivable, that he, for example, showed Him the kingdom of intemperance, the kingdom of envy, and in general of all sins, and said to Him as it were: "If Thou wouldst reign over all passions, and for this purpose Thou hast come to captivate those possessed by me, then fall down and worship me, and receive all over whom I reign." The Lord wants to reign and has come to do so, but to reign not with sin, not without struggle, but after podvig and victory. That is what some have understood. To anyone, let them understand it. The Lord also repelled the temptation of vanity with the words of the Scriptures. Lord, deliver us from these three heads of the serpent! - "Jesus returned in the power of the spirit." It seems to me that Jesus returned in a state of inspiration, for that means "in the power of the spirit." Pay deep attention to the Scriptures, for then it is written, "In the power of the Spirit," when He overcame the tempter and manifested His power. The words: "departed from Him for a time" have the following meaning: the devil attacks the Lord with two feelings, pleasure and sorrow; with pleasure he attacked the Lord, for example, on a mountain; but he departed from Him until the time, that is, until the time of the Cross, for then he intended to attack Him with sorrow.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went in, according to his custom, on the Sabbath day into the synagogue, and arose to read. They gave him the book of the prophet Isaiah; and he opened the book, and found a place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; for he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, and has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, to restore sight to the blind, to set the afflicted at liberty, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And having closed the book and given it to the attendant, he sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And he began to say to them, "This day this scripture has been fulfilled which you have heard.The Lord desired to manifest himself to the Israelites, because he was also anointed by God and the Father to save those who dwell in the heavenly places." He arranges this wonderfully. Before others, He appears to the inhabitants of Nazareth, with whom He was brought up, in order to teach us that we must first do good to our own and teach them, and then pour out love for mankind on others as well. When they gave Him a book, He unfolded it and found not what He happened to come across, but what He Himself desired. For do not think that He opened the book and happened to find the passage in which it is written about Him; it happened according to His will. What was written? "The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me," that is, he has ordained me, he has ordained me to preach the gospel to the "poor," that is, to the Gentiles, who, having neither law nor prophets, were indeed in great poverty. The "brokenhearted" were, perhaps, the Israelites, whose hearts were at first great and lofty and were the house of God, but later, when they began to serve idols and sin in various ways, their hearts were broken and upset, becoming instead of the house of God a den of thieves. Thus, the Lord came to heal them, and to give "deliverance to the captives" and "sight to the blind," the Gentiles and the Israelites. For both of these parts were both captive to Satan and blind. This can also be understood about the dead. For they, too, having been captive and broken, were freed from the power of hell through the Resurrection. - He preached "the year of the Lord's acceptance". What kind of favorable summer is this? Perhaps also the age to come, of which the Lord preached, saying: "And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing" (John 16:23), and again: "The time is coming when the dead shall live" (John 5:25). But a pleasant summer is also the time of the Lord's coming in the flesh. Of him Paul says: "Now is the time of acceptance, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). When He read this, He said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled which you have heard," evidently indicating in Himself to the hearers of Him of Whom it is written.

And they all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the words of grace that proceeded out of His mouth, and said, Is this not Joseph's son? He said to them, "Surely you will say to Me the proverb, 'Physician!' heal Thyself; do here in Thy homeland what we have heard in Capernaum. And he said, "Verily I say to you, no prophet is received in his own country." Verily I say unto you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up for three years and six months, so that there was a great famine in all the land, and Elijah was not sent to any of them, but only to the widow in Zarephath of Sidon. and there were many lepers in Israel under Elisha the prophet, and not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. When all in the synagogue heard this, they were filled with rage, and arose, and drove him out of the city, and led him to the top of the mountain on which their city was built, to overthrow him; but he passed through the midst of them and departed. The people, listening to the speech of Christ, were amazed at the words of grace; and being amazed, he mocked Him, saying, "Is this not the carpenter's son?" Meanwhile, what prevented Him from being worthy of wonder and worship? Do you not see what works He does? Do you not hear what words He speaks? In spite of this, do you mock His father? Of them, it could not be more justly said: "A foolish and foolish people, who have eyes and do not see, who have ears and do not hear" (Jeremiah 5:21). What then does the Lord say to them? Of course, you will say to Me: Do in Your homeland the same miracles that You did in Capernaum. For this means: "Physician! heal thyself." This was a common saying among the Jews, which they addressed to sick doctors. But I say to you that I would do many signs among you, My countrymen, but I know the common passion that happens to all, to despise even the most excellent works, as soon as they cease to be rare, but become common and common, and when everyone can freely enjoy them. For it is always the custom of men to take care of the rare and strange and to marvel at it, and to despise the general and common. Therefore no prophet is valued in his own country, but if he comes from any other country, he is surprised. In the same way, the widows of Judah did not receive Elijah, but the Zarephath woman did. And Elisha cleansed the foreigner from leprosy, because he showed faith in him, while his fellow countrymen did not believe him, and therefore were not cleansed. In the same way, you, My countrymen, consider Me worthy not of wonder, but of contempt, and therefore I do not do signs. But the inhabitants of Capernaum consider Me worthy of wonder, and I do signs, and I am accepted by them. Those who heard this in the synagogue were filled with rage, which is worthy of wonder, and thought to throw Him off the cliff. But He, having passed through the midst of them, departed, not because He was fleeing from suffering, but because He was waiting for a certain time. For He came to suffer for us; and now, when His preaching was still beginning, He was not to give Himself over to death, but to die when He had already taught enough. From this it is clear that when He was crucified, He was not crucified against His will, but voluntarily gave Himself up to death. "Know that the homeland of the prophets is the synagogue of the Jews, where they are in disgrace." The prophets are not received by her, but we, strangers, have received them. For the widow, that is, the church of the Gentiles, received Elijah, that is, the prophetic word, when there was a spiritual famine in Judea, that is, a hunger for hearing the word of God (Amos 8:11). Of this widow the prophet says: "She who is forsaken has many more children than she who has a husband" (Isaiah 54:1), and in another place: "Even she who is barren gives birth seven times, but she who has many children faints" (1 Samuel 2:5).

