Gospel readings for every day. Gospel of Matthew: with interpretations and commentaries

The gospel is the name given to the book of the New Testament. There are four gospels that are recognized as canonical: from Matthew, from Luke, from Mark and from John, as well as many apocrypha and other books that tell about the earthly life of Christ. On the one hand, the Bible begins with the Old Testament, on the other hand, we are people of the New Testament and should know the Gospel well, and not rely on apocryphal texts. It can be difficult for a person to understand and accommodate everything that is said in the Gospel, so the Church suggests turning to interpretations and explanations of the New Testament. Difficult passages in the Gospel are commented on by theologians who have dedicated their lives to the study of Holy Scripture.

In this article you will find the Gospel of Matthew with interpretations, explanations and comments difficult places from the theologian Andrei Desnitsky.

The details of the life of the holy Apostle Matthew have not come down to us. It is known (Luke 5:27-29) that he lived in Capernaum and was a tax collector, that is, he served the occupation regime of the Romans and profited from his compatriots. Hearing the preaching of Christ, he invited Him to come to his house. After meeting with Christ, Levi (the Hebrew name of Matthew) repented, distributed property and followed the Savior.

After Pentecost, Matthew preached for 8 years in Palestine. There he wrote down his gospel in Hebrew. The original text has not come down to us, but the Greek translation from it entered the canon of the New Testament as its first book - the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew's Holy Gospel

1 Genealogy of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham.

2 Abraham begat Isaac; Isaac begat Jacob; Jacob begat Judah and his brothers;

3 Judah begat Perez and Zerah by Tamar; Perez begat Esrom; Esrom begat Aram;

4 Aram begat Aminadab; Aminadab begat Nahshon; Nahshon begat Salmon;

5 Salmon begat Boaz by Rahava; Boaz begat Obed by Ruth; Obed begat Jesse;

6 Jesse begat David the king; David the king gave birth to Solomon from the former after Uriah;

7 Solomon begat Rehoboam; Rehoboam begat Abijah; Abijah begat Asa;

8 Asa begat Jehoshaphat; Jehoshaphat begat Jehoram; Jehoram begat Uzziah;

9 Uzziah begat Jotham; Jotham begat Ahaz; Ahaz begat Hezekiah;

10 Hezekiah begat Manasseh; Manasseh begat Amon; Amon begat Josiah;

11 Josiah begat Jehoiakim; Joachim begat Jeconiah and his brothers before moving to Babylon.

12 After they had migrated to Babylon, Jeconiah begat Salathiel; Salafiel begat Zerubbabel;

13 Zerubbabel begat Abihu; Abihu begat Eliakim; Eliakim begat Azor;

14 Azor begat Zadok; Zadok begat Achim; Achim begat Elihu;

15 Elihu begat Eleazar; Eleazar begat Matthan; Matthan begat Jacob;

16 Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations; and from David to the migration to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the migration to Babylon to Christ, fourteen generations.

18 The birth of Jesus Christ was like this: after the betrothal of His mother Mary to Joseph, before they were combined, it turned out that she was pregnant with the Holy Spirit.

19 But Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to publicize her, wanted to secretly let her go.

20 But when he thought this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David! do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit;

21 she will bear a Son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

22 And all these things happened, so that what was spoken of the Lord through the prophet might come true, who says:

23 Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means: God is with us.

24 Rising from his sleep, Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife,

25 and did not know her. [How] at last she gave birth to her firstborn son, and he called his name: Jesus.

1 And when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said:

2 Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.

3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And he gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and asked them, Where is the Christ to be born?

5 And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet:

6 And you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are nothing less than the governors of Judah, for out of you will come a Leader who will shepherd my people Israel.

7 Then Herod, secretly calling the magi, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star

8 And sending them to Bethlehem, he said, Go, search carefully for the Child, and when you find it, let me know so that I too can go and worship Him.

9 After hearing the king, they went. [And] behold, the star which they saw in the east went before them, *as* at last it came and stood over *the place* where the Child was.

10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy,

11 And when they entered the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him; and having opened their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed by another way into their own country.

13 And when they had departed, behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, and said, Get up, take the Child and His Mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod wants to seek the Child in order to destroy Him.

14 He got up and took the child and his mother by night and went to Egypt,

15 And there he was until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord through the prophet, who says, Out of Egypt I called my Son.

16 Then Herod, seeing himself ridiculed by the magi, became very angry, and sent to beat all the babies in Bethlehem and in all its borders, from two years old and below, according to the time that he found out from the magi.

17 Then came true what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, who says:

18 a voice is heard in Rama, weeping and sobbing and a great cry; Rachel weeps for her children and does not want to be comforted, for they are gone.

19 And after the death of Herod, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt

20 And he says, Get up, take the Child and His Mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the soul of the Child have died.

21 He got up and took the child and his mother and went into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there; but having received a revelation in a dream, he went to the borders of Galilee

23 And when he came, he dwelt in a city called Nazareth, so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

1 In those days John the Baptist comes and preaches in the wilderness of Judea

2 and says, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3 For he is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah said: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.

4 And John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around Jordan went out to him

6 And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 And when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! who inspired you to flee from future wrath?

8 Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance

9 And do not think to say within yourselves, (We have Abraham as a father), for I say to you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

10 Even the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is stronger than I; I am not worthy to bear His shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;

12 His shovel is in his hand, and he will clean his threshing floor and gather his wheat into a barn, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

13 Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.

14 But John held him back, and said, I need to be baptized by you, and are you coming to me?

15 But Jesus answered and said to him, Leave now, for in this way it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness. Then *John* admits Him.

16 And being baptized, Jesus immediately went up out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw *John* the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending upon him.

17 And lo, a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil,

2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he finally got hungry.

3 And the tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, say that these stones become bread.

4 And he answered and said to him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil takes him to the holy city and sets him up on the wing of the temple,

6 And he said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written: He will command his angels about you, and they will lift you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said to him, It is also written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again the devil takes him to a very high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,

9 And he says to him, All this I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.

10 Then Jesus said to him, Depart from Me, Satan, for it is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone.

11 Then the devil leaves him, and behold, the angels came and ministered to him.

12 And when Jesus heard that John had been handed over *under* *prisonment,* he withdrew into Galilee

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

14 May it be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who says:

15 The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, on the way by the seaside, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

16 The people that sat in darkness saw a great light, and to those that sat in the land and shadow of death a light shone forth.

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

18 And as he passed near the Sea of ​​Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, throwing their nets into the sea, for they were fishermen,

19 And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

20 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

22 And immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

24 And the news about him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all the weak, possessed by various diseases and seizures, and demon-possessed, and lunatics, and paralyzed, and He healed them.

25 And there followed him a multitude of people from Galilee, and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

1 When he saw the people, he went up the mountain; and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you and speak evil of every kind for me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: so they persecuted *and* the prophets who were before you.

13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its potency, how will you make it salty? She is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled by people.

14 You are the light of the world. A city on top of a mountain cannot hide.

15 And when they light a candle, they do not put it under a vessel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all in the house.

16 So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

17 Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law until all is fulfilled.

19 So whoever breaks one of these least commandments and teaches people so, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

21 You have heard what the ancients said: Thou shalt not kill, but whoever kills is subject to judgment.

22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother in vain is subject to judgment; whoever says to his brother: (cancer), is subject to the Sanhedrin; but whoever says: (foolish), is subject to hellfire.

23 So if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 Leave your gift there before the altar, and go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25 Make peace with your rival quickly, while you are still on the way with him, lest your rival hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to a servant and throw you into prison;

26 Truly I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid every last penny.

27 You have heard what the ancients said, Do not commit adultery.

28 But I tell you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 But if your right eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell.

30 And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell.

31 It is also said that if a man divorces his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce.

32 But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for the guilt of adultery, gives her an occasion to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 You also heard what was said of the ancients: Do not transgress your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord.

34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

35 nor the earth, for it is his footstool; nor Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King;

36 Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.

37 But let your word be, yes, yes; no no; and what is more than this is from the evil one.

38 You heard what was said: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

39 But I say to you, resist not evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;

40 And whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your coat as well.

41 And whoever forces you to go one race with him, go two runs with him.

42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43 You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you,

45 May you be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not the publicans do the same?

47 And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing do you do? Don't the pagans do the same?

48 Therefore be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.

1 Be careful not to do your charity in front of people so that they can see you: otherwise you will not be rewarded from your Father in heaven.

2 Therefore, when you do almsgiving, do not blow your trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that the people may glorify them. I tell you truly, they already receive their reward.

3 With you, when you do almsgiving, let left hand yours doesn't know what the right one is doing,

4 so that your charity may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.

5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites who love in synagogues and on street corners, stopping to pray so that they can appear before people. I tell you truly, they already receive their reward.

6 But when you pray, go into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.

7 But when you pray, do not talk too much like the Gentiles, for they think that in their verbosity they will be heard;

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 Pray thus: _ _ _ _ _ Our Father who art in heaven! hallowed be thy name;

10 Thy kingdom come; may Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;

11 Give us this day our daily bread;

12 And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors;

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,

15 But if you do not forgive people their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.

16 Also, when you fast, do not be despondent like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people who are fasting. I tell you truly, they already receive their reward.

17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18 to appear to those who fast, not before men, but before your Father who is in the secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal,

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 The lamp for the body is the eye. So if your eye is clear, then your whole body will be bright;

23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. So if the light that is in you is darkness, then what is the darkness?

24 No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say to you, worry not for your soul what you should eat or drink, nor for your body what you should wear. Is not the soul more than food, and the body more than clothes?

26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you much better than them?

