What are you doing, God-inspired man, reminding us of the story of lawless incest? What's the matter? He answers. If we were to enumerate the genus of an ordinary man, it would be proper to keep silent about such a matter. But in the genealogy of the incarnate God, not only should it not be kept silent, but it should also be announced with a commanding voice, in order to show His providence and power. He came not to escape our shame, but to destroy it. Just as we are especially amazed not at the fact that Christ died, but at the fact that He was crucified (although this is reproachful, but the more reproachful, the more His love for mankind is shown), so we can say about birth: Christ should be amazed not only because He took upon Himself flesh and became man, but also because He vouchsafed wicked people to be His kinsmen, not in the least ashamed of our vices. Thus, from the very beginning of His birth, He showed that He did not disdain anything of ours, thereby teaching us not to be ashamed of the wickedness of our ancestors, but to seek only one thing – virtue. A virtuous person, even if he comes from a foreigner, even if he is born of a harlot or some other sinner, cannot receive any harm from this. If the fornicator himself, if he changes, is not in the least disgraced by his former life, how much more can a virtuous person, if he is descended from a prostitute or adulteress, in the least disgrace the depravity of his parents. However, Christ did this not only for our instruction, but also for the taming of the pride of the Jews. Since they, neglecting the virtue of the soul, on any occasion exalted themselves only by Abraham, and thought to be justified by the virtue of their ancestors, the Lord from the very beginning shows that it is not proper to boast of one's family, but of one's own merits. Moreover, He also wants to show that everyone, even the forefathers, are guilty of sins. Thus the patriarch, from whom the very name of the Jewish people was derived, turns out to be no small sinner: Tamar accuses him of fornication. And David begat Solomon by an adulterous woman. But if such great men have not fulfilled the law, how much more so are those who are inferior to them. And if they did not fulfill it, then everyone sinned, and the coming of Christ was necessary. For this reason the Evangelist also mentioned the twelve patriarchs, in order to humiliate the Jews, who were exalted by their illustrious ancestors. For many of the patriarchs were born of slave women, and yet the difference of those who gave birth did not make a distinction between those who were born. All of them were equally patriarchs and ancestors of the tribes. This is the advantage of the Church; this is the distinction of our nobility, which was already foreshadowed in the Old Testament. Even if you are a slave, even if you are free, it does you neither good nor harm; only one thing is needed - will and spiritual disposition.

3. In addition to what has been said, there is another reason why the Evangelist mentioned the story of Judas' incest. It was not without reason that Zara was annexed to Pharez. Apparently, it would be vain and superfluous after Pharez, from whom the genealogy of Christ was to be traced, to mention Zara again. What is the purpose of the above? When the time came for Tamar to give birth to them and illnesses began, Zara was the first to show his hand. The midwife, seeing this, in order to notice the firstborn, bound his hand with a red thread. And when the hand was bandaged, the child hid it, and then was born Pharez, and then Zara. Seeing this, the midwife said: "How hast thou broken thy barrier" (Gen. 38:29)? Do you notice the mysterious prefiguration? It is not without reason that this has been written for us, since it would not be worth while to relate what the midwife once said, and to tell that he who was born second was the first to put out his hand. So, what does this foreshadowing mean? First, the name of the infant resolves this question: Pharez means division and dissection. Secondly, the event itself: it was not in the natural order that the hand that had appeared, being bandaged, was again hidden. There was no rational movement or natural order. It may be natural for another to be born when one has shown his hand; but to conceal it in order to make way for another is already contrary to the law of those who are born. No, the grace of God was present here, arranging the birth of infants, and predestining for us through them a certain image of future events. What exactly? Those who have carefully studied this incident say that these babies prefigured the two peoples. Then, so that you may know that the existence of the second people precedes the origin of the first, the infant does not show himself completely, but only stretches out his hand, but hides it again, and only after his brother has come into the world, and he appears completely. And so it happened with both people. First, in the time of Abraham, the life of the church appeared, then, when it was hidden, the Jewish people came into existence with a life under the law, and after that a whole new nation appeared with its own laws. That is why the midwife says: "How did you break the barrier for yourself"? The law that came to power cut off the freedom of life. And the Scriptures usually call the law a barrier. Thus the Prophet David says: "Thou hast broken down her hedges, so that all who pass by the way cut her off" (Psalm 79:13). And Isaiah: "He enclosed it with a fence" (Isaiah 5:2). And Paul: "And he broke down the barrier that stood in the middle" (Ephesians 2:14).

