Almost a third of Matthew 14 is taken up by the stunning story of the end of John the Baptist's earthly life. When his disciples tell Jesus about this, he retreats into the desert, apparently to grieve and pray. But people from several cities immediately rushed after Him. And what? Did you get angry and drive away? - No, he took pity and healed the sick. This is how selfless the ministry of a perfect God and a perfect Man was every day.
And in the evening the Apostles saw that many people were in a deserted place without any means of food. A natural human concern is to invite them to leave, so as not to disappear, but to engage in self-supply. But this is not Divine concern. Christ says: “They don’t need to go, you give them something to eat.” Let us note: not “I will give,” but “you give.” So that we do not sit with folded hands, but dare in all the fullness of hope.
In any case, the disciples honestly laid out everything they had: five loaves and two fish. And Christ, while they were bringing this simple food to Him, already ordered the people to lie down, preparing for the meal. Taking the loaves and fishes, he looked up at the sky (he prayed to the Father) and blessed the food. And when He broke the bread and gave it to the Apostles, these few pieces never ran out, and when everyone was already full, there were enough pieces left for 12 rather large baskets. Meanwhile, among those gathered there were about five thousand only adult men, and there were also women and children.
Was the episode of multiplying the loaves a social service? - But I wasn’t; this was a clear explanation of the fact that those who thirst for spiritual bread will also receive bodily bread. If you think about it, feeding the hungry is not service at all, but an elementary movement of the soul. True, now respect for oneself and one’s precious efforts is so widespread that the words “hello” and “goodbye” will soon be considered as service, and if someone lets a woman pass at the door, then this is already a feat of selflessness.
And at the same time, in the miracle of the multiplication of loaves, there is a call to the Apostles - to act in the name of God, to act, and not to hope that He will do everything. This call will be reinforced in the next episode.
Reasonably assuming that the people, although now well-fed, would then demand more and more bread, Christ quickly (“immediately”) took the disciples into a boat and ordered them to cross to the other side, and Himself, having dismissed the people, went up the mountain for solitary prayer and stayed there until late. And on the lake (“sea”) there was wind, and the boat was hit by waves. It’s very late (“at the fourth watch,” and this is the time between four and six o’clock in the morning, the hardest for those who are awake; in modern life it is called “dog watch,” and most of all at this time there are suicides and deaths from heart disease) to Jesus came up in a boat on the water. The apostles did not experience joy, but only horror, deciding that they were seeing a ghost, and they screamed in fear. And Christ said to them: “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid.” And how many times did He call them to cheerfulness and courage!
And so Peter, this wonderful man, full of life and striving for the truth, answered: “Lord! If it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” There is so much content in these words! - here is faith, thirsting for strengthening, and the desire to test oneself and the degree of one’s dignity... The answer is laconic: “go.” Peter, in a fit of faith, love and hope, immediately jumped out of the boat... and walked, walked on the water! But the trouble is - I looked at the terrible waves, got scared, lost self-confidence and began to dive. But he did not completely lose faith and shouted: “Lord! save me". And the outstretched hand of Christ supported him. And the Lord said to him: “You of little faith! Why did you doubt?
The admissibility of doubt is constantly being debated, and there will always be two extreme poles: people who seriously consider doubt the only sign and content of independent thinking, and those who, with metal in their eyes and voices, claim that there can be no place for doubts - according to the well-known model “the doctor said , to the morgue, that means to the morgue.”
But you need to distinguish: either they are trying to sell you some kind of charlatan remedy for all diseases, including social ones (the most common in the latter case is: “Very simple. You need to destroy everyone who disagrees”), or the Lord Himself powerfully drew you into a miracle and a different life began. In the first case, the rejection of doubt leads to death, in the second - the admission of doubt. How to distinguish? – listen to the voice of God, there are no other recipes in this life.