27 And which of you, by taking care, can add one cubit to his stature?

28 And why are you concerned about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: neither toil nor spin;

29 but I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory did not dress like one of them;

30 But if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow will be thrown into the oven, God so clothes, how much more than you, you of little faith!

31 So worry not, and say, What shall we eat? or what to drink? Or what to wear?

32 because all these things are sought by the Gentiles, and because your Father in heaven knows that you have need of all this.

33 Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow *himself* will take care of his own: enough for *every* day of his care.

1 Judge not, lest you be judged,

2 For by what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you use, it will be measured to you again.

3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the beam in your eye?

4 Or how will you say to your brother: (Let me take the speck out of your eye), but behold, there is a log in your eye?

5 Hypocrite! first take the log out of your eye, and then you will see *how* to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

6 Do not give anything holy to dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample it under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.

7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you;

8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9 Is there a man among you who, when his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone?

10 And when he asks for a fish, would you give him a snake?

11 If then, being evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.

12 Therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets.

13 Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many go through it;

14 For narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

16 By their fruits you will know them. Do they gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20 Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.

21 Not everyone who says to me: (Lord! Lord, войдет в Царство Небесное, но исполняющий волю Отца Моего Небесного.!}

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord! God! Have we not prophesied in Your name? and did they not cast out demons in your name? and did not many miracles work in your name?

23 And then I will declare to them: I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity.

24 So whoever hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;

25 And the rain came down, and the rivers flooded, and the winds blew, and rushed against that house, and it did not fall, because it was founded on a stone.

26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand;

27 And it began to rain, and the rivers were flooded, and the winds blew, and struck against that house; and he fell, and his fall was great.

28 And when Jesus finished these words, the people marveled at his teaching,

29 for he taught them as one having authority, and not as scribes and Pharisees.

1 And when He came down from the mountain, many people followed Him.

2 And behold, a leper came near, and bowing to him, said: Lord! if you want, you can cleanse me.

3 Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said, I want you to be clean. And he was immediately cleansed of leprosy.

4 And Jesus said to him, Be careful not to tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them.

5 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came up to him and asked him:

6 Lord! my servant lies at home in relaxation and suffers severely.

7 Jesus says to him: I will come and heal him.

8 And the centurion answered and said, Lord! I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed;

9 For I am also a subject man, but having soldiers under me, I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another: come, and it comes; and to my servant: Do this, and he does.

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, even in Israel I did not find such faith.

11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;

12 And the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13 And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and, as you believed, be done to you. And his servant recovered in that hour.

14 When Jesus came to the house of Peter, he saw his mother-in-law lying with a fever,

15 and touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose and ministered to them.

16 And when evening came, many demoniacs were brought to him, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick,

17 May it be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who says: He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.

18 And when Jesus saw a multitude of people around Him, He bade [the disciples] sail away to the other side.

19 Then a certain scribe came up and said to him, Master! I will follow You wherever You go.

20 And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

22 But Jesus said to him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

24 And behold, there was a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves; and he slept.

25 Then his disciples came up to him and woke him up and said, Lord! save us, we are dying.

26 And he said to them: why are you *so* fearful, you of little faith? Then, rising, he forbade the winds and the sea, and there was a great silence.

27 And the people, wondering, said, Who is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

28 And when He arrived on the other side in the country of the Gergeses, He was met by two demoniacs who came out of the tombs, very fierce, so that no one dared to pass that way.

29 And behold, they cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? You came here before the time to torment us.

30 Far from them, a large herd of pigs pastured.

31 And the demons asked him: If you cast us out, then send us into the herd of pigs.

32 And He said to them, Go. And they went out and went into the herd of swine. And so, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the steep into the sea and perished in the water.

33 And the shepherds ran and, having come into the city, told about everything, and about what had happened to the demoniacs.

34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they asked Him to depart from their borders.

1 Then He entered the boat, crossed *back* and arrived in His city.

2 And behold, they brought unto him a paralytic, laid on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic: Be of good cheer, child! your sins are forgiven you.

3 And some of the scribes said to themselves, He blasphemes.

4 But Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?

5 For which is easier to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Arise and walk?

6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, then he says to the paralytic, Get up, take up your bed, and go to your house.

7 And he got up, *took* *the bed* *his* and went to his house.

8 When the people saw this, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

9 Passing from there, Jesus saw a man sitting at the toll booth named Matthew, and he said to him, Follow me. And he got up and followed Him.

10 And while Jesus was reclining in the house, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, Why does your teacher eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?

12 And when Jesus heard this, he said to them, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick,

13 Go and learn what it means: I want mercy, and not sacrifice? For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

14 Then the disciples of John come to him and say, Why do we and the Pharisees fast a lot, but your disciples do not fast?

15 And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridal chamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 And no one puts a patch of unbleached cloth on an old garment, for what is sewn on again will be torn off from the old, and the hole will be even worse.

17 Nor do they pour new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wineskins break, and the wine flows out, and the wineskins are lost, but young wine is poured into new wineskins, and both are saved.

18 As he was speaking to them, a certain leader came up to him, and bowing to him, said, “My daughter is now dying; but come, lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

19 And rising up, Jesus followed him, and his disciples.

20 And behold, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up behind and touched the hem of his garment,

21 for she said to herself, If only I touch his garment, I will be healed.

22 And Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, Be of good cheer, daughter! your faith has saved you. The woman has since become well.

23 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the pipers and the people in confusion,

24 He said to them, Get out, for the maiden is not dead, but is sleeping. And they laughed at him.

25 When the people had been sent out, he went in and took her by the hand, and the maiden got up.

26 And the rumor of this went out throughout all that land.

27 As Jesus was walking from there, two blind men followed him and cried out, Have mercy on us, Jesus, son of David!

28 And when he came into the house, the blind came to him. And Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I can do this? They say to Him: yes, Lord!

29 Then He touched their eyes and said, According to your faith be it to you.

30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus sternly said to them: See that no one finds out.

31 And they went out and spread the word about him throughout all that land.

32 And as they were going out, they brought to Him a mute demon-possessed man.

33 And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man began to speak. And the people, wondering, said: Never had such a thing happened in Israel.

34 But the Pharisees said: He casts out demons by the power of the prince of demons.

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

36 Seeing the crowds of people, He had pity on them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.

37 Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

38 Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

1 And calling his twelve disciples, he gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and heal every sickness and every disease.

2 And these are the names of the Twelve Apostles: the first is Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James Zebedee, and John his brother,

3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, Jacob Alpheus and Leoway, surnamed Thaddeus,

4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

5 Jesus sent these twelve, and commanded them, saying, Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into the city of the Samaritans;

6 but go especially to the lost sheep of the house of Israel;

7 As you go, preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand;

8 heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; Received as a gift, give as a gift.

9 Do not take with you gold or silver or copper in your belts,

10 Not a bag for the journey, not two robes, not shoes, not a staff, for the worker is worthy of his sustenance.

11 Whatever city or village you enter, see who is worthy in it, and stay there until you go out;

12 but when you enter a house, greet it, saying, Peace be to this house;

13 and if the house is worthy, then your peace will come upon it; but if it is not worthy, then your peace will return to you.

14 But if anyone does not receive you and does not listen to your words, then when you go out of that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet;

15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

16 Behold, I am sending you as sheep among wolves: therefore be wise as serpents, and simple as doves.

17 But beware of people, for they will hand you over to the courts and beat you in their synagogues,

18 And they will bring you before rulers and kings for me, to be a witness before them and the Gentiles.

19 When they betray you, do not worry about how or what to say; for in that hour you will be given something to say,

20 For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father will speak in you.

21 And brother shall betray brother to death, and father his son; and children will rise up against their parents and kill them;

22 and you will be hated by all because of my name; but he who endures to the end shall be saved.

23 When they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For truly I say to you, you will not have gone round the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 A student is not higher than a teacher, and a servant is not higher than his master:

25 It is sufficient for a student to be like his teacher, and for a servant to be like his master. If the owner of the house was called Beelzebub, how much more so of his household?

26 So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing hidden that would not be revealed, and secret that would not be known.

27 What I say to you in the dark, speak in the light; and whatever you hear in your ear, preach on the rooftops.

28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Aren't two sparrows sold for an assarium? And not one of them will fall to the ground without the *will* of your Father;

30 and the hairs of your head are all numbered;

31 Fear not: you are better than many small birds.

32 Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father in heaven;

33 but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven.

34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; not peace I came to bring, but a sword,

35 For I have come to divide a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law.

36 And the enemies of a man are his household.

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

38 And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 He who saves his life will lose it; but he who loses his life for my sake will save it.

40 Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me;

41 Whoever receives a prophet, in the name of a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever receives the righteous, in the name of the righteous, will receive the reward of the righteous.

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink, in the name of a disciple, I tell you truly, he will not lose his reward.

1 And when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went from there to teach and preach in their cities.

2 And when John heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples

3 to say to him, Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, Go, tell John what you hear and see:

5 The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor preach the gospel.

6 And blessed is he who is not offended by me.

7 And when they went, Jesus began to speak to the people about John: What did you go to see in the wilderness? a reed shaken by the wind?

8 What did you go to see? a man dressed in soft clothes? Those who wear soft clothes are in the palaces of the kings.

9 What did you go to see? a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

10 For he is the one of whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my angel before your face, who will prepare your way before you.

11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women, no greater than John the Baptist has arisen; but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than him.

12 But from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it by force,

13 for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14 And if you want to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.

15 Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!

16 But to whom shall I liken this generation? He is like children who sit in the street and, addressing their comrades,

17 they say, We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang sad songs to you, and you did not weep.

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say: there is a demon in him.

