Chapter Twelve

And when thousands of people were gathered together, so that they pressed one another, he began to say first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing secret that will not be known. Therefore, what you have spoken in the darkness will be heard in the light; and what was spoken in the ear within the house will be proclaimed on the housetops. 

The Pharisees tried to catch the Lord at His word in order to turn the people away from Him, but it turned out to be the opposite. The people gathered even more: many thousands gathered, and each was so eager to draw near to Him that they pressed each other together. So the truth is strong, and the lie is powerless everywhere! Jesus, knowing the deceit of the Pharisees, seeing that they only pretended to be questioners, but in fact sought under Him, spoke to His disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, no doubt in order to rebuke them and reveal the hypocrisy of their hearts. The Lord calls hypocrisy "leaven" because it is astringent, full of ancient malice, and changes and corrupts the way of thinking of those people to whom it is infected. For nothing changes morals so much as hypocrisy. Therefore, the disciples of Christ must avoid hypocrisy. For Christ, being the Truth (John 14:6), is obviously the opposite of falsehood. And all hypocrisy, appearing to some in appearance and being in fact to others, is full of falsehood. Although the Pharisees, he says, think to hide behind hypocrisy, pretending good manners for themselves, nevertheless, there is nothing hidden that is not revealed. For all words, both words and thoughts, will be presented in all nakedness at the last judgment (1 Corinthians 4:5). And in real life a lot of secrets are usually revealed. Therefore, what you have spoken in the dark, and what you have spoken within the house and in secret, will be proclaimed in the light and from the housetops. - Apparently, He says this to His disciples, and yet He directs it against the Pharisees, alluding to their fetters, and although He apparently speaks to His disciples, He expresses it to the Pharisees as it were: Pharisees! What you have plotted in the darkness, in your dark hearts, desiring to entrap Me, will be heard and known in the light, for I am the light (John 8:12), and you cannot hide from Me, but in Me - the Light - everything that your darkness is up to is discerned. And what you have decided among yourselves in the ear has become known to Me as if it were proclaimed from the high housetops. "And you can understand this to mean that the light is the Gospel, and the high roofs are the lofty souls of the apostles." What the Pharisees had planned was later proclaimed and heard in the light of the Gospel, when the great Preacher, the Holy Spirit, stood upon the lofty souls of the apostles.

     But I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and then are able to do nothing more; But I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after being killed, is able to cast you into hell: yes, I say to you, fear him. Are not five little birds sold for two assarii? and not one of them is forgotten by God. And your hair on your head is all numbered. Therefore, do not be afraid: you are more precious than many small birds. 

After the Lord had denounced the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, turned His disciples away from it, and in the meantime again struck the Pharisees with the words: "What you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light," now He turns to His friends with a speech about something more perfect. Having already uprooted thorns, he sows good himself. "But I say unto you, my friends." What has been said before did not apply to them, but to the Pharisees. So I say to you, My friends. For this word does not go to everyone, but to those who have loved Him with all their souls, and are able to say, "Who shall separate us from the love of God?" (Romans 8:35). This conviction is appropriate for such people. "Do not be afraid," he says, "of those who kill the body and can do no more harm. For the harm from those who harm the body does not consist in much. The body will tolerate what is peculiar to it even if they do not harm. But one should be afraid of him who punishes not only the body, but also the soul, subjecting an immortal being to endless torments, and moreover in fire. In this way, Christ teaches His friends spiritual courage, makes them witnesses, and drives away human fear from them. Men, he says, extend their malice only to the perishable body, and the end of their snares against us is death of the flesh. But when God executes, then He does not stop at the flesh alone, but the unfortunate soul itself is tormented. Note from this that death leads sinners to execution: here too they are punished, being killed, and there they are cast into hell. - Analyzing this saying, you will understand something else. Behold, the Lord did not say: "Fear him who" after being killed "throws in" into hell, but: "Who is able" to cast in. For dying sinners are not necessarily cast into hell, but it is in God's power to forgive, for example, for the sake of those offerings and alms that come after the dead, and which are of no small benefit even to those who die in grave sins. Thus, God does not unconditionally cast into hell after being killed, but has the power to cast down. Let us also be unceasingly diligent in alms and prayers, and propitiate with them Him Who has the power to overthrow, but does not necessarily use this power, but can even forgive. "Many," they say, "think that those who die for the truth are forsaken by God; But don't think so. You will not die as if you were forsaken by Me. For if not one of the sparrows that are sold cheaply is forgotten with God, how much more should your death not be forgotten, My friends, as if I did not care for you. On the contrary, I have such concern for you that I know all your things to the subtlety; for example, your hair is numbered with me. Therefore, if I allow you to fall into temptation; then, without a doubt, I will also give strength to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). And often, when I see someone weak, I will not allow him to fall into temptation. For, being careful and knowing all things, and having the smallest things on my account, I will arrange for everyone what is decent and useful. If you observe, you will find that in the Scriptures everything that is male is counted, which has reached the measure of age and in general is worthy of divine reckoning (Isaiah 18:21; Num. 26). - By "head" should be understood the Christ-pleasing life of each of the believers, and by "hair" should be understood its most particular deeds, by which the body is mortified, which are counted and taken into consideration by God. For such your deeds are worthy of the sight of God. By "five" sparrows some mean the five senses, which, being redeemed by the two assarii, that is, at the price of the Old and New Testaments, are not forgotten by God. For whoever moderates his senses and subordinates them to reason, so that they are useful for spiritual nourishment, is not forgotten by God.