And he came to Capernaum, the city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days. And they marveled at His teaching, for His word was with authority. There was a man in the synagogue who had an unclean spirit of demons, and he cried out with a loud voice, "Leave it alone; what have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Thou hast come to destroy us; I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God. Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him." And the demon, having cast him down in the midst of the synagogue, came out of him without harming him in the least. And terror fell upon all, and they reasoned among themselves: What does it mean that He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they go out? And the rumor of Him spread throughout all the surrounding places. Since neither reason nor teaching attracts the unbelievers to faith, the Lord adds miracles as the most effective means. And so, he works miracles in Capernaum, for the inhabitants of this city were the most unfaithful and needed many miracles for faith. And so, when He has sufficiently taught, and moreover as having authority (for He did not say, "This saith the Lord," but, "I say unto you," because He was not one of the prophets, but the true Son of God), then He adds a miracle, namely, He heals him who is tormented by a demon. The demon first reveals enmity, so that his testimony would be more reliable, then he gives testimony: "I know Thee, who Thou art Thou that art the Holy One of God." First He reproaches Him: "Why hast Thou come here to destroy us?" Then he caresses Him, thinking that the Lord, carried away by the caress, will leave him. But the Lord, teaching not to use the testimony and representation of the demon, says: "Be silent and come out of it." However, it allows the demon to overthrow a person, so that those present will know that he truly has a demon, to whom the words belonged, although the man's tongue was the tool. And they all said to one another, marveling at what had happened, and saying, What is this word, that is, what is this commandment, which he commands, come out of it, and be silent? - Know that even now many have demons, namely those who fulfill the wishes of demons; For example, he who is angry has the demon of wrath. But when Jesus comes to the synagogue, that is, when the mind is concentrated and not scattered, then He will say to the demon of wrath, hitherto uncontrollable: "Be silent"; and immediately he will come out of the man, throwing him into the middle. What does it mean to throw into the middle, know this: a man must not be completely angry and irritable, for this is characteristic of beasts, nor completely angerless, for this is characteristic of an insensible person, but walk the middle path and have anger against malice. Therefore, when the evil spirit throws someone into the middle, it departs from him.

And he went out of the synagogue, and went into the house of Simon; Simonov's mother-in-law was possessed by a strong fever; and they asked Him for it. Approaching her, He rebuked the fever; and left her. At sunset all those who had been sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and He, laying His hands on each of them, healed them. And the demons also came out of many with a cry and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of God." And He forbade them to say that they knew that He was the Christ. And when the day came, he went out of the house, and went into the wilderness, and the people sought him, and came to him, and restrained him, that he should not depart from them. But he said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, for this I have been sent." And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. The Lord of all was nourished by the hospitality of the disciples, just as now He is received by Peter and heals his mother-in-law, so that He may teach you not to refuse the favor of the poor. Not only does it heal her of her illness, but gives her good health and strength for service. If we also accept Him, He will quench our fever, the fever of anger and unwillingness, and raise us up so that we will be able to serve Him, that is, to do what pleases Him. "Look, I beseech thee, at the faith of the people, how even at sunset they brought the sick and were not restrained by time. - He does not allow the demons to speak in this way because he does not need praise from the unclean, for "praise is unpleasant in the mouth of a sinner" (Sir. 15:9), and because he does not want to kindle envy in the Jews when everyone praises Him. The people are looking for Him, though He has gone into an empty place and is holding Him. But He does not limit Himself to one place, but says that I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities as well. Therefore, we should not be lazy, not be satisfied with one place of imprisonment, but go everywhere in order to benefit someone.