Sophia the Wisdom of God, fragment of an icon.

19 The Son of Man has come, eating and drinking; and they say: here is a man who loves to eat and drink wine, a friend to tax collectors and sinners.

20 Then He began to rebuke the cities, in which His might was most manifested, because they did not repent:

21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! for if in Tire and Sidon the powers manifested in you were manifested, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes,

22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tire and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

23 And thou, Capernaum, having ascended to heaven, thou shalt cast down to hell;

24 but I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.

25 At that time, continuing to speak, Jesus said: I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes;

26 to her, Father! for such was thy good pleasure.

27 All things are delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son but the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and to whom the Son wants to reveal.

28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest;

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls;

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

1 At that time Jesus was passing through the sown fields on the Sabbath; His disciples became hungry and began to pluck the ears and eat.

2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, Behold, your disciples are doing what ought not to be done on the Sabbath.

3 And he said to them, Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry?

4 How did he enter into the house of God and eat the showbread, which neither he nor those with him were to eat, but only the priests?

5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath, but are innocent?

6 But I tell you that here is He who is greater than the temple;

7 If you knew what it means: I want mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not condemn the innocent,

8 for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

9 And departing from there, He entered into their synagogue.

10 And behold, there was a man with a dry hand. And they asked Jesus to accuse Him: is it possible to heal on the Sabbath?

11 And he said to them, Who among you, having one sheep, if it falls into a ditch on the Sabbath, will not take it up and pull it out?

12 How much better man sheep! So you can do good on Saturdays.

13 Then he said to that man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out, and she became healthy, like another.

14 But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how to destroy him. But Jesus, having learned, departed from there.

15 And a multitude of people followed him, and he healed them all

17 May it be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who says:

18 Behold, my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, whom my soul delights in. I will put my spirit on him, and he will proclaim judgment to the nations;

19 he will not rebuke, he will not cry out, and no one will hear his voice in the streets;

20 He will not break a bruised reed, nor quench a smoking flax, until he has brought victory to judgment;

21 And in his name the nations will hope.

22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed, blind and dumb; and healed him, so that the blind and dumb man both spoke and saw.

23 And all the people marveled, and said, Is this not the Christ, the son of David?

24 And the Pharisees, having heard *this,* said: He does not cast out demons except by *power* of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

25 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.

26 And if Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided against himself: how can his kingdom stand?

27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by what power do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and plunder his things, unless he first binds the strong man? and then he will plunder his house.

30 He who is not with me is against me; and whoever does not gather with me, he squanders.

31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men;

32 if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, he will be forgiven; but if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, he will not be forgiven either in this age or in the future.

33 Or make the tree good and its fruit good; or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

34 offspring of vipers! how can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 A good man out of a good treasure brings forth good things, and evil person out of an evil treasure brings forth evil.

36 I tell you that for every idle word that people say, they will answer in the day of judgment:

37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said: Teacher! we would like to see a sign from you.

39 But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and no sign will be given to him except the sign of Jonah the prophet;

40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

41 The Ninevites will rise to judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented from the preaching of Jonah; and behold, there is more Jonah here.

42 The queen of the south will rise up for judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, here is more than Solomon.

43 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and does not find it;

44 Then he says, I will return to my house, whence I came out. And, having come, he finds *him* unoccupied, swept and cleaned;

45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits worse than himself, and having entered, dwell there; and for that person the last is worse than the first. So it will be with this evil race.

46 While He was still speaking to the people, His mother and brothers stood outside *the house* wanting to speak with Him.

47 And someone said to him, Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to speak with you.

48 And he answered the one who spoke, Who is my mother? and who are my brothers?

49 And pointing out his hand to his disciples, he said, Behold my mother and my brothers;

50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother.

1 And on that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the sea.

2 And a multitude of people gathered to him, so that he got into the boat and sat down; and all the people stood on the shore.

3 And he taught them many parables, saying, Behold, a sower has gone out to sow;

4 And while he was sowing, something fell by the way, and birds came and ate it;

5 Some fell on stony places, where there was little earth, and quickly rose up, because the earth was not deep.

6 And when the sun had risen, it withered, and, as it had no root, it dried up;

7 some fell into the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked him;

8 Some fell on the good ground and brought forth fruit: one a hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty.

9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

10 And the disciples drew near and said to him, Why do you speak to them in parables?

11 He answered and said to them, Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but it has not been given to them,

12 For whoever has, to him it will be given and it will increase, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him;

13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand;

14 And the prophecy of Isaiah comes true over them, which says: You will hear with your ears and you will not understand, and you will look with your eyes and you will not see,

15 For this people's heart is hardened, and they can hardly hear with their ears, and they close their eyes, so that they will not see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and will not understand with their hearts, and will not turn to me to heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears that hear,

17 For I tell you truly that many prophets and righteous people have desired to see what you see and did not see, and to hear what you hear and did not hear.

18 But listen to the *meaning* of the parable of the sower:

19 To everyone who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart - this is what is sown along the way.

20 And that which is sown on rocky places signifies the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

21 But it has no root in itself and is unstable: when tribulation or persecution comes for the sake of the word, it is immediately offended.

22 And that which is sown among thorns signifies the one who hears the word, but the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes fruitless.

23 And that which is sown on good ground signifies the one who hears the word and understands, and who also bears fruit, so that one bears fruit a hundredfold, another sixty, and another thirty.

25 While the people were asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away;

26 When the grass sprang up and the fruit appeared, then the tares also appeared.

27 When the servants of the householder came, they said to him, Sir! Have you not sown good seed in your field? where are the tares on it?

28 And he said to them, The enemy of man has done this. And the servants said to him: Do you want us to go and choose them?

29 But he said, No, lest when you pick up the tares you pull up the wheat with them,

30 let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares and bind them in sheaves to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

31 He set forth another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,

32 which, although smaller than all seeds, yet when it has grown, is larger than all herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and take shelter in its branches.

33 He spoke another parable to them: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and put into three measures of meal until it was all leavened.

34 All these things Jesus spoke to the people in parables, and without a parable he did not speak to them,

35 let it be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, who says, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter the secret from the foundation of the world.

36 Then Jesus dismissed the people and went into the house. And coming to Him, His disciples said: Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field.

37 And he answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man;

38 the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the evil one;

39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.

40 Therefore, as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age:

41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who do iniquity,

42 And cast them into the fiery furnace; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth;

43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which, having found, a man hid, and out of joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

45 Still the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls,

46 who, having found one pearl of great value, went and sold everything he had and bought it.

47 Still the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught every kind of fish,

48 which, when it was full, they dragged it ashore, and sat down, and gathered the good things into vessels, but threw the bad things out.

49 So it will be at the end of the age: angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous,

50 And they will cast them into the fiery furnace: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 And Jesus asked them, Have you understood all this? They say to Him: Yes, Lord!

52 He said to them, Therefore, every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a master who brings out of his treasury both new and old.

53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went from there.

54 And when he came into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, Where did he get such wisdom and power?

55 Is he not the carpenters' son? Is not His Mother called Mary, and His brothers James and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all among us? where did he get all this?

57 And they were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house.

58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the rumor about Jesus

2 And he said to his servants, This is John the Baptist; he rose from the dead, and therefore miracles are performed by him.

3 For Herod took John and bound him and put him in prison for Herodias his brother Philip's wife,

4 because John said to him, You must not have it.

5 And he wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the people, because he was considered a prophet.

6 And at the time of the *celebration* of the birthday of Herod, the daughter of Herodias danced in front of the assembly and pleased Herod,

7 Therefore he swore to her that he would give her whatever she asked.

8 And she, at the instigation of her mother, said, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.

9 And the king was sad, but for the sake of the oath and of those who sat with him, he commanded to give her,

10 And he sent to behead John in prison.

11 And they brought his head on a platter and gave it to the maiden, and she took it to her mother.

12 And his disciples came and took his body and buried it; and went and told Jesus.

13 And when Jesus heard, he departed from there in a boat into a desert place alone; And when the people heard of this, they followed Him out of the cities on foot.

14 And going out, Jesus saw a multitude of people, and had compassion on them, and healed their sick.

15 And when evening came, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the time is already late; send the people away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.

16 But Jesus said to them, They don't have to go; you give them something to eat.

17 And they say to him, We have here only five loaves and two fish.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

19 And he commanded the people to lie down on the grass, and taking five loaves of bread and two fishes, he looked up into heaven, blessed, and breaking it, gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the people.

20 And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up the remaining pieces twelve baskets full;

21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

22 And straightway Jesus compelled his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the people away.

23 And sending the people away, he went up the mountain to pray in private; and stayed there alone in the evening.

24 And the boat was already in the middle of the sea, and the waves were tossing it, because the wind was contrary.

25 In the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

26 And the disciples, seeing him walking on the sea, were troubled, and said, This is a ghost; and cried out in fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, Take heart; It's me, don't be afraid.

28 Peter answered and said to him, Lord! if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.

29 And he said, Go. And getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to come to Jesus,

30 But seeing a strong wind, he was frightened, and, beginning to drown, he cried out: Lord! save me.

31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, supported him, and said to him, You of little faith! why did you doubt?

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 And those who were in the boat approached, bowed down to Him, and said, Truly You are the Son of God.

34 And they crossed over and came to the land of Gennesaret.

35 And the inhabitants of that place, recognizing Him, sent to all that region, and brought to Him all the sick,

36 and besought Him, just to touch the hem of His garment; and those who touched were healed.

1 Then the scribes of Jerusalem and the Pharisees came to Jesus and said:

2 Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.

3 And he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

4 For God commanded: Honor your father and mother; and: whoever speaks evil of his father or mother, let him die by death.

