And watching Him, they sent evil men, who, pretending to be godly, would catch Him in some word, in order to deliver Him up to the rulers and the power of the ruler. And they asked Him, "Teacher! we know that Thou hast spoken truthfully and taught, and that Thou dost not look at the face, but that Thou thoutest truly the way of God; Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not? And he, perceiving their wickedness, said unto them, Why do ye tempt me? Show Me the denarius: whose image and inscription are on it? And they answered, Caesar's. He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they could not catch Him in His word before the people, and being amazed at His answer, they were silent.

The Pharisees prepared a net, which, in their opinion, was difficult for the Lord to avoid, but in this net "their foot was entangled" (Psalm 9:16). Look, what cunning! If the Lord says that one should give tribute to Caesar, then they will accuse Him before the people of bringing into slavery the people, who are the seed of Abraham and did not work for anyone (John 8:33). If He forbids giving tribute, then they will bring Him before the governor as a rebel. But the Lord avoids their snares like a "chamois," for the bride called Him so in the Song of Songs (2:9), and teaches that bodily subjection to the one who possesses our bodies, whether he be a king or a tyrant, does not in the least prevent us from spiritually pleasing the God of spirits. "Render therefore," he says, "to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And look, he did not say, "give," but "give." This, he says, is a duty, therefore pay what is due. Your sovereign protects you from enemies, makes your life peaceful, for which you owe him a tribute. And in other words: the very thing that you contribute, that is, the coin, you have from him himself. Therefore, return the royal coin to him (the king) again. Meanwhile, you have benefited from it for yourself, exchanging it and obtaining the necessities of life. - In the same way, God's things must be rendered to God. He has given you a mind: return it to Him by rational activity. He gave you reason: return it to Him, not being like irrational animals, but acting in everything as one endowed with understanding. And in general He gave you soul and body: return to Him all things and restore His image to Him, living according to faith, with hope, in love. - And in a different sense we must render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Each of us bears on himself either the image of God or the image of the prince of peace. When we become like Caesar, becoming sons of the devil, we bear his image on us. This image must be given to him and rejected, so that he may have his own with him, and find in us nothing that belongs to him. Through this, the image of God can be preserved in our purity. For this reason the Apostle Paul also urges us to bear the image of the earthly, so we should also bear the image of the heavenly (1 Corinthians 15:49); and in another place: "put off the former way of life of the old man" (Eph. 4:22). What is expressed here by the word "give" is in Paul by the word "to lay aside," and what is here called by the image of "Caesar," is there the image of the "earthly" Adam who sinned, and the "old man." For the earthly image is nothing else but corruption and sin, which image we have because we have become like an apostate, and not like the King. The Pharisees could not catch Jesus in the word before the people. For they had a special effort to slander Him before the people, as enslaving the people to the Romans. And this they could not achieve because of His all-wise answer.

Then some of the Sadducees who rejected the resurrection came and asked Him, "Teacher! Moses wrote to us, that if a man's brother, who had a wife, dies, and dies childless, his brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed for his brother.

And that the dead would be resurrected, Moses also showed at the bush, when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. But God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for with Him all are alive. To this some of the scribes said, "Teacher! You've said it well. And they no longer dared to ask Him anything. The Sadducees, while asserting themselves on weak grounds, did not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection. Assuming that there would be bodily life after the resurrection, they were naturally mistaken. Therefore, when they ridicule the doctrine of the resurrection as absurd, they invent a real reckless story. But the Lord refutes their foundation and declares that there is no bodily life there. And with this weak foundation and assumption he also destroys their teaching, saying, "You are in error, not knowing the Scriptures, and misinterpreting their meaning." "Children of this world," that is, those who give birth and are born in this world, marry and encroach, that is, they are married. But the sons of that age do nothing of the kind, for they cannot die; therefore, there is no marriage there, but an angelic, divine life. Here marriage is because it is death, and therefore death because it is marriage. And there, when death is abolished, what need is there for marriage? For marriage is instituted to help mortality and to make up for the deficiency. And where there is no lack, what need is there for replenishment? "For they are equal to the angels, and are the sons of God." Why? Because they are the sons of the resurrection. These words have this meaning: "I," he says, "have called them sons of God, because in their birth there is nothing corporeal, but everything divine. For in the resurrection there is neither coitus, nor seed, nor womb, nor conception, but God gives birth to our bodies in the manner known to Him. Since God acts in the resurrection, those who are reborn from the resurrection are rightly called the sons of God. - To the conclusion the Lord adds the testimony of the Scriptures. Moses says that God said to him from the bush: "I am the God of Abraham" and so on (Exodus 3:6). If the patriarchs had been destroyed forever and were not alive before God in the hope of resurrection, He would not have said, "I am," but "I was." For of things damaged and lost, we usually say: I "was" the owner of such and such a thing. And now that God has said, "I am," He has shown that He is the Lord and God of the living, and not of those who have been utterly destroyed. For though they are dead, yet they are alive by the hope of the resurrection, just as Adam, though he was alive, was nevertheless mortal, and it is said of him that he died at the very time that he ate of the forbidden fruit. When the Sadducees were thus ashamed, the scribes, pleased with their victory, approved of Jesus as their rival.