Chapter Five

Once, when the people were crowding to Him to hear the word of God, and He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, He saw two boats standing on the lake; and the fishermen came out of them and washed their nets. Entering one boat, which was Simon's, He asked him to sail a little from the shore and, sitting down, taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased teaching, he said to Simon, Sail out into the depths, and cast your nets for fishing. Simon answered and said to him; Mentor! we labored all night and caught nothing, but according to Thy word I will cast a net. When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and even their nets were broken. And they signaled to the comrades who were in the other boat to come to help them; And they came, and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down on the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, O Lord! Because I am a sinful man. For terror seized him and all who were with him, from this fishing of the fish they caught; and also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's associates. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; From now on you will catch men. And having pulled both boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him. The Lord flees from glory, and it pursues Him all the more. When the people crowded around Him, He went on board the ship to teach those standing on the seashore from the ship, so that all were before Him, and no one went behind His back. And because He taught from the ship, He did not leave its owner unrewarded. He even favored him doubly: He endowed him with a multitude of fish and made him His disciple. Marvel at the Lord's providence, how He attracts everyone through a means peculiar and akin to him, for example: the Magi by means of a star, and the fishermen by means of fishes. Notice also the meekness of Christ, how He beseeches Peter to sail away from the earth, for he "asked," meaning instead of "begged," and how humble Peter was: the man whom he had not seen, he received on his ship, and in all things obeyed him. When He told him to sail into the depths, he was not burdened, nor did he say, "All night I have labored, and have gained nothing, and shall I now listen to Thee, and give myself up to new labors?" He said nothing of the sort, but on the contrary: "At Thy word I will cast a net." So Peter was lukewarm in faith even before faith! For this reason he caught so many fish that he could not pull them out alone, and by signs he invited his accomplices, that is, the companions who were on the other ship. He invited them by signs because, amazed by the extraordinary fishing, he could not speak. Further, Peter in deep reverence asks Jesus to disembark from the ship, saying of himself that he is a sinner and unworthy to be with Him. If you want, understand it figuratively. The ship is the synagogue of the Jews. Peter represents the image of the teachers of the Law. The teachers who were before Christ labored all night (for the time before the coming of Christ is night) and achieved nothing. And when Christ came, and the day came (Romans 13:12), the apostles, placed in the place of teachers of the law, according to the word, that is, according to His commandment, cast the net of the Gospel and catch a multitude of people. But the apostles alone cannot pull out the net with fishes, but invite both their accomplices and accomplices, and drag them along with them. These are the pastors and teachers of the churches of all times; they, teaching and explaining the apostolic teaching, help the apostles to catch people. Pay attention to the expression: "cast a net". For the Gospel is a snare, which has a humble exposition of speech, simple and close to the simplicity of the hearers; That is why it is said that it is abandoned. If someone says that by casting a net the depth of thoughts is signified, then one can agree with this. Thus the word of the prophet was fulfilled, saying, "Behold, I will send a multitude of fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall catch them; and then I will send a multitude of hunters, and they shall drive them out of every mountain, and every hill, and out of the ravines of the rocks" (Jeremiah 16:16). He called the holy apostles fishermen, and the fishers of the rulers and teachers of the church of subsequent times.

When Jesus was in a certain city, a man came covered with leprosy, and when he saw Jesus, he fell down on his face, beseeching Him, and saying, Lord! If you want, you can cleanse me. He stretched out his hand, touched it, and said, "I will, be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy went away from him. And he commanded him not to tell anyone, but to go and show himself to the priest, and offer a sacrifice for his purification, as Moses had commanded, for a witness to them. But He went into the wilderness and prayed. This leper is worthy of wonder, because he has a thought in the Lord worthy of God, and says: "If you will, you can cleanse me." This shows that he thinks of Christ as God. For he came not as to a physician (for leprosy is incurable by the hands of physicians), but as to God; for He alone is able to heal from such diseases. The Lord "touches" him for a reason.

He commands the leper not to tell anyone about Him, in order to teach us not to seek praise from those to whom we do good; For the law was that the priest should examine the lepers and determine whether they were cleansed, and if the leper was cleansed in seven days, he remained inside the city, but if not, he was cast out, Lev. 13. That is why the Lord said: go, show yourself to the priest and bring a gift. What was the gift? Two birds (Lev. 14). What does it mean, "for a witness to them"? That is, in their rebuke and condemnation; so that if they accuse Me as a transgressor of the Law, they may be convinced that I do not transgress it, they may be persuaded by the command to you to bring the gift commanded by Moses. By the way, we can also say how these two birds were brought to God. One bird was slaughtered, and its blood was taken into a new earthen vessel; then both wings of the other bird were dipped in blood and thus released the bird alive. This depicted what was to come true in Christ. The two wings are the two natures of Christ, the divine and the human, of which one was slain, that is, the human, and the other remained alive. For the Divine nature remained impassible, anointed with the blood of the suffering nature and taking upon itself suffering. The blood of the Lord was received by a new earthen vessel, that is, a new nation of Gentiles capable of receiving the New Testament. Look: when someone has already been cleansed of leprosy, then he is worthy to bring this gift, that is, to bury Christ and perform the sacraments. For the leper and unclean in soul cannot be vouchsafed to offer such gifts, that is, to offer the Body and Blood of the Lord, united to the Divine nature. Take heed also to what an unspeakable advantage the Lord has over Moses. Moses, when his sister was stricken with leprosy, could not heal her, although he prayed much (Num. 12:10-15), but the Lord cleansed the leper with one word. Notice also the humility of the Lord, how, when the people wanted to touch Him, He was especially willing to spend time in the deserts and pray. Thus He set us an example in all things, to pray alone and to shy away from glory.