5 But you say: if anyone says to a father or mother: A gift *to God* is what you would use from me,

6 he may not honor his father or his mother; thus you have made void the commandment of God by your tradition.

7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied well of you, saying:

8 These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 but in vain they worship me, teaching doctrines, the commandments of men.

10 And calling the people, he said to them, Listen and understand!

11 It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a person.

12 Then his disciples came and said to him, Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this word, they were offended?

13 And he answered and said, Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted;

14 Leave them: they are blind leaders of the blind; and if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit.

15 But Peter answered and said to him, Explain to us this parable.

16 Jesus said, Do you still not understand?

17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the belly and is cast out?

18 But what comes out of the mouth comes out of the heart - this defiles a person,

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemy—

20 it defiles a man; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.

21 And going out from there, Jesus withdrew into the countries of Tire and Sidon.

22 And behold, a Canaanite woman came out of that place, crying out to Him, Lord, have mercy on me, son of David, my daughter is violently mad.

23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples, approaching, asked Him: Let her go, because she is screaming after us.

24 And he answered and said, I have only been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 And she, coming up, bowed to Him, and said, Lord! help me.

26 And he answered and said, It is not good to take bread from the children and throw it to the dogs.

27 She said, Yes, Lord! but dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman! great is thy faith; let it be to you as you wish. And her daughter was healed in that hour.

29 Passing over from there, Jesus came to the Sea of ​​Galilee, and going up to the mountain, he sat down there.

30 And a multitude of people came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the dumb, the crippled, and many others, and cast them down at the feet of Jesus; and he healed them;

31 so that the people marveled, seeing the dumb speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and glorified the God of Israel.

32 And Jesus, calling his disciples, said to them, “I am sorry for the people, who have been with me for three days already, and have nothing to eat for them; I don’t want to let them go hungry, lest they weaken on the road.

33 And his disciples said to him, How can we get so many loaves of bread in the wilderness to feed so many people?

34 Jesus said to them, How many loaves do you have? They said: seven, and a few fish.

35 Then he commanded the people to lie down on the ground.

36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and broke them, and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples to the people.

37 And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up the pieces that were left, seven baskets full,

38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

39 And having dismissed the people, he entered the boat and came to the region of Magdala.

1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and tempting him, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

2 And he answered and said to them, In the evening you say, There will be a pail, because the sky is red;

3 and in the morning: today there is bad weather, because the sky is purple. Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of heaven, but you cannot tell the signs of the times.

4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. And leaving them, he departed.

5 Having crossed over to the other side, His disciples forgot to take the loaves.

6 Jesus said to them, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

7 But they thought within themselves and said: *this* *means* that we did not take the loaves.

8 Understanding this, Jesus said to them: What do you think in yourselves, you of little faith, that you have not taken any loaves?

9 Do you not yet understand and remember the five loaves of bread for five thousand people, and how many baskets you have taken?

10 nor about the seven loaves of four thousand, and how many baskets did you take?

11 How can you not understand that it was not about bread that I said to you, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

12 Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

13 And having come into the countries of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples: Whom do people say that I, the Son of Man, is?

14 They said, Some for John the Baptist, others for Elijah, and others for Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

15 He says to them, But who do you say that I am?

16 Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

17 Then Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonas, because it was not flesh and blood that revealed these things to you, but my Father who is in heaven;

18 And I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it;

19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

20 Then [Jesus] forbade his disciples that no one should be told that he is Jesus Christ.

21 From that time on, Jesus began to reveal to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer much at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and rise again on the third day.

22 And taking Him away, Peter began to rebuke Him: Be merciful to Yourself, Lord! may it not be with you!

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone wants to follow me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.

25 for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it;

26 What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay every man according to his deeds.

28 Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

1 At the end of six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain alone,

2 And he was transfigured before them: and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light.

3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him.

4 At this Peter said to Jesus, Lord! it's good for us to be here; if you wish, we will make three tabernacles here: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice from the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him.

6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

7 But Jesus, coming forward, touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus alone.

9 And as they were descending from the mountain, Jesus rebuked them, saying, Tell no one about this vision until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.

10 And his disciples asked him, How then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?

11 Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, Elijah must come first and arrange everything;

12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they pleased; so the Son of Man will suffer from them.

13 Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

14 When they came to the people, a man came up to him, and kneeling before him,

15 said: Lord! have mercy on my son; he * rages * on the new moon and suffers greatly, for he often throws himself into fire and often into water,

16 I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.

17 And Jesus answering said, O unfaithful and perverted generation! how long will I be with you? how long can I bear you? bring him here to Me.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private, and said, Why could we not cast him out?

20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief; For truly, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, (move from here to there), and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you;

21 This kind is driven out only by prayer and fasting.

22 While they were in Galilee, Jesus said to them, The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men,

23 And they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again. And they were very sad.

24 And when they came to Capernaum, the collectors of didrachmas came up to Peter and said, “Will your teacher give you didrachms?

25 He says yes. And when he entered the house, Jesus, warning him, said: What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect duties or taxes? from his own sons, or from strangers?

26 Peter says to him, From strangers. Jesus said to him: Therefore, the sons are free;

27 But lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast your hook, and take the first fish that comes along, and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater; take it and give it to them for me and for yourself.

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, Who is greater in the kingdom of heaven?

2 Jesus called a child and placed him in the midst of them

3 And he said, Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child, that one is greater in the kingdom of heaven;

5 and whoever receives one such child in my name receives me;

6 And whoever offends one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for him if they hung a millstone around his neck and drowned him in the depths of the sea.

7 Woe to the world because of temptations, for temptations must come; but woe to the man through whom the offense comes.

8 If your hand or your foot offends you, cut them off and throw them away from you: it is better for you to enter into life without an arm or without a leg, than with two arms and two legs to be thrown into eternal fire;

9 And if your eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it away from you: it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to be cast into hellfire with two eyes.

1 ° Look, do not despise any of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

11 For the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost.

12 What do you think? If a man had a hundred sheep and one of them went astray, would he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains and go looking for the lost one?

13 And if it happens to find her, then I tell you truly, he rejoices over her more than over ninety-nine who did not go astray.

14 Even so, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

15 If your brother sins against you, go and reprove him between you and him alone; if he listens to you, then you have gained your brother;

16 But if he does not listen, take one or two more with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses.

17 But if he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you, like a pagan and a publican.

18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

19 Truly I also say to you that if two of you agree on earth to ask for any matter, then whatever they ask, it will be done by my Father in heaven,

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

21 Then Peter came to him and said, Lord! how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? up to seven times?

22 Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to reckon with his servants;

25 And since he had nothing to pay, his master ordered that he be sold, and his wife, and children, and everything that he had, and pay;

26 Then the servant fell down, and, bowing to him, said: Sir! bear with me, and I will pay you everything.

27 The sovereign, having mercy on that servant, let him go and forgave him the debt.

28 And the servant went out and found one of his companions who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he strangled him, saying, Give me back what you owe.

29 Then his companion fell at his feet, begged him, and said, Be patient with me, and I will give you everything.

30 But he did not want to, but went and put him in prison until he repaid the debt.

31 His comrades, seeing what had happened, were very upset and, having come, told their sovereign everything that had happened.

32 Then his master calls him, and says: Wicked servant! all that debt I have forgiven you, because you begged me;

33 Was it not right for you also to have mercy on your companion, as I also had mercy on you?

34 And in anger, his sovereign handed him over to the tormentors until he paid him all the debt.

35 So also will My Heavenly Father deal with you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart for his sins.

1 When Jesus had finished these words, he went out of Galilee and came into the region of Judea, on the side of the Jordan.

2 Many people followed him, and he healed them there.

3 And the Pharisees came to him, and tempting him, they said to him, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?

4 He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made male and female in the first place created them?

5 And he said, Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh,

6 so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. So what God has joined together, let no man separate.

7 They say to him, How then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce and divorce her?

8 He says to them: Moses, because of your hardness of heart, allowed you to divorce your wives, but at first it was not so;

9 but I say to you, whoever divorces his wife not for adultery, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

10 His disciples say to him: If such is the duty of a man to his wife, then it is better not to marry.

11 And he said to them, Not everyone can receive this word, but to whom it has been given,

12 For there are eunuchs who were born like this from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who are castrated out of men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. Who can accommodate, let him accommodate.

13 Then children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; the disciples rebuked them.

14 But Jesus said, Let the children go, and do not hinder them from coming to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

15 And laying his hands on them, he went from there.

16 And behold, someone came up and said to him: Good teacher! What good can I do to have eternal life?

17 And he said to him, Why do you call me good? Nobody is good but God alone. If you want to enter into life *eternal*, keep the commandments.

18 He says to him, What kind? Jesus said: do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness;

19 honor your father and mother; and: love your neighbor as yourself.

20 The young man said to him, All this I have kept from my youth; what else am I missing?

21 Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.

22 Hearing this word, the young man departed with sorrow, because he had a large estate.

23 But Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven;

24 And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

25 When his disciples heard this, they were greatly amazed and said, Who then can be saved?

26 And Jesus looked up and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

27 Then Peter answered and said to him, Behold, we have left everything and followed you; what will happen to us?

28 But Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, you who have followed me, in everlasting life, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And whoever leaves houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for the sake of my name, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life.

30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard

2 And having agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard;

3 And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 And he said to them, Go you also into my vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. They went.

5 And going out again about the sixth and ninth hour, he did the same.

6 Finally, going out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing idle, and said to them, Why are you standing idle all day long?

7 They tell him: no one hired us. He says to them: Go, you also into my vineyard, and whatever follows, you will receive.

