Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18 † Orthodox books

Publication by the successors of A.P. Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew

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Chapter 18

Dispute among the disciples about who is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven

1. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

(Mark 9:33, 34; Luke 9:46, 47). The parallel story of the weather forecasters (before Matt. 17:23; Mark 9:32; Luke 9:45) was interrupted by an insertion in Matt. 17:24-27 a story about the payment of taxes, which is not found in other evangelists. In the expression of the Russian translation “at that time” one should mean the correct Greek reading - εν εκείνη τη ώρα which, however, if translated literally, means “at that hour”. This reading is supported by some Greek codices and translations; but in some (by the way, Syrosinai, Kyur., Armenian) this word is replaced by ήμερα - day. The latter is considered a later amendment. 'Ωρα, however, cannot be taken here as an exact designation of time, as in Matthew in general. But that this expression was not used by the Evangelist solely to designate a connection is evident from the parallel passage of Mark indicated above, which says that the Savior, when he came to Capernaum and was in the house, Himself asked the disciples what they were discussing on the road. Thus, this last could actually happen “at that hour.” Judging by the fact that the disciples’ disputes over which of them was greater occurred more than once and each time caused the Savior to be denounced (see Matt. 20:20 et seq.; Mark 10:35 et seq.; Luke 22:24 et seq. seq.; John 13:5 et seq.), one must think that the idea of earthly advantages, in connection with the supposed earthly dominion of such a Person as the Savior, took root in the minds of the disciples, they cherished it, did not want to part with it, and under suitable circumstances they expressed it in the presence of the Savior Himself, without holding back and paying almost no attention to His reproofs. Perhaps this explains that the Savior revealed to his disciples the incorrectness of such opinions not only in words (as Luke 14:7-11), but sometimes with the help of strong, plastic images, which were to indelibly imprint the thought in the minds of the disciples and all people about the need in the Kingdom of Heaven not for domination, but for service and humility. The immediate reasons for the present dispute between the disciples about which of them is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven, however, are not clear enough and are quite difficult to determine. Paying attention to ώρα (hour), they thought that the reason for the question was the envy of Peter on the part of the other disciples due to the fact that Christ, preferably before others, commanded him to pay a wonderful tax both for Himself and for him. That all the disciples would occupy a high position in the kingdom that was being founded seemed certain to them. But which of them and will who be the most important, the greatest? They reasoned about it in a worldly sense: who will have the highest position under the Messiah in His Kingdom?

Here is an indirect, but very important confirmation of the fact that the apostles themselves recognized the Savior as the Messiah - the King, albeit in an earthly sense - otherwise the question they proposed would not have made sense.

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

(Mark 9:35, 36; Luke 9:47). Instruction and edification are given not only by word, but also by example. So - often in ordinary life; similar, highest and in the full sense classical (so to speak) methods of instruction and teaching were used by Christ. The present example, chosen by Him, is distinguished by extreme simplicity; but it implies a whole revolution in the thinking and views of that time, and points to it. The truth that is imprinted in the mind and heart by this example is distinguished by such depth that even today it is not fully understood by everyone.

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

(Mark 9:36; Luke 9:48). The coincidence here lies in the weather forecasters only in two words (Matthew: καί είπεν; Mark and Luke: είπεν αύτοΐγς). Mark and Luke skip further words of the Savior in Matthew. The words placed by Mark. 10:15 and completely similar to them Lk. 18:17, were said at a different time and for a different reason.

It is rightly noted that if in the previous sections of Matthew’s Gospel we were talking about the attitude of the people who gathered to Christ towards the Jewish people in general and towards public worship, then further instructions up to 20:28 concern the inner life of the society founded by Christ. In the words of Christ addressed to the disciples, it is obvious that they, as adults, are given instruction and moral teaching to leave their previous thoughts, dispositions and aspirations (στραφητε, some believe = μετανοητε = repent) and become like children. But what does it mean to be like children, to be like children? What should adults do if they want to become like children? The answer to these questions can be that the child’s character is quite well known and the thought expressed by Christ is quite understandable without further analysis.