And here’s what’s interesting: when Christ and Peter, supported by him, entered the boat, the wind died down. When the Savior, sending the Apostles to preach, said, “He who endures to the end will be saved,” He may have meant not only the persecution that was discussed there. but in general such an unpleasant property of the fallen world. because of which every misfortune seems completely unbearable just before it ends. No wonder they say that darkness thickens before dawn. Knowing this is not only useful, but also necessary in order to drive out despair with hope.
The boat moored to the shore; this was the land of Gennesaret. As usual, many sick people were brought to the Savior, whom He healed. But the scribes and Pharisees did not hesitate to make terrible accusations of violating the “tradition of the elders.” This is also typical for them: when it turns out that it is hardly possible to rely on the authority of Scripture, because it does not support them, we resort to the authority of the elders, and here any counterarguments should be silenced. In this case, the accusation boiled down to the fact that the disciples of Christ eat bread without first washing their hands. Christ’s answer was apt and striking: “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded: honor your father and mother; and: He who curses his father or mother shall die by death. And you say: if someone says to his father or mother: “Whatever you would use from me is a gift to God,” he may not honor his father or his mother; Thus you make void the commandment of God by your tradition. Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied well about you, saying: This people draws near to Me with their lips, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; but in vain they worship Me, teaching doctrines the commandments of men.”
And here we can only heed these words and accept them. Moreover, Christ addressed the people specially convened by him: “Hear and understand! It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a person.” Unfortunately, the Apostles, according to human understanding, regretted that the Pharisees were tempted by these words. In general, a truly verbal temptation arises when one is tempted to evil, but if someone is tempted by the words of truth, this is already alarming. It is not for nothing that the Lord said to this: “Every plant that My Heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted; leave them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind; and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
This is the reason for these words, which have since become widely known! And when the thorough Peter asked them to interpret, Jesus said: “Do you really not yet understand? You don't understand yet. that everything that enters the mouth passes into the belly and is cast out? and what comes from the mouth - comes from the heart - this defiles a person, for from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy - this defiles a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.” Almost two thousand years have passed since then, but has the talk about acceptable/unacceptable food subsided? about virtuous and non-virtuous ways of eating it? alas for us.
But here’s something else you need to pay attention to: Christ shows impatience to a certain extent: “Do you really not yet understand?” On other occasions, he also reproached his disciples for the fact that their hearts were still petrified... Do we imagine clearly enough? that willingness and determination are virtues? That the Virgin Mary, who received the Annunciation, showed readiness and determination? That faith reveals itself this way? “Here I am,” says Abraham, who heard the call of God, and this is where the history of human salvation begins: with a decisive step of a man filled with readiness.
And then a pagan Canaanite woman turned to Him, shouting that she was asking for mercy, that her daughter was cruelly raging. But Christ was silent. The students asked him to let her go, because she was screaming, which attracted completely unnecessary attention. The Lord said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Indeed, for the messianic ministry it was, as they say, necessary and sufficient to proclaim the Gospel to Israel. But the Canaanite woman only approached with bows - and kept asking for help, driven by her maternal grief. The denouement of this episode cannot leave anyone indifferent, because we cannot expect such words from Christ: “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” This is said extremely harshly, and in my opinion, it is not entirely appropriate to judge whether this was a deliberate test: the risk of arbitrary interpretations is too great. But this woman’s answer is captivating precisely because of her impulse, her determination to go to the end: “And the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” And the One who desires to save everyone and sees the hearts answered: “Great is your faith; let it be done to you as you wish.” The demoniac was immediately healed. And we can think again about how important the boldness of faith is.
And at the Lake of Galilee (sea) Christ healed many people. And the people glorified God. Here also the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves took place, preceded by the words of Christ: “I feel sorry for the people, because they have been with Me for three days now, and they have nothing to eat; I don’t want to let them go dumb, lest they become weak on the road.” Therefore, when it is stated that everything should be done as Christ taught, it would be useful to feed the people after the service, “so that they do not become weak on the road.” And there is no need to say that we will build temples in walking distance, and everything will be fine. Because if we assume that people should pray in the temple that is closest to them, then the Lavra would not be empty.