And he said to them, "As they say that Christ is the Son of David, and David himself says in the book of Psalms, 'The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' So David calls Him Lord; how then is He His Son? And when all the people had heard, he said to his disciples, Beware of the scribes, who love to walk about in long robes, and love to greet in the assemblies of the people, to preside in the synagogues, and to preside at banquets, who devour the houses of widows, and hypocritically pray long. they will receive all the greater condemnation. Soon having to go to suffering, the Lord preaches about His Divinity, and then not openly and with pride, but very modestly. For he asks them and, having perplexed them, leaves them to deduce the consequence for themselves. David, he says, calls Him Lord (Psalm 109:1): how then is He a simple Son to him? He was also the son of David according to the flesh, but at the same time his God, and they considered Him only the son of David. Therefore He refutes their opinion that Christ is a mere son of David, and declares that He is not contrary to the Father, but has great unanimity with Him, for the Father overcomes His enemies. This is what He said to the scribes. Since He sent His disciples as teachers into the world, He justly urges them not to imitate the Pharisees in love of glory, in love of primacy, and in general, in worldliness and man-pleasingness. For it is characteristic of those who flatter everyone they meet and ingratiate themselves with a good opinion of themselves, or use it as a means of collecting money. "They eat," he says, "the houses of widows," filling the belly and scattering beyond the bounds of what is due. And the pretext for this is kind of reverent. For, under the pretext of prayer and spiritual benefit, they do not teach fasting, but drunkenness and gluttony, and for this, he says, "they will receive all the greater condemnation," because they not only do evil, but also cover it up with prayer. And they have a reverent appearance, they make virtue a pretext for deceit. Therefore they deserve greater condemnation, since they subject the good to blame. Widows should be pitied, but they enter their houses as if to bless them with long prayers. Meanwhile, widows are forced to incur expenses on the occasion of their visit, and thus are ruined.

Chapter Twenty-One

And when he looked, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; He also saw the poor widow who had put in two mites, and said, "Verily I say to you, this poor widow has put in the most; for all of them out of their abundance gave as a gift to God, but she out of her poverty put in all her sustenance that she had. There was a sacred treasure, removed by the God-loving, which was used for handicrafts and corrections in the church, and in general for the decoration of the church and for the sustenance of the poor. But in recent times the priests have turned this treasure into trade, dividing it among themselves, and not using it for what it was originally intended for. - The Lord praises the widow more than all others, because she has overthrown all her wealth from her poverty. For two mites are apparently insignificant, but in the case of the one who fed on alms, they made up the whole belly: for the widow was a beggar. Thus, the Lord gives a reward, paying attention not to how much is given, but to how much remains. In the houses of the rich, who had brought little and little, there was much more, but her house was all empty, and there was nothing left in it. Therefore she is truly worthy of praise greater than those. - Some thought that by "widow" one can understand any soul that has renounced her former husband, that is, the Old Law, but has not yet been vouchsafed to be united with God the Word, and that instead of a pledge she brings a subtle and possible faith and a good conscience. For with faith one must also offer a good conscience, that is, a blameless life. And whoever comes to God with them seems to think more than all those who are rich in learning and abound in pagan virtues.