Since the child was placed among the disciples and as an example to them due to their desire to solve the question of who is greater, then from general discussions about the child’s character and “an adult like children,” we can now move on to more specific definitions. Here we find one of the strongest and most convincing proofs of the idea that, according to the general New Testament view, the followers of Christ should, like children, avoid appropriating to themselves any external authority and any preference for themselves over their fellows. “To rise high means to fall proportionately low.” The idea of the New Testament is not to dominate people, but to serve them. It is not external power that should be characteristic of the followers of Christ, but moral power. The servants of Christ acquire power over people by becoming like children. This idea is purely Christian and is distinguished by its extreme moral beauty and attractiveness; it is generally explained in the Gospels by the self-devoted service of the Child of the Lord and, in particular, by several other examples in which the idea of Christian service is also expressed.

4. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven;

(Matt. 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14). One cannot think that the thoughts expressed in verses 3 and 4 are completely identical. Verse 3 sets out the general idea that the disciples should become like children, i.e. all the good qualities inherent in them. Verse 4 seems to be a conclusion from the previous one, as indicated by the particle ούν (and so), indicates a more partial trait of the child’s character, which really consists in humility. Literally, “and so whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

5. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me;

(Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48). This verse is explained in more detail in Luke; Matthew's most abbreviated speech. The connection of this verse with the previous one is difficult to explain. In our opinion, an explanation is possible only on the assumption that in the words of Christ “He accepts me” the thought is expressed as much about the King, i.e. Christ as much as about His Kingdom. With this interpretation, Art. 5 you can see the answer to the last part of the question set out in Art. 1. This question can be divided as follows: 1) who is greater; 2) who is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. The answer to the first part was given in the sense that whoever is greater must be the least of all, be like a child. The second part is that whoever wants to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven must accept Christ. Thus, the King and the Kingdom here seem to not only not be separated, but are identified, and at the same time, the closest idea of what the Heavenly Kingdom is is communicated. According to Matthew, this is the acceptance (into your soul and heart) of Christ; but according to Mark and Luke - and the Father who sent Him. So it is with John. “Whoever loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). The difference is that the weather forecasters, speaking about the same thing as John, express their thoughts in images - the Savior does not simply say: “receives Me,” but “whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me,” with other additions in Mark and Luke.

The idea expressed here is similar to Matt. 25:35, 36, 40, 42, 43, 45, where Christ identifies Himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison. Here He identifies Himself with children. Christ was humble, gentle, etc., like “this child” or “one of these children.” Whoever accepts a child, in his person accepts both Christ Himself and the Father who sent Him, and, therefore, becomes a participant in the Kingdom of Heaven. But what does it mean: “accepts”, or, better, “who would accept” (ός εάν δέξηται - for all three evangelists)? Why is it said not simply: “the child receives,” but “receives in My name?” What does this last expression mean, “to receive a child in the name of Christ?” Obviously, these questions can only be answered by establishing the exact meaning of the verb δέχομαι here, which, of course, means “I accept” and is usually translated in this sense (Vulgate - susceperit; German aufnimmt, etc.), but not always. In contrast to λαμβάνω, which has almost the same meaning, but without regard to the feelings with which something is taken or accepted, δέχομαι generally and for the most part means: I accept with affection, love, joy, friendly, and in this sense it is used like the classics , both in the Old and New Testaments (in the Bible never in a hostile sense). See for example LXX Proverbs. 1:3; 2:1; 4:10; 9:9; Jer. 5:3; 17:23 and many more. Friend.; In. 4:45; Gal. 4:14; Eph. 6:17; Col. 4:10; Heb. 11:31, etc. Thus, the meaning of Christ’s words is this: “whoever receives one such child with love receives Me.” And where Christ is accepted with love, His Kingdom is accepted there, and the person who accepted them is close to Christ, therefore, occupies the highest place in the kingdom, just as people close to some earthly king are the highest state dignitaries. But, obviously, a distinction is made here between a simple reception, even with love, and one that is done in the name of Christ (επί τω ονόματι μον). Accepting a child with love, treating him friendly, imitating him, appreciating his humility and modesty - this does not mean accepting Christ Himself with love; He is accepted only when the child is accepted in His name, i.e. when there is a certain relationship between the recipient and the received to His name, when the child is received in the Christian sense. This is the immediate, exact meaning of Christ’s words. Since the child was placed among the apostles as a living example of the idea that Jesus Christ wanted to imprint in the minds and hearts of His disciples, it is clear that by a child one can understand here also adults similar to children in character, in particular, the apostles themselves. This means that the Savior does not speak here exclusively about children or adults, but indifferently about both.

