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).

Chapter Twenty-Two

The feast of unleavened bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and scribes sought how to destroy Him, because they feared the people. And Satan entered into Judas, who was called Iscariot, one of the twelve, and he went and spoke with the chief priests and the rulers how to deliver him up to them. and he promised, and sought a convenient time, to deliver him up to them not in the presence of the people. The scribes sought to kill Him (Jesus). And since the time of the Passover was approaching, and they therefore saw danger to themselves from the gathering people, especially on the feast, they finally sought a way to kill Him without being exposed to any danger - Satan entered into Judas, "one of the twelve," that is, one of the close and sincere disciples. No one should rely on himself, but be attentive to his life, because you have a terrible enemy. Some words, "one of the number of the twelve," were understood in this way: supplementing only the number of the apostles, but not a true apostle and disciple. For what kind of true disciple is he who stole what was put into the box? (John 12:6). In this way, Judas accepted Satan who had entered into him and agreed to betray Jesus to those who sought Him. For this is the meaning of the word "promised," that is, he finally concluded the condition and the contract. And he sought a convenient time when he would find Him (Jesus) without the people, that is, alone, and hand Him over to them. For the Romans had appointed certain overseers for the people, that they might not be indignant, for they were rebellious. These are the chiefs he calls (in Church Slavonic - voivodes). Or perhaps those who, belonging to the priesthood, had military positions, were called voivodes. For, suffering from a love of primacy, they interfered in such offices as well. That is why he called them the governors of the temple, perhaps in order to hurt them more sensitively.

And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the Passover lamb was to be buried, and Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare for us to eat the Passover." And they said unto him, Where dost thou command us to cook? He said to them, "Behold, when you are entering the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house into which he enters, and say to the master of the house, 'The Master says to you, 'Where is the room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?' And he will show you a large upper room, which is furnished; Cook there.

That the Passover, in Hebrew called facek, means the exodus from Egypt, was said by many, and in general everything that was done then on this feast was explained by the saints. And we need to say what day is called the day of unleavened bread. "The day of unleavened bread" is the name given to the Thursday, on the evening of which the Passover was to be buried. Thus, on Thursdays, perhaps in the morning, the Lord sends the disciples Peter and John, one as loving, the other as beloved, He sends them to a "stranger's" house; for neither Himself nor the disciples had anything of their own, otherwise He would have celebrated the Passover with one of the disciples. Look, what poverty! He sends them to an unknown person to show that He accepts suffering voluntarily. For if He did not wish to suffer, then, inclining the mind of this unknown man to receive them (Himself and His disciples), He could have done in the Jews what pleased Him. Some say that the Lord did not say the name of this man and did not declare him, but leads the disciples to his house according to some sign, so that the betrayer, having learned the name, would not show the Pharisees this house, and they would not come to take Him before He established the supper, before He taught His spiritual mysteries. That is why Christ, after a while, says: "I very much desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffered." That is, I have made every effort for us to hide ourselves from the betrayer, so that we may not be subjected to suffering before the time before I administer the sacraments. Anyone who wants can accept such an explanation. - Why does the Lord celebrate Pascha? In order to prove by all His actions to the last breath that He is not an opponent of the Law. Let us also eat this Passover wisely, let us understand by the day of unleavened bread the whole life spent in the spiritual light, which does not have in the least the decrepitude of the former disobedience in Adam. Leading a truly such life, we must feast upon the mysteries of Jesus. These mysteries will be prepared by Peter and John, activity and contemplation, ardent zeal and peaceful meekness. For the believer must be ardent to do good, zealous against evil, and meek to those who do evil. For evil should be hated, and not he who does evil. This one needs to be treated, for he suffers. To do evil means to be troubled by the evil one and to suffer malice. If we have Peter and John preparing the supper, that is, the good life that Peter portrays, and the true teaching that John the Theologian portrays, then we will meet with such preparers, that is, we will then find a truly human being, created in the image of the Creator, or rather, the Creator, carrying a pitcher of water. Water signifies the grace of the Spirit, as the Evangelist John teaches (7:38-39), and the pitcher signifies the destructibility and softness of the heart. For he who receives spiritual grace is humble and contrite in heart, but the Lord giveth grace to the humble (James 4:6). Conscious of himself as earth and ashes, and saying to Job, "Thou hast made me like clay." (Job 10:9), he will bear the grace of the Spirit in the breakable and indestructible vessel of his heart. Following such a mood, we will enter the house of the mind, whose master, the mind, will show us a large room that has been cleaned. The "upper room" is the high room of the mind, that is, the divine and spiritual objects among which it lives and treats with love. They are removed, for they have nothing harsh, but even that which is crooked for such a mind is made the right way, as Solomon said: "They are all clear to him who understands, and just to them that have acquired knowledge" (Proverbs 8:9). You will not sin if you say that the mind, although it performs a lofty deed, acts according to the power of the mind, nevertheless, its knowledge is still extended and very close to the earth. But knowledge is truly high, and ignorance, which surpasses the intellect, is higher than all height, when the intellect no longer acts, but perceives action. First we must act with our minds, then the grace of the Lord will work in us, rapturing us, as well as the prophets, and rejecting all natural power. Truly it is said that in such and such a prophet there was a rapture from the Lord. Just as here, when this upper room is cleaned, Jesus comes with His disciples and performs the sacraments, coming to us Himself and manifesting His own power in us, and not waiting for us to come to Him. The "disciples" of God the Word are all reflections on created things. When the Word works in us in this way, then we will understand the communion of Pascha and will be even more satiated with contemplation of created things, according to what is said: "I look to heaven, the work of Thy fingers" (Psalm 8:4).