4. Others say that the words, "How hast thou broken thy barrier"? spoken of a new people, because it abolished the law by its appearance. Do you see that it was not for a few and unimportant reasons that the evangelist mentioned the whole story of Judas? For the same reason Ruth and Rahab are mentioned, one of whom was a foreigner, and the other a harlot, i.e., to teach you that the Saviour came to destroy all our sins, came as a physician, and not as a judge. Just as they married harlots, so God combined with Himself an adulterous nature. The prophets of old applied this to the synagogue as well; but she turned out to be ungrateful to her husband. On the contrary, the Church, once freed from the vices of her fathers, remained in the arms of the Bridegroom. Look also at what in Ruth's adventures is similar to ours. She was a stranger and reduced to extreme poverty, and yet, when Boaz saw her, he did not despise her poverty, nor did he disdain her low birth. In the same way, Christ, Who took over the Church of a foreign tribe and was very impoverished, made it a partaker of great blessings. And just as she would never have entered into such a marriage if she had not left her father beforehand, and had not despised her home, clan, fatherland, and relatives, so the Church, when she left the manners of her fathers, then became pleasing to the Bridegroom. About this, the prophet, addressing the Church, says: "Forget your people and your father's house. And the King will desire your beauty" (Psalm 44:11,12). Thus did Ruth, and through this she became the mother of kings, as well as the Church, because David descended from her. Thus, the Evangelist compiled a genealogy and placed these women in it in order to shame the Jews with such examples and teach them not to be arrogant. Ruth was the ancestor of a great king, and David is not ashamed of it.

It is impossible, absolutely impossible, through the virtues or vices of one's ancestors, to be honest or dishonest, famous or unknown. On the contrary, I must say, though my words may seem strange, that he is more famous who, being not born of good parents, has become good. Therefore, let no one be proud of his ancestors; but, thinking about the first parents of the Lord, let him put aside all vanity, and boast of his merits, or rather not boast of them. From self-boasting, the Pharisee became worse than the publican. If you want to show a great virtue, do not be arrogant, and then you will show an even greater one; Do not think that having done something, you have already done everything.

The Lord knows your merits much better than you. If you give me a cup of cold water, He will not despise even that. If you give one ox, if only you sigh, He will accept everything with great favor, and remember, and determine great rewards for it. Why then do you consider your virtues, and constantly expose them to us? Or do you not know that if you praise yourself, you will no longer be praised by God? Likewise, if you humble yourself, will He praise you unceasingly before all? He does not want to diminish the reward for your labors. What do I say: reduce? He does and arranges everything to crown you even for small things, and seeks all kinds of pretexts to deliver you from hell.

5. That is why, even if you work only at the eleventh hour of the day, the Lord will give you a full reward. "Though there is nothing to save thee," He will say, "I do it for myself, that my name may not be defiled" (cf. "I will not do this for you, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake. It is not for your sake that I will do this, saith the Lord God, let it be known to you." 36:22,32). If you only sigh, if you only shed tears, He Himself will immediately use all this as an opportunity for your salvation. Therefore, let us not be arrogant, let us call ourselves useless, that we may be useful. If you call yourself worthy of praise, then you are useless, even if you are really worthy of praise; on the contrary, if you call yourself useless, you will become useful, even if you are unworthy of praise. That is why one should forget about one's good deeds.