What conclusion can be drawn from all that has been said? Christ’s speech and its connection will be even more clear if we present everything in such a paraphrase. You ask who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. You can understand this if you look at this child placed here among you. You need to ask not about who is greater, but change your way of thinking (στραηητε) and become like this child. Does it ask anyone similar questions? No, it doesn't even think about them. And you must also, first of all, humble yourself like a child, and only on this condition will you achieve the primacy that you desire.

Achieving dominance and primacy in the worldly sense is not possible for everyone; and there is no need for this.

But it is possible for everyone to achieve such dominance and such primacy as are characteristic of this child; they are completely opposite to the worldly.

Trying to imitate children, you will look at them and accept them with love; and by accepting children with love, you will have the same close relationship with Me as you have with them, you will accept Me with love and, thus, you will become the highest, great citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom founded by Me.

Regarding the numeral εν, Bengel notes: frequens unius in hoc hapite mentio (the word “one” is often used in this chapter).

Hieromonk Roman. Do not tempt these little ones

A quick search through the lives of the saints of St. Demetrius of Rostov reveals:

https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/134 While this temple was being built, a certain man came to Saint Parthenius who had an unclean spirit in him; The demon had already possessed him for a long time, but he could not understand this. And so this demon-possessed man, approaching Saint Parthenius, began to greet him with affectionate words. The saint of Christ, noticing the presence of an unclean spirit in him, refrained from greeting. Then, disgraced in this man, the demon said to the saint: “I wanted to see you, that’s why I greeted you; Why didn’t you answer my greeting? - So you saw me, and so - what do you need? - Saint Parthenius answered him to this. “I saw and recognized you,” said the demon. “If you, having seen, really recognized me,” answered Saint Parthenius, “then you would come out of this God’s creation.” To this the demon said: “I pray you, do not drive me out of my home, in which I have lived for so long.” – How long have you been with this person? - asked the saint. “Since his childhood,” answered the demon, “and until now no one has noticed me, only you; and now, as I see, you are driving me out; but if so, then where will you tell me to go? “I will give you a place to settle,” answered Saint Parthenius. “I think that you will certainly command me to enter the swine herd,” said the demon. “No, I will show you the person in whom to dwell, just come out of this,” answered Saint Parthenius. - But do you really want to do this, or are you just saying so - tell me about it? – the demon asked Saint Parthenius. “I’m telling you the truth,” said the saint, “that I know a person in whom, if you want, you can dwell—just get out of this quickly.” After this, the demon, convinced by the words of the saint, began to ask him to show him such a person. Then Saint Parthenius, opening his mouth, said to the demon: “Here is this man: come in and dwell in me.” The devil, as if scorched by fire, cried out to this: “Woe is me!” if you, after such a long time, drive me out of a stranger, then what harm will you not do to me if I inhabit you? and how will I enter the house of God? Having said this, the demon disappeared into deserted and impassable places; That man, by the grace of God, became healthy and praised the Lord.