And when some said of the temple that it was adorned with costly stones and deposits, he said, "The days will come in which of what you see here will not be left one stone upon another; everything will be destroyed. And they asked Him, "Teacher! When will it be? And what is the sign when this should happen? He said, "Beware lest you be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying that it is I; and this time is at hand: do not follow them. But when you hear of wars and confusion, do not be terrified, for these things must be first; but the end is not immediate. Then he said to them; nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; There will be great earthquakes in places, and famines, and pestilences, and terrible manifestations, and great signs from heaven. The Lord, as having suffered the Crucifixion for a short time, now prophesies about Jerusalem, so that we may have a strong proof that He is the true God. Therefore, even when some praised the temple buildings and the "contributions" (I think that they were talking about carved and sculpted works, for example, palm trees and cherubim (3 Kings 6:32): this may have been called), the Lord does not pay attention to anything, but predicts their destruction. - They thought that He was talking about the end of the world, although He was talking about the captivity of Jerusalem by the Romans. Therefore, condescending to them, He leaves for a time the discourse on the captivity of Jerusalem by the Romans, intending to add it to the subsequent one, and now He discusses the end of the world and warns them not to listen to false prophets who are to come before His coming. - There will be "wars and turmoil", for after the cessation of all love, there will naturally be wars and confusions. As a result of wars, "famine and pestilence" will come; pestilence - from the spoilage of the air from corpses, and hunger - from the lack of cultivation of the fields. - Some have accepted that famine, pestilence, and other calamities will not only be at the end of the world, but also at the time of the captivity of Jerusalem. For Josephus (Flavius) says that because of the famine there were terrible disasters. And Luke in the Book of Acts (11:28) says that there was a famine during the time of Caesar Claudius. There were also many horrors that pointed to captivity, as the same Joseph relates. This, that is, "wars, confusions," and so on, can be decisively understood in general about the time of the end of the world and the captivity of Jerusalem.

But first of all they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, and shall bring you before kings and governors for my name's sake. And this will be for your testimony. Therefore, put it in your heart not to consider beforehand what to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all who oppose you will not be able to contradict or resist. You will also be betrayed by your parents, and brothers, and relatives, and friends, and some of you will be put to death; and ye shall be hated by all men for my name's sake, but not a hair of your head shall be lost: by your patience save your souls.

First of all, that which is to happen at the end of the world, or also at the captivity (for, as I have said, He joins the speech of captivity with the speech about the end), "they will lay hands on you," that is, My disciples. And indeed, before the captivity of Jerusalem, the apostles were expelled from it, by God's special discretion, namely, that all horrors would fall only on the crucifiers, and they, that is, the apostles, would fill the whole world with preaching. The apostles were also brought before kings and rulers: for example, Paul was taken to Festus, to Agrippa, to Caesar himself (Acts 25:6, 23; 26:32). And this turned for them into the glory of testimony. "And since they were simple and unlearned people, so that they should not be troubled by what wise men would demand an account of them, he says that they should not care about it in the least. For you will receive from Me wisdom and godliness together, so that all those who resist, even if they are united for one, will not be able to resist you either in wisdom, that is, in the power of thoughts, or in eloquence and infallibility of the tongue. Often some are skilled in drawing conclusions and resourceful in thoughts, but when there is noise, they are soon confused, and therefore during their speech to the people they mix everything up. But they, that is, the apostles, were given grace in both respects. For this reason the priests were amazed at the extraordinary wisdom of Peter and John, knowing that they had formerly been simple people (Acts 4:13). And Festus said to Paul: "You are mad, Paul! great learning drives you to madness (Acts 26:24). - Having said this, and having lessened their fear of ignorance, the Lord expresses another circumstance which is necessary and capable of shaking souls, namely, that they shall be betrayed as friends and kinsmen. He foretells about this circumstance so that, if it happens suddenly, it does not confuse them. For it greatly strikes the soul, as David also says: "For it is not the enemy who reproaches me, but I would endure; but thou, who was to me the same as I" (Psalm 54:13, 14); and again: "He who ate my bread lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 40:10). Having said this, and that they will be hated and some of them will be put to death, he adds the greatest consolation: "Not a hair of your head shall perish." You, he says, will be saved, and not the slightest part of you will be lost, although it will seem to many that it is lost; You just have to endure. For by patience you can gain your souls. The enemy approaches, as it were, with the intention of taking prisoners, and tries to seize your souls, bringing calamity upon you; but instead of money, give patience, and by this ransom you will gain your souls and suffer no harm in them. Pay attention to the expression: "Some of you will be put to death," and you will understand it a little more deeply, namely, they will not put you to death completely. You are made up of two parts: the soul and the body. Not both, but one of you, that is, the body, will be put to death, but your souls you will gain through patience, of which He also said in another place: "And fear not those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul" (Matt. 10:28).