8 And when evening came, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.

9 And those who came about the eleventh hour received a denarius each.

10 And those who came first thought that they would receive more, but they also received a denarius each;

11 And when they received it, they began to grumble against the owner of the house

12 And they said: These last worked one hour, and you made them equal to us, who endured the burden of the day and the heat.

13 And he answered and said to one of them, Friend! I don't offend you; Was it not for a denarius that you agreed with me?

14 Take what is yours and go; I want to give this last one *the* *same* as to you;

15 Do I not have the power to do what I want? Or is your eye envious because I am kind?

16 Thus shall the last be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen.

17 And going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples alone on the way, and said to them:

18 behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death;

19 And they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and beaten and crucified; and rise on the third day.

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, bowing down and asking something of him.

21 He said to her, What do you want? She says to Him, Tell these two my sons to sit down with You, one by one. right side and the other on the left in your kingdom.

22 Jesus answered and said, You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They say to him: we can.

23 And he said to them: You will drink my cup, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized, but let me sit on my right hand and on my left - it does not *depend on me,* but to whom it is prepared by my Father.

24 Hearing *this,* *the other* ten *disciples* were angry with the two brothers.

25 And Jesus, calling them, said, You know that the princes of the nations rule over them, and the nobles rule over them;

26 but let it not be so among you: but whoever wants to be great among you, let him be your servant;

27 And whoever wants to be first among you, let him be your slave;

28 for the Son of Man came not *to* *to* be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a multitude of people followed Him.

30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, began to cry out: Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!

31 And the people made them keep silent; but they began to shout even louder: have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!

32 Jesus stopped and called them and said, What do you want from me?

33 They say to him: Lord! to open our eyes.

34 But Jesus, being merciful, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

1 And when they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 Saying to them, Go to the village which is right in front of you; and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a young donkey with her; untie, bring to Me;

3 And if anyone says anything to you, answer that the Lord needs them; and immediately send them.

4 But all this happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, who says:

5 Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, meek, sitting on a donkey and a colt, the son of a donkey.

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them:

7 They brought a donkey and a colt and put their clothes on them, and he sat on top of them.

8 And a multitude of people spread their clothes along the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them along the road;

9 And the people who preceded and accompanied them exclaimed: Hosanna to the Son of David! blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! hosanna in the highest!

10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, and said, Who is this?

11 And the people said: This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.

12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and drove out all those who sold and bought in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those who sold doves,

13 And he said to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that He had done, and the children crying out in the temple, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! - resented

16 And they said to him, Do you hear what they say? Jesus says to them: yes! Have you never read: Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have ordained praise?

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

18 In the morning, returning to the city, he was hungry;

19 And when he saw a fig tree on the way, he went up to her, and finding nothing on it but only leaves, he said to her, “Let there be no fruit from you forever.” And immediately the fig tree dried up.

20 When the disciples saw this, they were astonished and said, How did the fig tree wither immediately?

21 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done with the fig tree, but if you say to this mountain, Get up and throw yourself into the sea, it will happen;

22 And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

23 And when he came into the temple and taught, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him and said, By what authority do you do this? and who gave you such authority?

24 Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask you one thing; if you tell Me this, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

25 Where did the baptism of John come from: from heaven, or from men? And they reasoned among themselves: if we say: from heaven, then He will say to us: why did you not believe him?

26 but if we say: from men, we are afraid of the people, for all consider John a prophet.

27 And they answered Jesus, We do not know. He also said to them: Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

28 What do you think? One man had two sons; and he, going up to the first, said: Son! go and work today in my vineyard.

29 But he answered and said, I will not; and then, repentant, he went.

30 And coming to another, he said the same thing. This one said in response: I am going, sir, and did not go.

31 Which of the two did the will of the father? They say to Him: the first. Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God ahead of you,

32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the publicans and harlots believed him; but when you saw it, you did not repent afterwards to believe him.

33 Hear another parable: there was a certain owner of a house who planted a vineyard, surrounded it with a fence, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, and having given it to the vinedressers, went away.

34 And when the time of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers to take their fruit;

35 The husbandmen seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

36 Again he sent other servants, more than before; and they did the same.

37 Finally, he sent his son to them, saying, They will be ashamed of my son.

38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said to one another, This is the heir; let us go and kill him and take possession of his inheritance.

39 And they seized him and brought him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 So when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do with these tenants?

41 They say to him: He will put these evildoers to an evil death, and give the vineyard to other vinedressers, who will give him fruit in their seasons.

42 Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner? Is this from the Lord, and is it marvelous in our eyes?

43 Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will bear its fruits;

44 And whoever falls on this stone will be crushed, and whoever it falls on will be crushed.

45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they understood that he was talking about them,

46 And they tried to seize him, but they were afraid of the people, because they thought he was a prophet.

1 Jesus, continuing to speak to them in parables, said:

2 The kingdom of heaven is like a king who made a wedding feast for his son

3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast; and didn't want to come.

4 Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my calves and what is fattened, slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.

5 But they despised this and went, some to their field, and some to their trade;

6 And the rest, seizing his servants, insulted and killed *them.*

7 When the king heard of this, he became angry, and sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 Then he said to his servants: The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy;

9 Go therefore to the crossroads, and invite all whom you find to the marriage feast.

10 And those servants, going out into the roads, gathered together all whom they found, both the bad and the good; and the wedding feast was filled with those reclining.

11 When the king came in to see those reclining, he saw a man there who was not wearing a wedding garment,

12 and says to him, friend! how did you come in here not in wedding clothes? He was silent.

13 Then the king said to his servants, Bind his hands and feet, take him, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth;

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

15 Then the Pharisees went and conferred how they might entrap him in words.

16 And they send their disciples to him with the Herodians, saying: Teacher! we know that you are just, and you truly teach the way of God, and do not care about pleasing anyone, for you do not look at any person;

17 So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

18 But Jesus, seeing their craftiness, said, Why are you tempting me, you hypocrites?

19 show Me the coin that pays tribute. They brought Him a denarius.

20 And he said to them, Whose image and inscription is this?

21 They say unto him, Caesars. Then he said to them, Render therefore what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God.

22 When they heard this, they were astonished, and left him and went away.

23 On that day the Sadducees came to him, who say there is no resurrection, and asked him:

24 Teacher! Moses said: If a man dies without having children, let his brother take his wife for himself and restore seed to his brother;

25 We had seven brothers; the first, having married, died, and, having no children, left his wife to his brother;

26 likewise the second, and the third, even up to the seventh;

27 And after all the wife also died;

28 So, in the resurrection, which of the seven will she be the wife of? for all had it.

29 Jesus answered and said to them, You are erring, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God,

30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in heaven.

31 And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:

32 Am I the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

33 And when the people heard, they marveled at his teaching.

34 And the Pharisees, hearing that He had silenced the Sadducees, gathered together.

35 And one of them, a lawyer, tempted him, asked, saying:

36 Teacher! what is the greatest commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind:

38 this is the first and greatest commandment;

39 the second is like it: love thy neighbor as thyself;

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

41 When the Pharisees had assembled, Jesus asked them,

42 what do you think of Christ? whose son is he? They say to Him: Davidov.

43 He said to them, How can David, by inspiration, call him Lord when he says:

44 The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool?

45 So if David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?

46 And no one could answer him a word; and from that day on no one dared to question Him.

1 Then Jesus began to speak to the people and to his disciples

2 And he said, The scribes and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses;

3 so whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do; but do not do according to their deeds, for they say and do not:

4 They bind burdens that are heavy and unbearable, and lay them on the shoulders of men, but they themselves are not willing to move them with a finger.

5 Yet they do their works so that people can see them: they expand their storehouses and increase the resurrection of their garments;

6 They also love to sit before feasts and sit in synagogues.

7 and salutations in the assemblies of the people, and that the people should call them: teacher! teacher!

8 But do not call yourself teachers, for one is your teacher, Christ, yet you are brothers;

9 And call no one on earth your father, for one is your Father, who is in heaven;

10 And do not call yourself teachers, for you have one teacher, Christ.

11 The greatest among you shall be your servant:

12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

17 Mad and blind! Which is greater: gold, or a temple consecrating gold?

18 Also, if anyone swears by the altar, then nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on it, then he is guilty.

19 Crazy and blind! Which is greater: a gift, or an altar consecrating a gift?

20 So he who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is on it;

21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him that dwells in it;

22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who give tithes of mint, anise, and cumin, and have left the most important thing in the law: judgment, mercy, and faith; this was to be done, and that not to be abandoned.

24 Blind leaders, who strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel!

25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, while inside they are full of theft and unrighteousness.

26 Blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup and dish, so that their outside may also be clean.

27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like painted tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and all kinds of uncleanness;

28 So also you outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,

30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in *shedding* the blood of the prophets;

31 thus you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who slew the prophets;

32 Fill up the measure of your fathers.

A certain man was rich, dressed in purple and fine linen, and feasted splendidly every day.

There was also a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate in scabs and desired to feed on the crumbs falling from the rich man's table, and the dogs, coming, licked his scabs.

The beggar died and was carried by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died, and they buried him.

And in hell, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom, and crying out, said: Father Abraham! have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said: child! remember that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus - evil; now he is comforted here, while you suffer; and besides all this, a great chasm has been established between us and you, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can they pass from there to us.

Then he said: So I ask you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers; let him testify to them that they also do not come to this place of torment.

Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen.

He said: No, Father Abraham, but if anyone from the dead comes to them, they will repent.

Then Abraham said to him: if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then if someone were raised from the dead, they would not believe.

Luke 16:19-31

Interpretation of the Gospel of the Blessed
Theophylact of Bulgaria

Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria

Luke 16:19. A certain man was rich, dressed in purple and fine linen, and feasted splendidly every day.