https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/141 Then the king ordered to bring a man who had been possessed by an evil spirit for a long time; For thirty-five years the devil tormented this man: wanting to destroy him, the spirit of malice either drove the unfortunate man through deserts and mountains, or plunged him into the wilds, swamps and clefts of the earth. When this man was brought close to the saint, then, smelling the fragrance from the saint, he immediately exclaimed: “I pray you, servant of God, do not torment me ahead of time! But command me with a word so that I come out, and if you want, I will tell you how I entered this man.” The saint agreed, and the devil said the following: “This man wanted to rob his neighbor, but he said to himself: if I do not kill his heir first, I will not be able to seize his wealth, and, having killed his neighbor, he already wanted to steal his inheritance; Seeing it in this state, I entered it, and now I have been living in it for thirty-five years.” Then Saint Charalampius said to the devil: “Get out of this man and do no more harm to him.” And immediately the devil left him, and the demoniac became healthy.

https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/229 “Not only am I not possessed by a demon,” answered the saint, “but, on the contrary, I myself own your father Satan and not only him alone, but all his servants and , by the grace of my Christ, I command all his army: all the underworld fears me and trembles, seeing on me the terrible and invincible sign of Jesus Christ and His grace abiding with me.

https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/100 Once to St. Lawrence, among many others, one man was brought from Kiev for healing, possessed by a demon so fierce and strong that the tree that could hardly ten people could carry him, he easily took one and threw it into the distance. The blessed recluse, desiring the glorification of his spiritual fatherland, the holy Pechersk Monastery, with grace, ordered that this man be taken there. Then the demoniac began to scream: “Who are you sending me to?” I don’t even dare to approach the cave, since many saints rest in it. In the monastery itself there are thirty holy monks of whom I am afraid, and with the others I am fighting. When the demoniac told this about the grace resting in the holy Pechersk Monastery, the blessed one again ordered that he be taken there by force in order to better verify everything he had said. Those leading the demoniac, knowing that he had never been to the Pechersk Monastery and did not know anyone there, asked him: “Who are these ascetics whom you are afraid of?” At this time, all the brothers in the Pechersk Monastery were one hundred and eighteen. The possessed man listed thirty of them by name and said: “All of them with one word can drive me out.” Then those leading him said to him again: “We want to imprison you in a cave.” He answered them: “What good is it for me to fight the dead?” for they have much greater boldness to pray to God for their monks and for everyone who comes to them. If you want to see my ability to fight, then take me to the monastery: besides the indicated thirty men, I can fight with everyone else. Then he began to show his abilities by making speeches in Hebrew, Roman, Greek, in short - in all languages \u200b\u200bwhich he had never heard. Those who accompanied him were afraid and greatly marveled at the change in his speech and his ability to speak different languages. After this, before they entered the monastery, the unclean spirit left the possessed man; the healed man began to reason meaningfully, and those who were with him began to rejoice. Then, all together, they entered the holy, miraculous Pechersk Church to give praise to God. Having learned about this, the abbot came with all the brethren to church. The healed man did not know either the abbot or any of the thirty men whose names he called during the demonic possession. Then they began to ask him: “Who healed you?” He, looking at the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, answered: “Thirty holy men met us with it, and I was healed.” At the same time, he remembered the names of all of them, but did not know a single one by sight. Then they all gave praise to God together. His Most Pure Mother and his saints. This is how the holy place of the Pechersk monastery became famous due to the improvement of God, announced by the blessed recluse Lavrenty, who, after some time, left the Pechersk monastery and was elevated to the Turov See

https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/111 In the year two hundred and thirty-eight, Emperor Gordian1091 ascended the Roman throne, who, although he was an idolater, did not persecute Christians. This king had an adult daughter named Gordiana, a maiden distinguished by her intelligence and beauty, so that many great and glorious princes wanted to take her as a wife for their sons. But this girl, and with her her entire family, suffered a great misfortune: by God’s permission, the devil entered into her and cruelly tormented her, throwing her into fire and water; The doctors, known for their wisdom, brought to the sick girl, could not help her. But the unclean spirit that dwelt in the girl himself, at the command of God, proclaimed: “No one can drive me out of here except the youth Tryphon.” The king immediately sent to look for Tryphon everywhere. Many people who bore the same name were brought to the king, but not one of them could cast out the demon from the king’s daughter. Finally, they brought the holy youth Tryphon to the king, who was found in Phrygia, in the village of Kampsade, where he was grazing geese by a lake; – the boy was then seventeen years old. When the saint was approaching Rome, the devil, learning about his arrival and beginning to torment the girl even more, shouted loudly: “I can’t live here anymore, because Tryphon is approaching, and on the third day he will come here, I can’t stand it anymore.” Having shouted like this, the unclean spirit left the girl. On the third day, Saint Tryphon came to the city and was immediately brought to the royal chambers, where he was very warmly received by the king, for the king recognized him as the Tryphon whom the devil had mentioned when leaving the maiden. But in order to be more convinced that it was Tryphon who healed his daughter, the king begged him to show the devil with his own eyes so that he could be seen with his bodily eyes. The saint agreed to the king’s request and remained in fasting and prayer for six days, and after that he received from above even greater and stronger power over unclean spirits. On the seventh day, at sunrise, the king came to the blessed one with his entire congregation, wanting to see the devil. Then Tryphon, filled with the Holy Spirit, and looking with spiritual eyes at the invisible spirit of malice, said to him: “I say to you, unclean spirit, in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, appear with your own eyes before those who are here, and show them your vile and shameless image, and reveal your weakness. And immediately the devil appeared before everyone in the form of a black dog, which had fiery eyes, and dragged its head along the ground. The saint turned to him with a question: “Who sent you, demon, here to enter into the maiden, and how did you dare to enter into one created in the image of God, being yourself so ugly and weak, and filled with every abomination?” The devil answered: “I was sent by my father, Satan, the chief of all evil, who is in hell, from whom I received the command to torment this young woman.” Then the saint asked him again: “Who gave you the power to encroach on God’s creation?” The demon, although against his will, but forced by the invisible power of God, had to tell the truth. “We have no power over those,” he said, “who know God and believe in His Only Begotten Son - Christ, for whom Peter and Paul died here - we run away from these people with fear, and only when it is allowed to us, We inflict easy temptations on them from outside. Those who do not believe in God and the Son of God and, being obedient to their own lusts, do works pleasing to us, over those we receive full power to torment them. The following things are pleasing to us: idolatry, blasphemy, adultery, sorcery, envy, murder, pride; By these and similar deeds, people, as if in nets, become entangled, alienated from God, Their Creator, and arbitrarily become our friends, and together with us they accept eternal torment. Hearing this, the king and those around him were struck with great fear and were horrified; and many, leaving wickedness, believed in Christ; and the believers received even greater confirmation in their faith and glorified God.