And the Apostles are again perplexed about where to get food from. And it is possible that they are right: there is a tangible difference between daring and getting used to a miracle. And between caring attitude to a miracle and disbelief in it, too, and this will be discussed in the next chapter.
Yes, the courage of faith and determination are very important things and should not be forgotten. But just as if they were mistaken for the flexing of muscles and pressure - such that it is useful to sadly think about: after all, there is no commandment about the bliss of those who will be the first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, at the same time pushing others away... Christian boldness is a completely special thing, it is not is associated with such currently welcomed qualities as ambition (once it was a reproach, now it is extolled), assertiveness, etc. One smart person noticed that the most ardent journalistic defenders of Orthodoxy are mainly those who themselves have nothing for Christian enlightenment doesn't. But upholding the truth of Christ, even with a quiet voice and weak strength, is boldness in the Lord. And if this truth is not obvious to many, who can even beat you, then this is loyalty to Christ.
Because the world works like this: sometimes quiet words reach millions and settle in their souls, while loud ones simply get stuck in their ears.
...In general, it is useful to remember the history of the apostolic preaching. This was the daring of the weak. They all died. And they won.
Priest Alexander Men
Walking on the waters (Gospel of Matthew 14. 23-33)
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
You and I all know that in our lives today and every day the Lord continues to be among us, to preach among us, to heal among us, to live in His Church. Therefore we say that the life of the Church of Christ is a continuation Gospel story, there is a continuation of God's visit to the world.
When you and I go to the Holy Chalice, the Last Supper takes place again. When we hear the Word of God, we again seem to find ourselves in those days when the Lord proclaimed his Good News. When we pray to Him, we again are like those same people, those blind, those lame, those thirsty for truth, those hungry for righteousness who came to Him. And together with the apostles we repeat: “Lord, to whom should we go, You have the words of eternal life.”
Today we heard the words of the Apostle Paul about how the Church is being built and created by all of us. We are like stones in this building, but the foundation of this building is the Lord Himself. And the apostle says that it is impossible to build on any other foundation. Neither on human hopes, nor on human earthly hopes. We build on a miracle, on the God-man. And there is no other power except the power of the incarnate Christ the Savior, who came to save each of us, to bring each of us to Himself, as a shepherd brings a lost sheep.
And now the evangelist again resurrects before us that night when the disciples were sailing on the lake, and the wind was contrary, and the Lord walked across the waters to meet them. They, seeing the figure of the Walking One in the darkness, screamed in horror. It was an amazing event, the disciples could not come to their senses until the very morning, but this miracle is happening for us both here and now.
Think: this is the boat that the Lord sent ahead of Himself, and He Himself went to the mountain to pray. It was as if he had abandoned them, as if he had left them alone to their fate. And the waves toss their boat, and they can drown, and the night is dark all around - darkness, water, death and the abyss. And they are afraid, they are abandoned. Isn’t it the same with you and me when we experience difficulties, trials, temptations? Sometimes it seems to us that God has abandoned us, that we are alone, that we have nothing to rely on, that life is like hopeless darkness and that there is no way out, that only failures await us all around, that in the end we will go to the bottom, and no salvation for us. But at that time the Lord stood high on the mountain and prayed... He prayed for peace. He ascended in spirit to His Heavenly Father and, of course, prayed for those below. He stood high, and they were down there, struggling with the waves.
So now, when things get difficult for us, we have a High Priest and One Intercessor standing over us. This is the Lord Jesus. We just need to remember, the apostles forgot about this. Therefore, they were afraid of the wind and waves. And He not only prayed up there, but came down and went to them. He did not have a boat, so He stepped onto the water and went to meet the lost. In the same way, the Lord comes to us in difficult moments of our lives. He is coming, but we don’t know it yet, He is approaching, but our heart is still full of fear.