They went, and found it, as He had told them, and prepared the Passover. And when the hour came, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him, and said to them, "I longed very much to eat this passover with you before my suffering, for I say to you that I will eat it no more until it is finished in the kingdom of God." And taking the cup, and giving thanks, he said, Take it, and divide it among yourselves, for I say unto you, that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And having taken bread, and having given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given up for you. do this in remembrance of me. Likewise, the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Covenant in my blood, which is shed for you. The Passover was eaten standing up: how then is it said of the Lord that He reclined? It is said that, having eaten the lawful Passover, they lay down afterwards, according to the general custom, to eat some other viands. - The Lord says to His disciples: "I very much desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering." It is as if He were saying: This is the last supper for Me with you, therefore it is pleasing and desirable to Me, for in the time to come I will not eat with you. This is like how those who have to go on a journey conduct their last speeches with relatives and friends with greater sweetness and love. And in other words: I very much desired to eat this Passover with you, because in it I have to teach you the great mysteries – the mysteries of the New Testament. By this He shows that He will voluntarily suffer. For He, since He knew of the impending sufferings, it was undoubtedly possible for Him to avoid them, just as in the preceding time (John 8:59). The words: "I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes" were understood by some of the saints in this way: until I am resurrected. For after the resurrection, when He dealt with His disciples, He ate and drank with them, as Peter also says to Cornelius: "And they ate and drank with Him, after His resurrection from the dead" (Acts 10:41). That the resurrection is the Kingdom of God is obvious. For resurrection is the destruction of death. Death reigned from Adam to Christ; and from that time, being destroyed, it yielded the victory and the kingdom to the Lord, as it is written: "Death! Where is your victory?" (Hos. 13:15). And David says: "The Lord reigns" (Psalm 92:1), and then, in explanation of how He reigned, he adds: "clothed with majesty," when the body was delivered from corruption and adorned with Divinity, as Isaiah says: "so majestic in His garment, appearing in the fullness of His power" (63:1). And the Lord Himself after His resurrection says: "All authority is given to Me" (Matt. 28:18). Thus, when the resurrection came, which, as having destroyed death, is called the Kingdom of God, the Lord again drank with His disciples, assuring that He had not risen illusory. - Others understood the Kingdom of God to be the future state, and by the Lord's drink with us in the age to come, the revelation of His mysteries. For He, the Lover of mankind, rejoices Himself in rejoicing in us, and in nourishing us, He Himself is nourished, and our drink and food, that is, teaching, He counts as food for Himself. And so, He will then drink some new drink with the worthy, always revealing to them something new and extraordinary. - I think Luke mentions two cups. Of one he says: "Receive it and divide it among yourselves," which some may call an image of the Old Testament, and of the other he speaks after the breaking and distribution of bread. The Lord Himself divides it among the disciples, calls it the New Testament and says that it is renewed in His blood. For when the Old Law was given, the blood of irrational animals was used as a seal (Exodus 24:5-8); and now, when God the Word has become Man, the New Covenant is sealed for us with His blood. The words, "which is given up for you" and "which is shed for you," do not show that His body was betrayed and His blood was shed for the apostles alone, but for the entire human race. And so, when he says that "for you" he is betrayed, you understand: for your human race. - The ancient Passover was celebrated for deliverance from slavery in Egypt, and the blood of the lamb was shed for the preservation of the firstborn: and the new Passover was for the remission of sins and for the preservation of thoughts appointed and consecrated to God. - Bread is taught first, and then the cup. For before there is a difficult and inconvenient activity. Virtue is preceded by sweat, just as bread is not only cultivated by the sweat of the brow, but also requires labor during its use (Gen. 3:19). Then, after the labors, there is joy from the grace of God, which is signified by the chalice. For whoever labors in inconvenient virtue is subsequently worthy of gifts and experiences good intoxication, renouncing this world, like Paul and David, or, to put it still more boldly, like God in the prophet Habakkuk (3:14).

And behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me at the table; however, the Son of Man goes according to His destiny, but woe to the man to whom He is betrayed. And they began to ask each other which one of them would be that would do it. There was also a dispute between them, which of them should be considered the greatest. And he said to them, Kings rule over the nations, and those who rule over them are called benefactors, but you are not so: but whoever of you is greater, let him be as the least, and the ruler as the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines or the one who serves? Is he not reclining? But I am in your midst as a servant.

There is nothing more miserable than a soul that is rigid in stubbornness. For behold what the Lord says: Behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me at the table, and the fool has not been sensed. The Lord says this not only to show that He knows what is about to happen, but also in order to show us His goodness and the malice of the betrayer, for which he was not ashamed to be at His supper, and then did not abandon the fulfillment of his intention. The Lord also gives us a model for this, so that we strive to the end for the benefit of those who fall. And "the Son of man," he says, "is coming, not because he cannot defend himself, but because he has ordained death for the salvation of men. But woe to the man to whom He surrenders." Though He is destined to suffer, why are you so angry as to betray Him? For this reason "woe" will fall into your lot, because you have been inclined to betrayal, since the serpent is also cursed because it served as an instrument of the devil's wiles. - Hearing this, the disciples were confused. You will learn more about this in the commentary on the Gospel of John (ch. 13). They are now troubled not only by the suspicion of betrayal, but from this confusion they pass on to dispute, arguing about which of them is greater. They came to an argument about this successively. Probably one of them said to the other, "You want to betray him," and this one again said to him, "No, you want to betray him." From here they proceeded to the fact that they began to say: I am better, I am more, and so on. What about the Lord? He calms their confusion with two examples. First, by the example of the Gentiles, whom they considered filthy, declaring that if they thought so, they would be like the Gentiles. Secondly, by His own example, for by explaining that He serves them, He thereby leads them to humility. It was at that time, as it is said, that He divided the bread and the cup with them. If I, Whom all angelic and rational creatures worship, serve in your midst, how dare you think much of yourselves, and argue about primacy? It seems to me that He did not mention this reclining and service in passing, but to remind them that if you ate of the same bread and drank of the same cup, then one meal makes you friends and of one mind. Why then do you have thoughts unworthy of them? Moreover, I have not done so that I should serve one and not the other, and all of you are equal. Therefore, you also have the same feelings. Perhaps, from all this, you will understand how the disciples were then still imperfect, and afterwards shone so wonderfully. Let the Manichaeans be ashamed, who say that some are incapable of learning by nature, and that it is impossible for them to change.