And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that her desolation is at hand: then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and whosoever is in the city, go out of it; And whosoever is in the countryside, let him not enter into it, for these are the days of vengeance, that all that is written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are with child, and to those who suckle in those days; For there shall be great calamity in the land, and wrath against this people: and they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be taken captive to all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are finished. And there will be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and on the earth there will be despondency among the nations, and perplexity; and the sea shall roar and be troubled; people will faint with fear and expectation of calamities coming upon the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken, and then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. Now the Lord speaks most clearly about the captivity of Jerusalem. Therefore I think that the words: "before all this" should be understood in this way: before the famine and pestilence, and other calamities that will happen at the end of the world, you, the apostles, will be expelled, and so on. Then calamities will come for Jerusalem. Since they thought that the temple buildings would be destroyed at the time of death, the Lord says: no! For at the time of the end there will be false prophets, famine and pestilence from constant wars, which will be kindled because love will be exhausted. But you will be driven out before the time of death, and Jerusalem will be taken captive, and these stones will be destroyed. When you see the city of Jerusalem, surrounded by Roman armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. "For this he mourns the calamities that will then befall the city. "Those who are in Judea," he says, "let them flee to the mountains; Let those who are in the vicinity not hope that the walls of the city will save them, but let even those who are inside the city go out of it. For these will be days of vengeance, so that what is written may be fulfilled, especially in the book of Daniel (9:26-27). "Woe to those who are pregnant" (in those days), for they cannot flee because of the weight of their wombs, "and to those who suck with their breasts," for because of their great love for their children, they can neither leave them unattended nor take them away with them. Some say that the Lord is hinting at the slaughter of children, of which Joseph tells and Jeremiah prophesies (11:22). "And Jerusalem," he says, "will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles." Hitherto it had been a question of captivity, then of death. "There will be," he says, "signs in the sun and the moon and the stars." For with a change in creation, it is natural for there to be a new order in the elements. The nations will have "despondency," that is, sorrow mixed with bewilderment in everything. The sea will make a terrible noise, and fear and confusion will come, so that people will faint from fear and expectation of calamities coming upon the world. See? He speaks clearly here of the end of the world. For he said above that Jerusalem would be surrounded and trampled under foot by pagan armies, but here he speaks of the coming of calamities for the world. This means that now He is talking about the end of the universe. "For the powers of heaven shall be shaken." What do I say (He says), that when all creation is changed, men will be troubled? The Angels themselves and the first Powers will be confused and horrified at such terrible changes in everything. "And then shall they see the Son of man." Who? All believers and non-believers. "Coming on a cloud," that is, as God, with power and great glory. For then both He Himself and His cross will shine better than the sun, and will be recognized by all.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then lift up and lift up your heads, for your deliverance draws nigh. And he said to them a parable, Look at the fig tree and all the trees, and when they are already in blossom, when you see it, you know for yourselves that summer is near. Thus, and when you see these things come to pass, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away until all these things come to pass; heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. As the first coming of the Lord was for the recreation and regeneration of our souls, so the second will be for the regeneration of our bodies. That is why the Lord also says: when this begins to come to pass, you, weighed down with corruption, will rise up and enjoy freedom. For your redemption will come, that is, the complete liberation of both, that is, soul and body. The pretext, it seems, precisely indicates the complete deliverance from corruption, which the body will then receive, by the grace of the Lord, Who abolishes the last enemy – death (1 Cor. 15:53). 57. 26). For He abolished principalities and powers, and redeemed the soul. There was still death, which fed on our bodies; its abolition will be the cause of our freedom and redemption. With the fulfillment of this, the Kingdom of God will immediately come. Just as a fig tree, when its leaves bloom on it, indicates the approach of summer, so the appearance of these signs and the transformation of the universe serve as a sign that "summer" is coming, that is, the Kingdom of God, which for the righteous comes precisely as summer after winter and storm. Meanwhile, winter and a storm will come for sinners. For they consider the present age to be summer, and the future to be a storm for them. "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away until all these things come to pass." He does not call those who lived then, but all generations of believers. For the Scriptures sometimes call by generation those who are similar in morals, for example: "Such is the generation of those who seek Him" (Psalm 23:6). Since He said that there will be confusion and wars, and changes both in the elements and in the objects themselves, so that anyone should not come to the thought that Christianity will not ever collapse, He says: No! This generation, that is, the generation of Christians, will never pass away. Heaven and earth will be changed, but My words and My Gospel will not be destroyed, but will remain forever, even though everything be shaken, and faith in Me will not fail. From this it is also evident that He prefers the Church to all creation: for the creation will change, but from the Church of the faithful, as well as from His words and the Gospel, nothing will perish.

Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of life, and lest that day come upon you suddenly, for it shall come upon all who dwell like a snare upon all who dwell on all the face of the earth; Therefore watch at all times and pray, that you may be vouchsafed to escape all these future calamities and to stand before the Son of Man. You," he says, "have heard of horrors and confusions. All of them sensually and foreshadow the calamities that will befall sinners. But against these troubles there is a powerful and counteracting remedy - prayer and attentiveness to oneself. For the constant readiness and expectation of death can overcome all this. And it will be with you on this condition, - he says, - if you are awake and your hearts are not burdened with gluttony and drunkenness, and the cares of life. For that day will not come with observation, but unexpectedly, secretly, like a snare that catches up those who are inattentive to itself. Others, perhaps, will begin to examine the expression "living (sitting) on all the face of the earth." That day will envelop those who lead a carefree and idle life. For they are the very ones who are sitting, and they are caught in the net. But whoever is active and industrious, cheerful to do good and always strives for good, does not sit and is not comforted by earthly things, but excites himself and says to himself: "Get up and go, for this country is not a place of rest" (Micah 2:10), and desires a better fatherland, for him this day is not a snare and trouble, but a kind of feast. Therefore, we must watch and pray to God, so that we may be able to avoid all future calamities. Perhaps, first, famine and pestilence, and others, which will not burden the elect as much as the rest, but on the contrary, for the sake of the elect will be reduced for the rest; perhaps, secondly, those that will come forever for sinners, for we cannot avoid them except by vigil and prayer. Since it is not enough for the magnanimous to avoid anger, but they still need to receive some benefit, then, having said that you may be able to avoid all future calamities, the Lord added: "and stand before the Son of Man," which is the enjoyment of good things. For a Christian must not only avoid evil, but also strive to gain glory. And to stand before the Son of Man and our God is an angelic dignity. For it is said: "Their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father" (Matt. 18:10).

He taught in the temple during the day, and when He went out at night, He spent on the Mount of Olives. And all the people came to Him in the temple in the morning to hear Him. The Evangelists, especially the first three, did not convey very much of what the Lord taught. True, John himself kept silent about very many things, but in addition to what was handed down by the three, he set forth some of the highest lessons of the Lord. The Lord, as one might guess, taught many and lofty truths to those gathered in the temple. That the Evangelists said little, because they did not wish to declare everything, is evident from many other things, so much can be inferred from this, and from the fact that they, while the Lord had been teaching for almost three years, wrote down so few of His lessons, that, in my opinion, it is not to be blamed who said that they could have been transmitted in less than a whole day. Thus, the holy Evangelists wrote a little out of many things in order to convey the taste of sweetness. The Lord did not speak to everyone in the same way, but He offered everyone what was useful. Therefore, the people come to Him in the morning. For grace flowed out of His mouth. And at night the Lord withdrew to the mountain, showing us that during the silence of the night it is necessary to converse with God, and during the day, during clashes with people, to benefit them, and to gather at night, and to distribute what we have gathered during the day. He Himself did not need prayer or fellowship with God. For being God Himself, He had nothing for Him to humble Himself in, but He set it as a model for us, so that during the night, like wells, we would take into ourselves the drain from the spiritual veins - prayers, and during the day those who need useful things would be drawn out of us. Looking at how the people then came to Jesus in the morning to hear Him, some would say that the words of David come to Him: "God! Thou art my God, I have sought Thee from the early dawn; My soul thirsts for Thee" (Psalm 62:2).