This is utter madness, and the greatest damage to the one who collects. Forgetting one's good deeds is their safest storehouse. And as clothes and gold, if we lay them out in the market, attract many evildoers, and if we clean and hide them in the house, they are kept in perfect safety, so if we constantly keep our good deeds in mind, we provoke the Lord to anger, and arm the enemy, and stir him up to steal, and if no one knows them besides this, Those who need to know will be safe. Therefore, do not constantly boast of your good works, lest someone deprive you of them, lest the same thing happen to you as happened to the Pharisee, who wore them on his tongue, whence the devil stole them. Although he remembered them with thanksgiving, and lifted up everything to God, this did not save him either, because it is not proper for one who gives thanks to God to revile others, to show his superiority over the majority, and to exalt himself before sinners. If you thank God, then be content with that; do not speak about these things to people, and do not condemn your neighbor, for this is no longer a matter of gratitude. Do you want to know how to express gratitude? Listen to what the three youths say: "We have sinned, and have done iniquity" (Dan. 3:29); "For thou art righteous in all that thou hast done unto us" (v. 27), "and all that thou hast brought upon us... He did according to the true judgment" (v. 31). To confess one's sins means to thank God; Whoever confesses his sins shows that he is guilty of innumerable sins, and only has not received a worthy punishment. It is he who gives thanks to God the most. Therefore, let us beware of praising ourselves for what is good, because this makes us hateful both before people and vile before God. Therefore, the more good we do, the less we will talk about ourselves. Only in this way can we gain the greatest glory both with God and with people; or rather, God has not only glory, but also reward and great recompense. Therefore, do not demand a reward in order to receive a reward; confess that you are saved by grace, so that God Himself will acknowledge Himself as your debtor, not only for your good works, but also for your gratitude. When we do good, He owes us only for our deeds; and when we do not think at all that we have done any good deed, then He remains indebted to us for our disposition, and moreover more than for our deeds - so that our disposition is equal to the virtues themselves, and without it even the deeds themselves are not important. In the same way, we show favor to our servants, especially when they, serving us with diligence in everything, think that they have not yet done anything important for us.

Therefore, if you also wish that your good deeds should be great, then do not consider them great, and then they will be great. Thus the centurion said: "I am not worthy that Thou should come under my roof" (Matt. 8:8), and through this he became worthy, and deserved admiration more than all the Jews. So Paul also said: "He is not worthy to be called an Apostle" (1 Cor. 15:9), and through this he became the first of all. Thus John also said: "From Whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of the shoe" (Luke 3:16), and for this He was the friend of the Bridegroom, and the hand which He considered unworthy to touch the boots, Christ laid on His head. So Peter said: "Depart from me, Lord! for I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8), and for this he became the foundation of the Church. Truly, nothing is so pleasing to God as if someone considers himself among the greatest sinners. This is the beginning of all wisdom: the humble and contrite will never be vain, or angry, or envious of his neighbor, in a word, he will not nourish a single passion in himself. A broken hand, no matter how hard we try, cannot be lifted up; If we crush the soul in this way, then even if a thousand passions exalt it, it will not rise in the least. If he who weeps over the affairs of life banishes all mental illnesses; then he who mourns his sins much more will become wise. Who, you will say, can so crush his heart? Listen to David, who was especially famous for this, look at the contrition of his soul. When, having already accomplished many feats, he was in danger of losing his country, his home, and his very life, and in the very moment of misfortune he saw that a lowly and contemptible soldier was mocking his misfortune and revile him, not only did he himself not answer with curses, but he also rebuked the commander who wanted to kill him, saying: "Leave him," because the Lord commanded him (2 Samuel 16:11). And on another occasion, when the priests asked him for permission to carry a nod after him, he did not agree, but what did he say? "Bring back the ark of God to the city. If I find mercy in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and let me see him and his dwelling place. And if He says thus, "I have no favor with you," then here I am; let him do with me what pleases Him" (2 Samuel 15:25, 26) And what he did in relation to Saul, not once, not twice, but many times, what does he show the height of wisdom? Such behavior was above the Old Law, and approached the commandments of the Apostles. Therefore, he accepted everything from the Lord with love, not investigating what was happening to him, but trying only to always obey and follow the laws given by Him. And after accomplishing such great feats, seeing the kingdom belonging to him in the hands of a torturer, a parricide, a fratricide, an oppressor, a demon-possessed, he was not only not tempted by this, but said: "If it is so pleasing to God that I should be persecuted, wander and flee, and my enemy should be honored, then I accept it with love, and I thank him for the innumerable misfortunes." He did not act like many shameless and impudent people, who, not having accomplished even the slightest part of his feats, hardly see anyone in a prosperous state, and themselves, even in a small sorrow, destroy their souls with innumerable blasphemy. David was not like that, but he showed meekness in everything. For this reason God also said: "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart" (Psalm 88:21). Let us also try to have such a soul, and whatever happens to us, let us endure with meekness, and here, until we receive the kingdom, let us gather the fruits of humility. "Learn from me," says the Lord, "for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:29). Therefore, in order that we may enjoy peace both here and there, let us with all diligence implant in our souls the mother of all good things, that is, humility. With the help of this virtue, we will be able to cross the sea of real life without worry, and reach a quiet harbor, through the grace and love of humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