This speech is related to the previous one. Since above the Lord taught to manage wealth well, He justly adds this parable, which, by the example of what happened to the rich man, points to the same thought. This speech is precisely a parable, and not a real event, as some thought without reason. For the time has not yet come either for the righteous to inherit good things, or for sinners - the contrary. And the Lord gave figurativeness to speech in order to enlighten the merciless about what lies ahead for them, and teach those who are suffering that they will be prosperous for what they endure here. The Lord took the rich man into a parable without a name, since he is not worthy to be named before God, as it was said through the Prophet: “I will not remember their names with my mouth” (Ps. 15:4).

Luke 16:20. There was also a certain beggar named Lazarus, who lay at his gate covered in scabs.

But he mentions the poor by name, for the names of the righteous are written in the book of life. They say, according to the tradition of the Jews, that at that time there was a certain Lazarus in Jerusalem, who was in extreme poverty and illness, and that the Lord mentioned him, taking him into a parable as obvious and known.

The rich man was in all respects prosperous. He dressed in purple and fine linen, and not only dressed, but also enjoyed every other pleasure. “He feasted brilliantly,” it is said, and not that today - yes, but tomorrow - no, but “every day”, and not that moderately, but “brilliantly”, that is, luxuriously and wastefully. But Lazarus was poor and sick, and, moreover, "in scabs," as it is said. For it is possible to be ill and, nevertheless, not to be wounded, and from these evil increases. And he was defeated at the rich man's gate.

Luke 16:21. and wished to feed on the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, and the dogs came and licked his scabs.

A new sorrow to see that others are enjoying in abundance, while he is starving. For he did not want to be satisfied with sumptuous foods, but with crumbs from them, such as were eaten by dogs. No one cared about the healing of Lazarus either: for the dogs licked his wounds, since no one drove them away.

Luke 16:22. The beggar died and was carried by the angels to the bosom of Abraham.
   
What? Lazarus, being in such a plight, blasphemed God, blasphemed the luxurious life of the rich man? Condemned inhumanity? Murmured against the Providence? No, he did not think of anything like that, but he endured everything with great wisdom. Where is this visible? From the fact that when he died, the angels received him. For if he had been a murmurer and a blasphemer, he would not have been honored with such an honor - being accompanied and carried by Angels.
The rich man also died, and they buried him.

Even during the life of the rich man, his soul was truly buried, she wore flesh like a coffin. Therefore, after his death, he is not raised up by angels, but is brought down to hell. For he who has never thought of anything high and heavenly is worthy of the lowest place. With the words “they buried him,” the Lord hinted that his soul had been taken to hell and a gloomy place.

Luke 16:23. And in hell, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom

Just as, having driven Adam out of paradise, the Lord settled in front of paradise (Genesis 3:24), so that the suffering, repeated at the constant sight of paradise, would give Adam a clearer sense of the deprivation of bliss, so he condemned this rich man before the face of Lazarus, so that, seeing the state in which Lazarus is now, the rich man felt what he had lost through inhumanity. Why did the rich man see Lazarus, not with another of the righteous, but in the bosom of Abraham? Since Abraham was hospitable, and the rich man had to be convicted of dislike for hospitality, therefore the rich man sees Lazarus with Abraham. This one even invited those passing by into his house, and he despised even the one lying inside the house.

Luke 16:24. and crying out, he said, Father Abraham! have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.

Why does the rich man turn his request not to Lazarus, but to Abraham? Maybe he was ashamed, or maybe he thought that Lazarus remembered his evil, and in his deeds he concluded about Lazarus. If I (he might think), enjoying such happiness, despised him, oppressed by such misfortune, and did not give him even crumbs, then all the more he, despised by me, will remember evil and will not agree to show me mercy. That is why he addresses Abraham with his words, probably thinking that the patriarch does not know how it was. What about Abraham?

Luke 16:25. But Abraham said: child!
   
He did not say to the rich man: inhuman and cruel, aren't you ashamed? now you remembered humanity. But how? "Child"! See a compassionate and holy soul. Some wise man says: do not revolt a humble soul. Therefore, Abraham also says: "child", letting him know through this that even now it is in his power to call him so mercifully, but nothing more, and that more than this he has no power to do anything for him. What I can, I will give to you, that is, the voice of compassion. But to go from here to there, it is not in our will, for everything is enclosed.
remember that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus - evil; now he is comforted here, while you suffer;

Why didn't Abraham say to the rich man: You accepted, but "received"? The word "get back" we usually use about those who get what they were due. What are we learning? Because although some have defiled themselves with evil deeds, although they have reached the extreme degree of malice, they have ever done one or two good deeds. Therefore, the rich man also had some good deeds, and since he received a reward in the prosperity of this life, it is said that he "received his good." "And Lazarus is evil." It may be that he also committed one or two evil deeds, and in the affliction that he endured here received a due recompense for them. Therefore, he is comforted, and you suffer.

Luke 16:26. and besides all this, a great chasm has been established between us and you, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can they pass from there to us.
   
"Gulf" signifies the distance and difference between the righteous and the sinners. For just as their intentions were different, so also their abodes have a great difference, when each receives a reward according to his will and life. Here, too, the objection against the Origenists should be taken into account. They say that the time will come when the torment will end and sinners will unite with the righteous and with God, and thus God will be all in all. But behold, we hear Abraham say that "those who want to pass from here to you ... or from there to us ... cannot" do this. Therefore, just as it is impossible for someone to pass from the lot of the righteous to the place of sinners, so it is impossible, Abraham teaches us, to pass from the place of torment to the place of the righteous. And Abraham is no doubt more worthy of faith than Origen.

What is "hell"? Some say that hell is an underground gloomy place, while others called hell the transition of the soul from the visible to the invisible and formless state. For as long as the soul is in the body, it is revealed by its own actions, and when it is separated from the body, it becomes invisible. This is what they call hell.

"Abraham's bosom" is called the totality of those blessings that are offered to the righteous upon their entry from the storm into the heavenly harbors; for even in the sea we usually call bays (bosom) places convenient for harboring and resting.

Pay attention also to the fact that on the day that offender will see in what glory the one offended by him will be, and this one in turn will see in what condemnation the offender will be, just as here the rich man saw Lazarus, and this one again the rich.

Luke 16:27. Then he said: So I beseech you, father, send him to my father's house,
Luke 16:28. for I have five brothers; let him testify to them that they also do not come to this place of torment.
   
The unfortunate rich man, having not received relief from his lot, encloses a request for others. See how, through punishment, he came to sympathize with others, and while before he despised Lazarus, who lies at his feet, now he cares for others who are not with him, and begs to send his father Lazarus from the dead to the house, not just someone from the dead, but Lazarus, so that those who formerly saw him sick and dishonored may now see him crowned with glory and healthy, and those who witnessed his squalor themselves become beholders of his glory. For it is obvious that he would have appeared to them in glory, if it were necessary for him to be a preacher worthy of probability. What did Abraham say?

Luke 16:29. Abraham told him; they have Moses and the prophets; let them listen.

You, - he says, - do not care about the brothers as much as God, their Creator. He assigned countless mentors to them.

Luke 16:30. He said: No, Father Abraham, but if anyone from the dead comes to them, they will repent.

And the rich man says: “No, father!” For just as he himself, when he heard the Scriptures, did not believe and considered their words to be fables, so he also assumed about his brothers and, judging by himself, says that they will not listen to the Scriptures, like he himself, but if someone rises from the dead, they will believe.

Luke 16:31. Then: Abraham said to him: If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then if someone rises from the dead, they will not believe.
   
There are people like that today who say: who has seen what is happening in hell? Who came from there and told us? Let them listen to Abraham, who says that if we do not listen to the Scriptures, then we will not believe those who would come to us from hell. This is evident from the example of the Jews. They, since they did not listen to the Scriptures, did not believe even when they saw the dead risen, they even thought of killing Lazarus (John 12:10). In the same way, after many of the dead were resurrected at the Crucifixion of the Lord (Matt. 27:52), the Jews breathed on the apostles even more murder. Moreover, if this resurrection of the dead were useful for our faith, the Lord would do it often. But nothing is so useful today as a careful study of the Scriptures (John 5:39). Even the devil would have illusoryly managed to raise the dead (although), and therefore he would have misled the unreasonable, planting among them the doctrine of hell, worthy of his malice. And with our sound study of the Scriptures, the devil cannot invent anything like that. For they (the Scriptures) are a lamp and a light (2 Pet. 1:19), by the radiance of which the thief is revealed and revealed. So, the Scriptures must be believed, and not demanded the resurrection of the dead.

This parable can also be understood in a figurative sense, for example, in such a way that the face of the rich man denotes the Jewish people. He was just rich before, enriched with all knowledge and wisdom, and the sayings of God, which are more honest than gold and precious stones (Prov. 3:14-15). He dressed in purple and linen, having a kingdom and a priesthood, and being himself a royal priesthood to God (Ex. 19:6). The porphyry alludes to the kingdom, and the linen to the priesthood. For the Levites used vestments of fine linen during their sacred rites. He rejoiced brilliantly for all days, for every day, morning and evening, he offered sacrifices that also bore the name of infinity, that is, continuity.

Lazarus was the pagans, a people poor in divine gifts and wisdom, and lying at the gate. For the Gentiles were not allowed to enter the house of God; their entry there was considered a defilement, as can be seen from the book of Acts. The Jews of Asia shouted indignantly at Paul that he had brought the Gentiles into the temple and defiled this holy place (Acts 21:27-28). The pagans were wounded by fetid sins and with their wounds they fed shameless dogs, demons; for our (spiritual) ulcers are a pleasure to them. The pagans desired to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; for they had no part in the bread that strengthens the heart (Ps. 103:15), and needed food of the finest, little and reasonable, just as a Canaanite woman, being a pagan, wants to be fed with crumbs (Matt. 15:22, 26-27) . What's next? The Jewish people died to God, and their bones became dead, because they did not make any movement towards good. And Lazarus, who is a pagan people, died to sin. The Jews, who died in their sins, are burned with the flame of envy, jealous, as the apostle says, that the Gentiles have been accepted into the faith (Rom. 11:11). And the pagans, formerly a poor and inglorious people, justly live in the bowels of Abraham, the father of the pagans. Abraham, being a pagan, believed in God and moved from serving idols to the knowledge of God. Therefore, those who became participants in his conversion and faith rightly rest in his depths, inheriting the same fate, abode and perception of blessings as he did. The Jewish people desire at least one drop of the former lawful sprinklings and cleansings, so that their tongue would cool down and be able to boldly say something against us in favor of the power of the Law, but they do not receive it. For the Law is only up to John (Matt. 11:13). “Sacrifices,” it is said, “and you did not want offerings” and further (Ps. 39: 7). And Daniel foretold: “the vision and the prophet were sealed, and the Holy of Holies was anointed” (Dan. 9:24), that is, they ceased and were concluded.

Can you morally understand this parable. Namely: being rich in evil, do not leave your mind to endure hunger, and when it was created to aspire to heaven, do not cast it down and do not force it to lie at the gate, but bring it inside, and do not stand outside, do not wander, do not lie down, but act. This will serve you as a beginning for rational activity, and not only carnal pleasure. And the other parts of the parable are conveniently understood in favor of morality.

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All texts for today are presented in accordance with the instructions of the Typicon. Special readings are indicated only for Great and Vigil holidays.

Reading order: Friday, January 31, 2020(January 18 O.S.)
33rd week after Pentecost
svtt. Afanasia (373)
and Cyril (444), archbishops of Alexandria
Prpp. Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria (c. 1337), parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh

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Gospel and Apostolic Readings

At the liturgy

Apostle

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, the chosen stranger of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
1 Peter 1:2 according to the insight of God the Father, in the sanctity of the Spirit, in obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace be multiplied.
1 Peter 1:10 the prophets sought and tested the same salvation, who prophesied about your grace,
1 Peter 1:11 testing, at what time or at what time the Spirit of Christ was manifested in them, first testifying of the passions of Christ, and of the glories even to these:
1 Peter 1:12 even though it was revealed to you, as if not by themselves, but this service to us, even now it is announced to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven that has preached to you, the Angels want to bow down.
1 Peter 2:6 For it is written in Scripture: behold, I believe in Zion the cornerstone, chosen, honored: and the believer will not be ashamed of the stench.
1 Peter 2:7 Honor to you believing, and to those who oppose the stone, its negligent builders, this was at the head of the corner, and the stumbling stone and the stone of temptation:
1 Peter 2:8 and those who oppose the word stumble over it, on the same and the position of the former.
1 Peter 2:9 You are the chosen race, the royal ordination, the language is holy, the people of renewal, as if virtues proclaim from the darkness you Who called you into His wonderful light:
1 Peter 2:10 sometimes not people, but now people of God: if you don’t have mercy, now have mercy quickly.

Gospel

Mark 12:1 And he began to say in parables: A man planted a grape, and fence it with a stronghold, and a winepress, and made a pillar, and betrayed him as a burden, and departed.
Mark 12:2 And sent to the bearer during the time of the slave, so that the bearer will receive from the fruit of the grape:
Mark 12:3 they ate his bisha and sent away the vain.
Mark 12:4 And again she sent another servant to them: and he beat him with a stone, pierced his head and sent dishonorably.
Mark 12:5 And packs of another ambassador: and that one killed: and many others, the ovs are smiting, the ovs are killing.
Mark 12:6 Also, he sent one son to the name of his beloved, and follow him to them, saying that my son will be put to shame.
Mark 12:7 They decide to themselves that this is the heir: come, let us kill him, and our inheritance will be.
Mark 12:8 And I ate him and killed him, and cast him out of the vine.
Mark 12:9 What will the Lord of the grapes do? He will come and destroy the heavyweights and give the grapes frost.
Mark 12:10 Do you read this Scripture: a stone, which the builders did not create in a row, this was at the head of the corner:
Mark 12:11 was this from the Lord, and is it marvelous in our eyes?
Mark 12:12 And the suit of His yat, and the people were afraid: it was reasonable, as if a parable was spoken to them: and they left Him gone.

In the hand of the Living Christ on almost all icons is a scroll of Scripture: the Lord, the Lord of history, the Lamb slain, crucified and resurrected - He is the only one Who can open all the seals, because He is in us and we are in Him. In the light of Paschal, our reading of life must be illuminated more and more by the reading of Scripture. The Lord wants to “open our minds to understanding” events, to give us the ability to see His living presence in our every death, because death is defeated by Him. “Fear not, I was dead, but behold, I am alive forever and ever” (Rev. 1:17-18).

The book of Nehemiah tells that after the return of the God-chosen people from the 70-year Babylonian captivity, the priest Ezra reads the Scripture, forgotten during the years of exile. And everyone from sunrise to noon listens to him with tears, in which the joy of gaining the Law of God is mixed with sorrow for their unfaithfulness, which caused this captivity after a long period of divisions, betrayals and useless compromises with ambitious paganism.

Oh, that today our people, after their no less long and no less terrible captivity, could return to hearing the word of life! However, everything is being done to deprive him of this opportunity not only physically, but most importantly - to make him incapable of perceiving the highest truth. And we, Christians, have been given, by the grace of God, to stand in churches and listen, as if for everyone, to the gospel of the Gospel. We listen to this word with humility and gratitude to the One who speaks personally to each of us. Truly, we must listen to the gospel as if the Lord Himself were present and spoke to us. Let no one say: Blessed are those who could see Him. Because many of those who saw Him participated in His crucifixion, and many of those who did not see Him believed in Him. The same words that came out of the mouth of the Lord are sealed in writing to be preserved for us.

Is it possible to love someone without knowing them? To devote every day, at least a little time, to reading the Gospel with prayer means to gradually begin to know and see Christ, just as the apostles saw Him. He Himself is in these words filled with wisdom, compassion for the misfortune of sinners, holy anger and firmness towards businessmen from religion, patient concern for disciples who often do not understand the meaning of His words. It is difficult to love the Lord, to truly know Him, without listening to the Word of God, without reading the Holy Gospel - at least for a few minutes every day.

Before starting to read the Gospel at the service, the priest or deacon says: “And that we may be vouchsafed to hear the Holy Gospel of the Lord God, we pray.” And what prayer does the priest pray before this: “Shine in our hearts, Lover of mankind, of Your God-reason incorruptible light.” And further: “Wisdom, forgive me. Let's hear the Holy Gospel. Peace to all ". And the reading ends, as it begins, with our answer: "Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee." How do we give glory and praise to the Lord? Words and deeds, our life? Or do we immediately forget about this word, making it fruitless? What exile from the presence of God will follow after this for us? - Hotter than Babylon. And in our Fatherland, we, all our people, may find ourselves in a worse captivity than Babylon. The great enemy of God in the world is ignorance of the most important thing; spiritual ignorance is the cause and root of all troubles and evils that poison nations and confuse human souls. Ignorance, exacerbated by the powerful organized influence of television and the media, supposedly objectively, without God, covering what is happening in life. How great a multitude of people who call themselves Orthodox Christians suffer spiritual defeat, becoming easy prey for the enemy, only because of the lack of a firm knowledge of their faith. Ignorance is followed by delusion, the void is filled with blackness. What can be sadder than when ignorance of the word of God makes the world incapable of accepting the salvation of Christ that is offered to it!

Gospel of the Holy Apostle Matthew, chapter 22, verses 35 - 46: 35 And one of them, a lawyer, tempting Him, asked, saying: 36 Teacher! what is the greatest commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: 38 this is the first and greatest commandment; 39 the second is like it: love thy neighbor as thyself; 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 41 When the Pharisees had assembled, Jesus asked them, 42 What do you think of Christ? whose son is he? They say to Him: Davidov. 43 He says to them, How then, by inspiration, does David call him Lord, when he says, 44 The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? 45 So if David calls him Lord, how can he be his son? 46 And no one could answer him a word; and from that day on no one dared to question Him. 2nd Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 4, verses 6 - 15: 6 because God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, illumined our hearts in order to enlighten us with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we carry this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the superabundant power may be attributed to God and not to us. 8 We are oppressed on every side, but we are not constrained; we are in desperate circumstances, but we do not despair; 9 we are persecuted, but not forsaken; overthrown, but we do not perish. 10 We always carry in our body the deadness of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who live are continually given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh, 12 so that death works in us, and life in you. 13 But having the same spirit of faith, as it is written: I believed, and therefore I spoke, and we believe, therefore we speak, 14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us through Jesus and set us before Himself with you. 15 For everything is for you, so that the abundance of grace the greater may produce thanksgiving in many to the glory of God. Theophylact of Bulgaria. Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

