Радио ВЕРА - Евангелие от Матфея, Глава 21, стихи 23-27. - текст песни, слова, перевод, видео

The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 21, verses 23-27.

23 And when he came to the temple and taught, the high priests and elders of the people began to begin to him and said: what kind of power do you do this? And who gave you such power?

24 Jesus told them in response: I will ask you about one thing; If you tell me about that, then I will tell you how power I do it;

25 The baptism of John where did it come from: from heaven, or from people? They reasoned among themselves: if we say: from heaven, he will tell us: why didn’t you believe him?

26 And if you say: from people, we are afraid of the people, for everyone reads John for the Prophet.

27 And they said in response to Jesus: we do not know. He also said to them: And I will not tell you how power I do it.

Commented by Archpriest Pavel Velikanov

The question that the high priests and elders of the Jewish people ask Jesus did not arise from scratch. Still: the decisiveness with which Jesus drives the merchants from the temple, his angry, accusatory words addressed to the spiritual elite of the people - all this could not but cause acute bewilderment: and by what right does he behave like that? Who gave him permission to behave like that?

The answer that the Savior gives the Jews is brilliant. He seems to be addressing their own question to themselves: and the baptism of John - where: from God - or from people? This question is not at all trying to rhetorically avoid a direct answer. He just pushes those who are not yet completely hopeless, to sincerity, to the desire to break out of the usual cliches and become face to face with the very truth. But, alas, it is already extremely difficult for “professional theologians”: they are so accustomed to bringing the irreducible concepts together that it is also impossible to honestly recognize one of the designated positions of the true one for them with all the consequences - but the compromise option is also impossible here! As a result, they are forced to say slyly: but we do not know - the most deliberately leaving the answer that exposes them. “And I will not tell you,” says the Savior. - I can’t say at all because, as you do not know, because I’m afraid of the truth - but because my hour has not yet arrived, you still have to complete the started - something that you can’t do if you hear that I am - that I am - that I am - The master and God of this temple - and my heavenly father - whom you call your God - gave me this power and this right! ”

The crafty desire of the Pharisees and the elders to hide behind the false ignorance - in order to force Christ to say about his divine -properness - it was shaved. It’s not long to remain Jesus at large-the hour is approaching when he will be devoted into their hands when they finally can pour all his anger on him. But for now, Christ talks further with the people, the most important thing: the secret evening, the establishment of the sacrament of the Divine Eucharist, a farewell conversation with his favorite students, the last walk along the oil grief - where his freedom will end and conclusion will begin.

Peering into the cunning answer of the Pharisees, you can see yourself in it. Does it not happen when its own benefit obscures the obvious truth from us? How often does it happen that instead of a bitter truth for us, we prefer “as if there is a birth”-because it is useless, but also not dangerous for an already familiar way of life. "No one denies God without obvious benefits for himself." I don’t remember who belong to these words - but they very accurately reflect the main reason for God's work: the deep unwillingness of exposure to truth. Today, atheism is completely unpopular-its consequences in the history of our country are painfully tragic-so they prefer “as if thinking” people to turn away from Christianity in favor of agnosticism, one or another form of crafty ignorance. But Christ again and again puts a man before a choice when the usual phrase “I don’t know” - no longer dissuade.

Learn us, Lord, to be able to stop in time when our dodgy mind throws us intricate arguments in favor of imaginary ignorance-and carefully peer, but is it not worth the truth before us face to face-for some reason we just do not want to notice it?