[1] In the Septuagint: "For your sake the barrier was broken"

БЕСЕДА 4

“Итак всех родов от Авраама до Давида четырнадцать родов; и от Давида до переселения в Вавилон четырнадцать родов; и от переселения в Вавилон до Христа четырнадцать родов”(Мф. 1:17).

1. Евангелист разделил все родословие на три части, желая тем показать, что иудеи с переменою правления не делались лучшими; но и во время аристократии, и при царях, и во время олигархии предавались тем же порокам: под управлением судей, священников и царей не оказали никакого успеха в добродетели. Но для чего же евангелист в средней части родословия опустил трех царей, а в последней, поместив двенадцать родов, сказал, что их четырнадцать? Первое предоставляю собственному вашему исследованию, не почитая нужным решать для вас все, чтобы вы не обленились; о втором же скажем. Мне кажется, что он причисляет к родам время пленения, и самого Иисуса Христа, всюду совокупляя Его с нами. И кстати упоминает о пленении, показывая, что иудеи и в плену не сделались благоразумнее, так что из всего была видна необходимость пришествия Христова. Но скажут: Почему Марк не делает того же, и не излагает родословия Иисусова, а говорит обо всем кратко? Думаю, что Матфей прежде других писал Евангелие, - почему и излагает с точностью родословие, и останавливается на важнейших обстоятельствах, а Марк писал после него, - почему наблюдал краткость как повествующий о том, что было уже пересказано, и сделалось известным. А почему Лука излагает также родословие, и притом еще полнее? Потому, что он, имея в виду Евангелие Матфея, хочет доставить нам больше сведений, чем Матфей. Притом каждый из них подражал учителю, - один Павлу, который разливается как река, а другой Петру, который любит краткость. А почему Матфей в начале Евангелия не сказал по примеру пророков: “Видение, которое я видел” (Иез.11:24), или: “И было ко мне слово Господне” (Иез.37:15, 38:1)? Потому, что писал к людям благомыслящим, и таким, которые были к нему весьма внимательны. И бывшие чудеса подтверждали им писанное, и читатели исполнены были веры. Во времена же пророков не было столько чудес, которые бы подтверждали их проповедь, напротив являлось множество лжепророков, которым охотнее внимал иудейский народ, - почему им и нужно было таким образом начинать свои пророчества. А если когда и бывали чудеса, то бывали для язычников, чтобы они в большем числе обращались к иудейству, и для явления силы Божией, когда враги, покорявшие себе иудеев, думали, что они победили их силою своих богов. Так случилось в Египте, откуда вышло за иудеями множество народа; таковы же после были в Вавилоне - чудо в пещи и сновидения. Впрочем, были чудеса и в пустыне, когда находились там иудеи одни, как было и у нас; и у нас явлено множество чудес, когда мы выходили из заблуждения. Но после, когда благочестие всюду насаждено, чудеса прекратились. Если же бывали чудеса у иудеев и после, то не в большом числе и изредка, как-то: когда остановилось солнце, и в другой раз, когда отступило назад. Опять и у нас можно видеть тоже: и в наше время с Иулианом, превзошедшим всех в нечестии, много совершилось чудесного. Когда иудеи предприняли восстановление иерусалимского храма, огонь вышел из-под основания и помешал работам; и когда Иулиан безумно посягнул поругаться над священными сосудами, хранитель сокровищ и дядя Иулианов, соименный ему, первый умер - изъеденный червями, а другой развалился пополам. И то было весьма важное чудо, что во время принесения там жертв иссякли источники, и что в царствование Иулианово города были постигнуты голодом.

2. Бог обыкновенно творит знамения, когда умножается зло. Когда видит, что Его рабы утеснены, а противники без меры упиваются мучительством над ними, тогда показывает собственное Свое владычество. Так поступил Он с иудеями в Персии. Итак, из сказанного видно, что евангелист не без причины и не случайно разделил предков Христовых на три части. Заметь же, кем начинает, и кем оканчивает. Начав с Авраама, ведет родословие до Давида; потом с Давида до переселения Вавилонского, а с последнего до самого Христа. Как в начале всего родословия обоих - Давида и Авраама - поставил рядом, так точно упомянул об обоих и в конце родословия, потому что, как я прежде сказал, им даны были обетования. Почему же, упомянув о переселении в Вавилон, не упомянул о переселении в Египет? Потому что египтян иудеи уже не боялись, а вавилонян еще трепетали, и потому что первое случилось давно, а последнее недавно; притом в Египет отведены были не за грехи, а в Вавилон за беззакония. Если же кто пожелает вникнуть в значение самих имен, то и здесь найдет много предметов для созерцания, много такого, что послужит к объяснению нового завета; таковы имена Авраама, Иакова, Соломона и Зоровавеля, так как имена эти даны им не без намерения. Но чтобы не наскучить вам продолжительностью, умолчим об этом и займемся необходимым. Итак, когда евангелист перечислил всех предков и окончил Иосифом, он не остановился на этом, но присовокупил: “Иосифа, мужа Марии”, показывая, что для Марии упоминал в родословии об Иосифе. Потом, чтобы ты, услышав о муже Марии, не подумал, что Иисус родился по общему закону природы, смотри, как он устраняет эту мысль дальнейшими словами. Ты слышал, говорит он, о муже, слышал о матери, слышал об имени, данном младенцу; теперь выслушай и то, как Он родился. “Рождество Иисуса Христа было так”. Скажи мне, о каком рождении говоришь ты? Ты уже сказал мне о предках. Хочу, говорит евангелист, сказать и об образе рождения. Видишь ли, как он возбудил внимание слушателя? Как бы намереваясь сказать нечто новое, обещает изъяснить образ рождения. И заметь, какой превосходный порядок в рассказе. Не вдруг стал говорить о рождении, но прежде напоминает нам, которым был Христос (в порядке родов) от Авраама, которым от Давида и от переселения в Вавилон; а этим побуждает слушателя тщательно исследовать время, желая показать, что Он есть тот самый Христос, Который предвозвещен пророками. В самом деле, когда исчислишь роды и по времени узнаешь, что Иисус есть точно Христос, тогда без затруднения поверишь и чуду, совершившемуся в рождении.

И если кому угодно те годы, которые ангел определил Даниилу числом седмиц, от построения города вычислить до рождения Иисусова, тот увидит, что время рождения Его согласно с предсказанием. Итак, скажи, как Иисус родился? “По обручении Матери Его Марии”. Не сказал: Деве, но просто: Матери, чтобы речь была понятнее. Но приведя сперва слушателя в ожидание услышать нечто обыкновенное, и удержав его в этом ожидании, вдруг изумляет присовокуплением необыкновенного, говоря: “Прежде нежели сочетались они, оказалось, что Она имеет во чреве от Духа Святаго". Не сказал: прежде, нежели приведена была в дом к жениху, она жила уже у него в доме, так как у древних было обыкновение держать обрученных по большей части в своем доме, чему и ныне еще можно видеть примеры. И зятья Лотовы жили в доме у Лота. И так и Мария жила в одном доме с Иосифом.