(Mt. 22:35-46) Mt. 22:35. And one of them, a lawyer, tempting Him, asked, saying: Mt. 22:36. Teacher! what is the greatest commandment in the law? Matthew 22:37. Jesus said to him: love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind: Mt.22:38. this is the first and greatest commandment; Matthew 22:39. the second is like it: love thy neighbor as thyself. Matthew 22:40. On these two commandments all the law and the prophets are established. The tempter approaches Christ out of excessive envy. When the Pharisees saw that the Sadducees were put to shame, and that the people were glorifying the Lord for wisdom, the Pharisees approached with the goal of tempting whether Christ would add something to the first commandment in the form of correcting the law in order to find a reason to accuse Him. The Lord, exposing the malice of the tempters, who came not out of a desire to learn, but out of enmity, envy and competition, shows that love is the supreme commandment. He instructs that one should not love God in part, but in such a way as to surrender oneself entirely to God. We distinguish three different aspects in the human soul: vegetative, animating and rational. First, man grows, feeds, and gives birth to those like himself: in this he is like plants; inasmuch as man is excited and has lusts, he has in common with animals; and because he thinks, he is called reasonable. And here it is precisely these three parts that should be noted: “Love the Lord your God with all your soul” - this is the vegetative side of a person, since plants are animated in their own way; “with all your heart” - here the animal side of a person is indicated; “and with all your mind” – here the rational part. So, God must be loved with all one's soul; this means: one must surrender to Him with all the sides and forces of the soul. This is the first great commandment, instructing us in godliness. The second, similar to it, prescribes justice to people, There are two ways to perdition: a bad teaching and a perverted life, In accordance with this, so that we do not deviate into impious teachings, we are commanded to love God, and in order not to fall into a corrupt life, we must love our neighbor . He who loves his neighbor fulfills all the commandments; but he who does the commandments loves God, so that these two commandments unite, support each other, and contain all the other commandments. Who, loving God and neighbor, will steal, remember evil, kill, commit adultery or fornication? This lawyer first came with the aim of tempting, and then, as a result of Christ’s answer, having come to his senses, he received Christ’s praise, as Saint Mark says: “Jesus, seeing that he answered reasonably, said to him: You are not far from the Kingdom of God” (Mk. 12:34). Matthew 22:41. When the Pharisees had gathered, Jesus asked them: Matt. 22:42. what do you think of Christ? whose son is he? They say to him: Davidov. Matthew 22:43. He says to them: How can David, by inspiration, call Him Lord, when he says: Mt. 22:44. The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? Matthew 22:45. So if David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son? Matthew 22:46. And no one could answer Him a word; and from that day on no one dared to question Him. Since the Messiah was considered common man The Lord refutes such an opinion. From the prophecy of David, He reveals the truth that He is the Lord: He reveals to them His Divinity. The Pharisees said that Christ would be the son of David, that is, a simple man. But the Lord objects: “how can David call Him Lord,” and not just call Him Lord, according to “inspiration,” that is, according to the grace-filled gift of the Spirit, having received a revelation about Him. With these words, the Lord does not deny that He is the Son of David, but reveals that He is not a simple man, descended from the seed of David. So the Lord asks so that the Pharisees either confess that they do not know, ask Him and recognize Him, or, having truly confessed, believe, or, finally, having not found an answer, they leave in shame and would no longer dare to ask Him. Saint Theophan the Recluse. Thoughts for every day of the year

The Lord offered the commandment about love for God and neighbor and immediately supplemented it with the teaching about His sonship to God and Divinity. What is it for? For the fact that true love for God and people is not possible otherwise than under the influence of faith in the Divinity of Christ the Savior, in the fact that He is the incarnate Son of God. Such faith arouses love for God, for how can we not love God who loved us so much, Who did not spare even His Only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us? It brings this love to the fullness of accomplishment or to what it seeks, and love seeks a living union. In order to achieve this union, one must overcome the feeling of God's truth, which punishes sin; without this it is terrible to approach God. This feeling is overcome by the conviction that the truth of God is satisfied by the death of the Son of God on the cross; such conviction comes from faith; therefore, faith opens the way to love God. This is the first. Secondly, faith in the Divinity of the Son of God, who was incarnated, suffered and buried for our sake, gives an example of love for our neighbors; for that is also love, when the lover lays down his life for those he loves. It also gives strength to the manifestation of such love. To have such love, one must become a new person, instead of an egoistic one, one must become selfless. Only in Christ does man become a new creature; in Christ there is one who, by faith and grace-filled rebirth, through the Holy Mysteries, received with faith, is united with Christ. Hence it follows that those who hope without faith to preserve in themselves at least the moral order expect this in vain. Together; man cannot be divided. All you have to do is satisfy him.

MODERN COMMENTS (Matt. 22:35-46) Priest Stefan Domuschi Today's reading begins with the fact that from a group of Pharisees a certain lawyer approached Jesus and asked Him about the greatest commandment. Seeing that after talking with Jesus about the resurrection of the dead, the Sadducees were confused, the Pharisees approached Jesus as a teacher. There were different schools among the Pharisees, whose representatives argued differently about the law... And therefore, there is nothing strange in the fact that one of them asked Christ about which commandment in the law is the greatest. Christ answered that the main commandment is the commandment to love God and neighbor. It is worth remembering that the lawyer asked precisely the commandments from the law of Moses, Christ quoted them. But what does the primacy of these commandments mean to us? We are so accustomed to them that we do not realize it. Once in a secular school in the lesson "Fundamentals Orthodox culture ” was asked what is most important for a Christian. There were quite a few children from believing families in the class. Schoolchildren argued that the main thing is to go to church every Sunday, or wear a cross, or read prayers. Surprisingly, it turned out that for the overwhelming majority, the main thing in Christianity was the manifestation of external piety. You might think that these are children and they talk like a child. But many priests know that adults very often call their main sins in confession a violation of external rules, a small number of prayers read, skipping services, and the like. They can say that there is nothing terrible in this, everyone perceives faith as he can. But the problem is not even so much that people start their Christian life with this, the dangerous thing is that, having settled on the external, they may not move on to the internal. Behind all this they may not see the living God and neighbor. Fasting, prayer, worship are given to us as a means to learn to love our neighbor, to learn to treat him sacrificially, to help him in need. Sometimes it seems that our life is divided into religious and ordinary. The latter is characteristic of all people and is no different from the life of non-Christians. But there is a religious life in which we differ from others: we go to church, read prayers, fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. But we must not forget that we must be distinguished by others: a peaceful spirit, good deeds, love for all people. Our difference from others should not lie in the fact that instead of resting on Sunday, we go to church, but in the fact that we do not return evil for evil, do not condemn others, and act with love. However, today's reading contains two stories. In the second, Christ asks the Pharisees: "How does David call the Messiah Lord when he is his son?" And the Pharisees find themselves in a dead end, they are silent and no longer approach Him, do not ask questions. One might think that Christ wanted to shame them ... but that is not the point at all. Christian morality, the very love for one's neighbor that He speaks of, is built not on friendship, not on blood relationship ... It is realizable only if the One Who calls for it - God in the flesh, is realizable only with His help. Having answered the lawyer's question, Christ seems to be saying to the Pharisees: "Better ask another question, who is the Messiah, and answer it." But they are ready to ask Christ only those questions, the answers to which are known. Indeed, it is convenient to ask questions to which you yourself know the answer, it is easy to ask about what leaves you in a little tension, but to imagine that the Messiah who is before you is God, and now your duty is to love not only blood relatives, but of all people in general, it is much more difficult. When we put questions before God, He answers us with the words of Scripture, the words of our neighbors. Sometimes God puts questions before us, and we need to find the strength in ourselves to answer them. The Pharisees could have told Christ that they did not know the answer, but they remained silent. We, too, often evade answers because we want to keep life simple and easy. However, this is not the path of true discipleship. This is the way not only of asking God, but also of being ready to answer His questions, which, in the end, help us become real Christians.

SERMON OF THE DAY On the Greatest Commandment (2 Corinthians 4:6–15; Matt. 22:35–46) Archpriest Vyacheslav Reznikov Once a lawyer asked Jesus, tempting Him: “What is the greatest commandment in the law”? And the Lord, by His answer, gave the key to every commandment of the law in general. He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is similar to it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” The task is not to fulfill this or that commandment, but to make love the core of every work. And the cases themselves can sometimes look very contradictory. It says: "Honor your father and mother." And the Monk Theodosius of the Caves went to the monastery in spite of the prohibition of his mother. It is said: "Whoever loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me." And John Chrysostom, at the request of his mother, hesitated to leave the world, and did so only after her death. The law commands a husband not to leave his wife, but the Monk Alexy god man immediately after the wedding, he secretly left both his young wife and his home in general. The bishop is ordered not to leave his flock, and St. Peacock of Nolansky for a long time abandoned the people entrusted to him by God and sold himself into slavery in order to free only one person. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Give no temptation to either the Jews or the Greeks, or the Church of God” (1 Cor. even expelled from the monastery. And how many examples do we know of how other ascetics, contrary to church law, ate meat in public in Lent in order to deprive themselves of human glory. One accepts death so as not to renounce Christ, and the other says: “I myself would like to be excommunicated from Christ for my brothers, my kindred according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3). Who can judge them all, except the Lord, Who alone sees their hearts, and Whom they have loved with all their soul and with all their mind? Always acting out of love, he walks through life as if on the edge of a sword: “We are oppressed from everywhere, but not constrained; we are in desperate circumstances, but we do not despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; overthrown, but we do not perish. We always carry in our bodies the deadness of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.” And why is love born in one, and not in the other? The apostle writes that among others “the god of this age,” that is, the devil, “blinded the minds, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ would not shine on them”; and to others, "God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, illumined ... hearts ... with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." But it is not necessary to ask God why He allowed some to be blinded, and commanded others to see; God says to everyone: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and also: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The Lord addresses everyone, because everyone is endowed with freedom, and with God's help everything is possible. And not for some reason, but only by his own free will, one allows himself to be blinded, while the other reaches for insight and light.