And from that day no one dared to ask Him. They were feared by disputes with Him, in which He always prevailed over them. So they couldn't catch Him in words to condemn Him. Wherefore from that time they forsook their words, and took up silver and gold, that they might bribe Judas and the false witnesses. And what they failed to do with words, they did with silver and gold. But their temporary success was very pitiful. For this last and dirtiest remedy has led to the opposite result, like all temptations with words. It brought the last and final victory to Christ, and it dealt an inevitable blow to them, plunging him into eternal destruction. For scarcely three days had passed since they had paid the hired men who had taken Christ and had borne false witness against Him, when they had to pay the soldiers not to divulge the news of Christ's resurrection.

It is a thousand times better not to be born at all than to be born and rebel against God.

Everyone who wants to shame God is himself put to shame, but God is given the opportunity to be even more glorified. And this is wondrous in our eyes. May honor and glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, now and ever, at all times and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel of the Talents

Matt. 105 rec., 15:14-30.

God creates inequality, people murmur about inequality. Are people wiser than God? If God creates inequality, then inequality is wiser and better than equality.

God creates inequality for the good of people, people cannot see their own good in inequality.

God creates inequality for the sake of the beauty of inequality, people cannot see beauty in inequality.

God creates inequality for the sake of love, which is kindled and sustained by inequality, people cannot see love in inequality.

This is the ancient human rebellion of blindness against clairvoyance, madness against wisdom, evil against good, ugliness against beauty, hatred against love. Even Eve and Adam gave themselves over to Satan in order to become equal to God. Cain also killed his brother Abel, because God did not equally despise their sacrifices. From that time to the present day, the struggle of sinful people against inequality continues. And up to that time and until now, God creates inequality. We say "until that time," because God created the angels unequal.

It pleases God that people should not be equal in everything external: in wealth, power, rank, education, position, etc., and He does not command us to compete in this in any way. Do not sit in the first place, - commanded our Lord Jesus Christ. It pleases God that people compete in the multiplication of inner blessings: faith, kindness, mercy, love, meekness and goodness, humility and obedience. God gave both external and internal blessings. But He considers man's external goods to be cheaper and insignificant than internal goods. He puts external goods at the disposal not only of people, but also of animals. But He reveals a rich treasury of internal, spiritual blessings only for human souls. God gave man something more than animals, which is why He demands more from people than from animals. This "greater" is made up of spiritual gifts.

God gave external goods to man so that they would serve the internal. For everything external serves the inner man as a means. Everything temporal is predestined for the service of the eternal, and everything mortal is predestined for the service of the immortal. A person who follows the opposite path and spends his spiritual gifts exclusively for the acquisition of external, temporal goods, wealth, power, rank, worldly glory, is like a son who inherited a lot of gold from his father and squandered it by buying ashes.

For people who have felt in their souls the gifts of God placed in it, everything external becomes insignificant: like an elementary school for one who has entered a higher school.

It is the ignorant who fight for external goods alone, not the wise. The wise men are waging a more difficult and more valuable struggle - the struggle for the multiplication of internal goods.