     But I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, the Son of Man shall also confess before the angels of God; but whoever rejects Me before men will be rejected before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man shall be forgiven; but whoever speaks blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. But when they bring you to the synagogues, to the principalities and authorities, do not be anxious how or what to answer, or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should say.

     Now offers a reward for confession of faith. Since He said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body," and added that your hair is numbered, lest anyone say, "Give me also some reward, for what will it matter to me that You have counted my hair?" - He says (to him): Do you desire a reward also? Listen. Whoever confesses (faith) in Me will be recognized by Me before God. He said: he confesses "in Me," that is, with My help and My power, and I confess him "in him," that is, with his assistance. For just as we first need God, since without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5), so God needs us. For if He does not find in us worthy works, He does not receive us; otherwise He would have been a respecter of persons. Thus we confess in "Him," that is, with His assistance, and He "in us," that is, with our assistance. For if we do not give Him a reason, He will not bear witness for us. And he who rejects is not rejected by the power of God, which is why He did not add, "By Me," but said, "Who rejects Me." - Since every saint abides in Christ, and Christ in him (John 15:5), then, perhaps, is it not for this reason that He said this: whoever confesses (Me) "in Me," that is, abiding in him, I also confess him, abiding in him. - "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man shall be forgiven." This means: whoever blasphemes against Me, who looks like a simple son of man, eating, drinking, dealing with publicans and harlots, he, whether he repents or does not repent of his blasphemy, will be forgiven. For to such a man his unbelief in sin is not imputed. For what did he see who was disposed to faith? On the contrary, why did he not see anything worthy of blasphemy? He saw a man dealing with harlots, and blasphemed against him, and therefore sin is not imputed to him. For naturally he could think, what kind of Son of God is he who deals with harlots? Therefore, he who does this, and yet pretends to be the Son of God, he can revile and call a deceiver. - "And whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." These words have such a meaning. Whoever, seeing the Divine signs and great and extraordinary works, does not believe and blasphemes the actions of the Holy Spirit, attributing to Beelzebub, spewing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and saying that these signs are done by the evil spirit, and not by God, if he does not repent, will not be forgiven and forgiven. He who blasphemes against the Son of Man is not imputed to sin, and therefore he is forgiven without repentance, but he who sees the works of the Spirit of God and blasphemes without repentance will not be forgiven, but will be counted as the greatest sin. - "When they bring you to the synagogues, to the principalities and powers," and so on. Our weakness is of two kinds: we flee from the confession of faith, either because of fear of punishment, or because of simplicity and inability to give an answer in our faith. The Lord healed the fear of punishment with the words: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body." Now He heals the fear that comes from simplicity. Since few of the wise according to the flesh (1 Corinthians 1:26) believed, and the majority of the simple, He says: "Do not be afraid, you who are uneducated and simple, and do not be anxious how or what to answer when questioned by a ruler, or what to say on any other occasion, for you will have a different way of speaking." "The Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you ought to speak." Therefore, what need is there to be care, if you are immediately taught by the Holy Spirit? Thus, on both sides, it strengthens us for the podvig of confession, healing the fear of both bodily infirmity and the fear of simplicity and ignorance.

     A certain one of the people said to Him, "Teacher! tell my brother to share the inheritance with me. And he said to that man; who has appointed me to judge or divide you? And he said to them, "Take heed, beware of covetousness, for a man's life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions."