The fifth sermon

As an example of Stephen, who faced his enemies surrounding him, wanting to kill him and even being eager to devour his body and bones, Paul did not seek dangers, nor did he fall into cowardice or flee. His life was precious to him because of the good opportunities he was given, and at the same time it was cheap to him because of his longing for heaven and union with Christ there. As I have said about him and I still say, there is no one more contradictory in his tendencies than he. He is always ready to take the side that gives the most advantages, and there is no one who loved life here on earth as much as he did, and on the other hand, he did not think much about life here, even if you compare him to those who have given up this life.

He stripped himself of all human desires, nothing bound him on earth, his whole being was united with the will of God. Sometimes we see him thinking that life on earth and service were more necessary than being with Christ, and another time we find him groaning and asking for the moment when he would leave the body, his only wish was to be in what would bring him abundant profit with Christ even if the result was the opposite of what he had started.

He was a man of many aspects and many faces, and I do not mean that he was pretentious, God forbid. But he became everything to all people, and everything that the needs of the Gospel and the salvation of humanity require. Thus he became like his Master (the Lord Christ).

God himself appeared as a man when it was necessary, and in the Old Testament he appeared as fire when it was necessary. We see him in the garb of a ready warrior, or in the need of an old man, or in a breeze, or as a traveler as a real man and in this case he did not refuse death.

I find it necessary to repeat the phrase “when necessary” lest anyone should think that God was obliged to do this, but rather He did all these things out of His love for man. Sometimes He sat on a throne, sometimes on the cherubim, and God did this as the need arose at that time.

And Paul, when he imitated his Lord, we do not blame him, for we see him sometimes as a Jew and other times as a Gentile, sometimes defending the law and other times against it, sometimes clinging to the present life and other times belittling it. Sometimes he asks for help with his needs and other times he refuses the gifts.Sometimes he offers sacrifices and shaves his head, and other times he considers whoever does that anathema (i.e., excommunicated). Sometimes he allows circumcision, and other times he fights it and forbids it. What Paul did appears outwardly to be a kind of contradiction, but the purpose and wisdom behind what he did is very convincing as the situation requires.

His sole concern and interest was the salvation of those who heard and saw him, and therefore he sometimes praised the law and other times belittled its importance. There may have been some contradiction and complexity in his actions and words, but his mind and personality remained unchanged, so he maintained his personality and being, and even his words, in all situations. And for this reason he must be praised and glorified.

The doctor's treatment is different every time. He diagnoses and then prescribes a specific diet, if necessary, or orders some medications or prohibits certain foods and drinks. He leaves some wounds undressed while bandaging others. He prescribes some cold water for fever. The doctor is not held accountable for the same treatment methods or for the constant change of methods. Rather, we praise him for his skill when we find him prescribing the treatment with complete confidence and certainty and guaranteeing recovery. We consider such a man an expert and seasoned in his profession.

 If we praise a doctor who diversifies his treatment methods, we must praise the character of Paul the Apostle in his dealings with the sick, because the sick of the spirit need different treatment methods that are no less important than the sick of the body, because if they were treated in one programmed way, they would lose their salvation.

We are amazed at those who do this, because even the Almighty God uses many methods of healing, and does not rely on one direct path. He wants our well-being stemming from our free will, without any pressure or hatred. Therefore, He uses various methods to get away from us, not because of any deficiency in His power, but on the contrary, because of our weakness. A small gesture from Him or even just a movement of will is enough to achieve all His wills, but we Sometimes we do not surrender our lives in God's hands with all its details, but rather we prefer to be masters of ourselvesIf He forces us to do things against our will, it means that He will take from us what He gave us, which is free will, and in order to avoid doing that, He diversifies His methods and ways.

These observations of mine are not random, but they explain the difficulty of the wisdom of the Apostle Paul, and thus when you find him fleeing from dangers you will praise him to the same extent when he faces them, in the first he sees it as wisdom and in the second as courage. And in his use of speech with pride it carries the same meaning of humility, in the first he speaks with distinction and in the second with gentleness, praise him in all circumstances for his small and great works. Sometimes you find himself frank without hypocrisy and another time we find his spirit carrying all love and compassion, and the goal of all his works and inclinations is the salvation of the souls of the multitudes, and thus he says: For if we are mad, it is to God; or if we are wise,(2 Corinthians 5:13).

No other man has reason to boast and yet is so devoid of pride and exaltation. Consider his words: “Knowledge puffs up” (1 Cor. 8:1), words we should all possess. But he certainly had more knowledge than any other man, and this did not make him proud but humble: “For we know in part” (1 Cor. 13:9), and “Brethren, I do not think myself to have apprehended” (Philippians 3:13), “For if anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know anything as he ought to know” (1 Cor. 8:2).

Fasting may also inflate the soul with pride, as the Pharisee said: “I fast twice a week” (Luke 18:12). But we find the Apostle Paul calling himself not only during fasting but also while he was exhausted from hunger “as for one who was stillborn” (1 Corinthians 15:8).

Why do we talk about wisdom and fasting? Although he was closer to God through prayer than any of the prophets and messengers, he was more gentle and humble.

Do not tell me what he wrote in his letters, for what he kept inside him was more than what he revealed. He did not reveal everything that was inside him, lest he be accused of boasting. But he also did not remain silent about everything, for this would raise up the tongues of false prophets against him. He did nothing randomly, but everything was well planned and organized. All his works, in their various aspects, are distinguished by (universal) praise from everyone. Let me elaborate on that. It is a good thing not to boast about oneself, but Paul spoke so spontaneously that he was praised for his words more than if he had remained silent. For if he had remained silent, he would have deserved more criticism from those who praise themselves shamefully. If he had not sung about his works, everything would have been lost and his enemies would have grown stronger. He knew how to take advantage of every available opportunity, and in the appropriate way he knew what was wrong, and so he gained the glory of obeying the commandment.

Paul gained more glory by boasting than anyone else who hid his good works, because no one else hid his good works, and he obtained what Paul the Apostle obtained by word (boasting).

The amazing thing is not that he talked about himself, but that he talked just the right amount. He did not elaborate on the good situations so as not to fall into self-praise, but he knew when and where to stop. He did not do this to please himself, but he described himself as crazy to stop others from indulging in self-praise for the sake of praise, because he only did so in situations that required it.

Many who have looked at him have wanted to imitate him without thinking or discernment. This also happens in the field of doctors. We find that what a doctor carefully prescribes for one person is used carelessly by another, so that it loses its effect and effectiveness. To avoid further difficulty, notice how the Apostle Paul surrounded his practices and actions with great limits, postponing self-praise not once or twice, but many times, saying: “I wish you would bear with my foolishness a little” (2 Corinthians 11:1). And also: “What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this boldness of boasting” (2 Corinthians 11:17, 21). “In foolishness I also am bold in it.” He did not find this statement appropriate, but in his rejection of the tendency to boast, he conceals his personality, saying: “I know a man in Christ,” and also: “I boast of this, but of myself I boast only of my weaknesses,” and after all that he adds, saying: “I have become a fool in boasting. “You are my companions” (2 Corinthians 12:2, 5, 11).

When we see this holy man so reluctant and reluctant to boast of himself, even when it is necessary and obligatory for him to do so, and always bridling his speech, like a wild horse descending from the top of a mountain, using the fewest possible words, who can be so foolish and so presumptuous as to indulge in self-praise, instead of moderating this boasting when it is absolutely necessary, if necessary?

Shall I tell you about another quality of his? We admire not only the testimony of conscience but how he guided us in our conduct in all these circumstances. He apologizes for boasting about himself because necessity compelled him to do so, but he also takes the opportunity to teach us not to waste this situation if it happens and not to forcefully attract him to praise.

His remarks here are intended to show that it is a great evil to indulge in self-talk. Beloved, it is a sign of great folly to praise our works unnecessarily or without compelling reason. Such talk is not in keeping with the Lord God, but it is a true sign that we are stripped of all that we have acquired with toil and struggle. Such a warning is directed to all of us, especially when I am compelled to speak boastfully when the need arises.

The fact that is striking is that he did not speak frankly about everything when the situation required it, but he succeeded in concealing the greater part of his achievements. “For I come to visions and revelations of the Lord. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees or hears from me” (2 Corinthians 12:1, 6). These words are a lesson for us, teaching us not to reveal everything about ourselves even if we have to speak, but to speak only about what will benefit our listeners.

Samuel did the same, for nothing prevents praising that righteous man so that we may all benefit from him. He also boasted in some situations, and spoke of his good deeds, but in what way and manner? He spoke only to benefit his listeners, so he did not elaborate on gentleness, humility, and forgiving offenses. But what did he talk about? He spoke about what the king needed at that time, about justice and about keeping oneself from bribery.

David also boasted of himself only for the benefit of his hearers, not singling out any particular virtue, but merely killing a lion and a bear (1 Sam. 17:34). Talking without cause reveals ambition and pride (pride), but doing what the situation requires is like the work of a friend who always satisfies his friend’s needs.

This is what Paul the Apostle did. They accused him of not being an apostle and having supernatural power, so he adhered to the matter as evidence of the validity of his apostleship and to demonstrate his value. Notice how in his speech there was no arrogance, but rather to enlighten his listeners:

FirstlyHe explained that he acted as required.

secondlyHe called himself insane and used similar expressions a lot.

ThirdHe did not reveal everything, but kept the greater part and hid it.

FourthlyHe hid his identity, saying, “I know a person….”

FifthHe did not show all his virtues as evidence, but only what was required to be shown.

 He maintained this balance between his boasting to himself and not praising others, because rebuking and condemning others is something unacceptable, but Paul rebuked at certain times that were worthy of praise, so that they appeared as praise, for example, once or twice he called the Galatians fools (Galatians 3:1) and “the Cretans are liars, wild beasts, sluggish and lazy” (Titus 1:12), and he made this a text in his preaching.

As a model for us, he established the definition and law of dealing with those who are against God, otherwise we should be gentle with them, but we must choose words that hit the target. In fact, Paul set many rules for everything, all his words and actions are acceptable, whether they are praise or harsh rebuke or gentle in boasting about oneself or belittling it, in praise or blame, and why should we be surprised if rebuke is praiseworthy if it is against murder, betrayal and sin and we find it used in the Old and New Testaments? Let us consider all these matters carefully and accurately to praise Paul the Apostle and glorify God and follow his example so that we may obtain eternal blessings by the grace and goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power now and forever and ever. Amen.