well, few people probably haven’t read this https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/759 While erecting churches, Elijah became famous for his pious life: he was very merciful to everyone, distinguished by extraordinary meekness and unfeigned love; he was like the sun in the Church of Christ, spreading light with his good deeds, driving away the darkness of crime and crushing the head of the prince of darkness - the devil, who always harbors enmity and is jealous of the salvation of people; Saint Elijah also had such power over unclean spirits that he could bind them with his word, as evidenced by the following wonderful story. One day the saint, as was his custom, stood in his cell at midnight in prayer. The demon, wanting to frighten the saint, entered the washstand that hung in his cell and, disturbing the water, began to make noise. The saint, realizing that this was the work of the devil, approached the vessel and made the sign of the cross over it, and so with his prohibition he bound the demon in the laver that he languished there for a long time, not being able to get out of there; Finally, no longer able to bear the torment, since the power of the sign of the cross scorched him, the demon began to scream in a human voice. - Oh woe is me! the power of the cross burns me, I can no longer endure such suffering, let me go quickly, holy saint of God. Elijah asked: “Who are you and how did you come here?” The devil answered: “I am a crafty demon and came to confuse you, for I thought that you, as a person, would be afraid and stop praying; but you have imprisoned me in this vessel, and now I am greatly tormented. Woe to me that I was deceived and entered here. Let me go, servant of God; From now on I will never come here. The demon screamed like that for a long time. Finally the saint said: “For your shameless insolence, I command you this night to take me to Jerusalem and place me at the temple where the Holy Sepulcher is located; from Jerusalem you must immediately bring me back here to my cell on the same night, and then I will let you go. The demon promised in every possible way to fulfill the will of the saint, if only the blessed one would release him from the vessel. The saint released him with the words: “Turn into a saddled horse and stand in front of my cell.” Like darkness, the demon came out of the vessel and turned, at the command of the saint, into a horse. Blessed Elijah, leaving his cell, sat on a demon, and that same night he found himself in the holy city of Jerusalem, near the Church of the Holy Resurrection, where the Holy Sepulcher was located. Here the saint of God forbade the demon to leave that place; and the demon stood as if chained, not having the strength to move, until Elijah worshiped the Holy Sepulcher and the honorable tree of the Holy Cross. Approaching the temple, the saint knelt before the doors and began to pray; suddenly the locked doors opened by themselves, and candles and lamps were lit at the Holy Sepulcher. The Archbishop, offering prayers of thanks to God and shedding tears, bowed to the Holy Sepulcher and reverently kissed it; He also bowed to the life-giving tree, all the holy icons and places. Having fulfilled his desire, he left the temple and again the church doors closed by themselves; the demon stood in the place where he was commanded, in the form of a saddled horse; Having sat down on it, John again that same night arrived in Great Novgorod and found himself in his cell. Leaving the saint, the demon begged him not to tell anyone how he served him, how he was bound by an oath, how he obeyed like a prisoner. “If you tell anyone,” added the unclean spirit, “how you rode me, then I will not stop plotting against you and will bring strong temptation upon you.” So the demon threatened, and the saint made the sign of the cross, and the demon immediately disappeared from him like smoke.

Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Grigorij_Djachenko/duhovnyj-mir-o-bytii-besplotnyh-sil/ Then the venerable one came from nowhere, and the devil began to scream and shout, but not as boldly as before; they began to be exhausted, and the verbs were dumb. The monk spoke to him: “Are you the only one who is unstudent, wretched one? I conjure you in the name of God, by my commands, where have you been in the past three days? and when I sprinkled sacred water, where were you hiding? The devil answered: “When you sprinkled water, I was sitting on a pole under my dress; and when he couldn’t sit there, he jumped onto the pole, and you forgot to sprinkle it there too, and you’ve been resting there for hours, sitting.” The monk again asked him: “Where do you get the white stone?” The devil answered: “I take it from the white city.” The monk again asked: “What is your name?” The devil said: “My name is Ignatius, of a princely family, but I am carnal; my mother sent me to the demon, and the demons took me.” The monk cursed him in the name of God, and you commanded him to go out from there. The devil said, “I can’t get out of here; because I was sent here, and did not come on my own.” Rev. verb: “I am the imam to say prayers to God; get out, damn you!" The devil does not speak as boldly as before, he is very dumb and bold, and has already begun to disappear. The monk fought with that devil for five weeks, diligently making his prayers to God, sprinkling holy water everywhere; That demon, little by little, disappeared from there, of course, and then again there, burning with God’s grace and the prayers of the Venerable Father Hilarion. And the monk lived in those almshouses for ten weeks, and so returned to his monastery in spiritual strength, like a brave warrior of the king and a strong victor in battle, but by no means overcome by the adversary, he appeared to be terrible with an unclean spirit, and to the whole world a clear and wondrous miracle worker.”

example of mentioning the words of unclean spirits in the lives of https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/1077 https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/362 https://azbyka.ru/otechnik /Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/553 https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/1070 https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/500 https://azbyka.ru/ otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/418 https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/1129 https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/943 https://azbyka.ru /otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/1129 https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/1081 https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Dmitrij_Rostovskij/zhitija-svjatykh/492

Gospel: https://azbyka.ru/biblia/?Mk.5:9&r https://azbyka.ru/biblia/?Mk.6:7&r https://azbyka.ru/biblia/?Mk.1&r https: //azbyka.ru/biblia/?Mk.5&r https://azbyka.ru/biblia/?Mt.8&r

Irina Medvedeva - “Who will seduce these little ones...”

1 …

Irina Medvedeva Tatyana Shishova

"Whoever causes these little ones to stumble..."

Media against children

Articles from different years

AN APPEAL THAN AN INTRODUCTION

Today the phrase “information war” has become familiar to us. Yes, we have no doubt that it exists, but it is still difficult to part with the associations tightly and tightly linked to the word “war”: shooting, tanks, bombs, explosions, soldiers killed on the battlefields...

This is probably why society does not provide adequate resistance in this information war. How can one actually resist? The enemy does not have a specific face, his weapons, instead of horror and anger, often evoke a desire to enjoy them again and again, battles are not limited to specific battlefields, but are diffuse - everywhere and at the same time nowhere. In short, we still do not know how, as the military puts it, “to give an adequate answer.” Therefore, the information war is now one-sided. We do not protect ourselves or our children, for whom information weapons pose the greatest danger. This means that we are not even talking about war, but about an information siege , information capture .

We decided to collect our articles from different years on this topic. You will see that those of them that were written in the early 90s, unfortunately, have not lost their relevance, and some are even more relevant now than then. Let us consider that this is our feasible contribution to the still meager arsenal of the liberation army, the army of resistance in the information war.

We hope that after reading this collection the reader will no longer feel so defenseless and will also make his contribution to the cause of the struggle for the souls and lives of children. We do not have the right to give the most defenseless, the most vulnerable to be devoured. And we won’t give it up!

NEW TIME - NEW SONGS

When “the process has begun,” and not only has begun, but has also expanded quite widely, it can be interesting to look back and remember its origins. How did it begin? What were the prototypes of the new reality? “Of all types of art, cinema is the most important for us,” - unlike many other Leninist phrases, the ideologists of the new life clearly did not forget this. Let's try to answer the question of which films of the perestroika era can be called establishing films. First of all, of course, “Repentance” by Tengiz Abuladze. The authorities made sure that the whole country watched this film. And the action was carried out competently, taking into account the laws of mass psychology: against the backdrop of incessant talk about the impending ban and even destruction of the film, mass screenings were organized everywhere - in enterprises and institutions. As a result, many people were given two attitudes. First: that only those streets that lead to the Temple are needed, that is, have the right to exist (in the interpretation of publicists and politicians, it was very soon replaced by a market - this is how capitalism was initially called in disguise). And the second - in fact, it seems to us, the main thing - is that the ashes are not a shrine at all. And the ashes are not abstract, but more than concrete - the ashes of one’s own grandfather. Much of what happened subsequently was subject to precisely these two attitudes.

Another equally instructive film was, perhaps, the film “Assa”. We will not discuss now whether this happened by chance or is it natural. The important thing is that after the condemnation of the old path of social development, a need arose to determine a new trajectory. And not only the trajectory, but also the most active social group, not constrained by prejudices and outdated moral standards, which will run “ahead of the locomotive.” Well, she was found quite quickly, and now the whole society is dealing with the consequences of what happened.

It would be very strange if at such a crucial moment as the transition to a different system, they forgot about children. And they really haven’t been forgotten. Out of the entire vast world of Disney animation, for the first mass showing on television (and the first impression, as we know, leaves a deep imprint in the memory), the young viewer was offered the series “DuckTales,” where literally everything is saturated with the smell of money. Not only the plot (or rather, many plots, and this is also important) revolves around enrichment, but the entire verbal-visual, figurative series is subordinated to the same theme. What is the end-to-end lyrical image of the first coin, a kind of talisman or even the guardian angel of the millionaire Scrooge! Or the dollar counter that turns on in the eyes of the same Uncle Scrooge in moments of inspiration. And the names of Goldie (Zolotze), Millionaire and, finally, Scrooge himself, what does Miser mean in translation? And the literalization of the metaphor “swimming in money”?! And when does this appear as the highest bliss? And statements like: “Money is the most important thing...”, “I like to swim in money, but most of all I like to count it. The more I count, the more I love...", "I recognize gold everywhere. This is my favorite color...", "With this pearl, I could feel what it's like to be richer when you're already rich."

Or take the scene when Scrooge proposes to his girlfriend Millionaire.

Scrooge: Let's think of an alliance, my dear bond.

Millionaire: What kind of alliance, my golden dollar?

Scrooge: About the union of our capitals, my dear piggy bank.

Specific humor, isn't it? I would like to say something about Scrooge separately, because in his person they first tried to impose a new positive hero on our children. A hero from a completely different ethical system, in no way connected with the Orthodox (and, as it seems to us, Muslim, too). Almost everything that is presented as positive in Uncle Scrooge is disgusting from the point of view of our culture. He is a stingy, calculating millionaire who has “one but fiery passion” - profit. He mercilessly exploits his workers, may well drive them out onto the street (and does), and spares an extra five dollars even for his duckling nephews. He is a terrible pedant, an individualist, an egoist. But in the cartoon, Uncle Scrooge is presented as a charming old man, a gentleman. Yes, with weaknesses (who doesn’t have them?), with funny habits that ducklings can even make fun of. But this is certainly an ideal. The modern Protestant ideal. (Precisely modern, because a century ago Uncle Scrooge would also have been devout.)

Of course, a new attitude is not formed with the help of one image, even one taken from a beloved and popular animated series. Therefore, at the same time (exactly in 1992), brochures in the form of comics with eloquent titles began to be published for children: “What is trade and the world market?”, “What is inflation?”, “What is money?”, “What are banks and savings banks?” ?”, “Why do we need shares?”, “Why do we need investment funds?” - the most necessary knowledge for children five to six years old! And here is the touching title - “Once upon a time there was money.” Choose what you like: academic or fairy tale.

For older children, they translated, among other similar ones, the book by the American Carl Hess “This is how the world works” (the circulation by modern standards is huge - 100,000 copies). Exactly peace, no more, no less! At first it seems funny that the structure of the world here refers to the economic principles of capitalism set out in popular form. (This is against the backdrop of our ongoing calls for de-ideologization of education!) But after reading the book to the end, you understand that it, albeit in a very primitive form, actually sets out a model of the world order. The model is different from ours in all respects. Let us not dwell for long on numerous statements like: “American culture is the most influential in the world”, “The American Declaration of Independence, not Marxist nonsense, is reread all over the world”, “While some Americans see nothing at home except darkness and decline, people in other parts of the world look to the United States as a beacon of freedom and progress." Although we will still say a few words.

Firstly, this is an example of vulgar propaganda. Secondly, lies are for completely illiterate people. Who “looks to the United States as a beacon of freedom and progress”? England? France? Germany? Or maybe Bosnian Serbs? Or Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Iraq? And “Marxist nonsense” still excites minds no less than the American Declaration of Independence. In Italy, for example, in Spain, in Latin American countries, etc.

And finally, the main question. Why do our children need all these maxims? To develop a sense of inferiority in them and set them up to emigrate from an early age? “More people would like to move to the United States than to any other country.” Let's say so. But why instill this in Russian teenagers?

OK. This is, one might say, “lyrics”. There are more important things here. Teenagers are taught that everything in the world can and should be considered from the point of view of economics, commodity value, profit, etc. Even oneself! “You are healthy because you eat well and exercise. This is an investment in your own body,” “Your life is your property,” “You are the owner of your life.” It is clear that God has no place in this system. Hence, if we talk not about the book, but about society, the struggle for permission to use marijuana (my health is my problem), and the abolition of the moral prohibition on suicide (while with people turning to religion in many families, children it is suggested that suicide is a sin, that a person is not free to dispose of his life). Hence the numerous discussions on the topics of euthanasia (voluntary death with the help of a doctor in the event of a fatal illness) or the prospects for improving the human race through genetic engineering. It is clear that all this begins with good intentions, and we will not talk now about where the road paved with them leads. Let us only repeat that in the Orthodox Church the view of life as human property is unconditionally condemned.

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