Imagine how they saw Him in the dark: there was a raging sea all around, the light of the moon was barely peeking through (it was spring) and suddenly someone appeared walking on the water as if on dry land. They screamed, thinking that their end had come, thinking that this was already a dying ghost that threatened them with death. They shouted, and then, amid the noise of the sea, they heard His words: “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid.” They were amazed and threw down their oars and stopped in the middle of the sea, rocked by the waves, and He walked towards them in the darkness, and then they perked up, and Peter shouted: “Lord, if it is You, let me go to meet You.”
This happens in our lives too. When it becomes completely unbearable, the voice of the Savior Christ tells us: “It is I here, do not be afraid, do not be horrified, because this sea obeys Me, this life obeys Me, just believe, just hold on to Me. Keep your boat heading towards Me. It’s Me, don’t be afraid.”
And Peter wanted to get closer to Him at that moment, to follow Him. Moreover, he wanted to imitate Him and walk on water like the Lord. And the Lord did not stop him... On the contrary, He did. said: “Go, go!” So the word of God calls us to imitate Christ the Savior.
“Imitate me as I imitate Christ,” says the Apostle Paul. Learn the life that is outlined in the Gospel. Look at Christ, who seems to be crucified before our eyes. If we do not learn from Him, why then does this holy Divine Life pass before us? “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Peter wanted to imitate Christ, he wanted to go, and the Lord approved of him. "Go!" - He said, and if we want to live according to the Gospel, we will definitely hear the voice of Christ. Go! Go, you too, go, but don’t be afraid, knowing that the waves are raging all around, knowing that loneliness may also await you. After all, Peter went alone, the rest of the disciples did not follow him. They remained in the boat, confused and afraid. And he also had to take risks, because imagine: stepping into an abyss that is in constant motion. Splashes of foam, dark and scary... It's like throwing yourself into the void. But he knew that the Lord was ahead and stepped there.
This is the risk of our faith. We must always take this risk, because otherwise our heart will never truly turn to the Lord. Only forward, only forward to Him. And so Peter went, and then, when he looked not at the waves, but looked at the Lord walking ahead, he walked on the water... It was a miracle! The ancient Egyptians, who did not have letters, had their own icons, hieroglyphs, for each concept. And for the concept of the impossible, the miraculous, there was an icon: a man walking on water. People have always understood that it is impossible to walk on water. And the Apostle Paul tells us: “I can do all things through Jesus who strengthens me!” The Lord Himself told us: “And you will do more than I.” Why don't miracles happen to us? - Only because of our lack of faith. Our eyes are closed...
Each of us, if we really looked at our lives meaningfully, would constantly see this miracle of God’s presence. This miracle is constant and everyday, when our soul, broken, crushed, rises from the bottom - greater miracle than a man walking on the waters. And we have little hope for prayer, but He hears when we really cry out to Him. You just need to cry out, giving Him your heart completely, and not like Peter, who walked, but took his eyes off Christ the Savior, looked at the waves raging under his feet, and immediately began to drown. At that very moment when he looked at these terrible waves and not at Christ, he lost his miraculous ability to walk on water, began to drown and shouted: “Lord! Save me, I'm drowning." Of course, Peter knew how to swim, he was a fisherman, but at that moment his heart sank, his strength left him, and he sank in the darkness. And yet, he still had one thought, that the Lord was nearby somewhere, and he cried out: “Save me, I’m perishing.” He immediately felt the firmness of a hand extended to him and heard the words: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
This is how you and I, receiving God’s support and help, immediately begin to hesitate and think: “Maybe this is a coincidence, maybe this is how it should be, maybe this would be inevitable?” We immediately begin to explain in our own way, in a human way, and then everything begins to fall apart for us again.
They give everything to God or nothing.
And when we begin to waver, when our thoughts become double, then everything, like Peter’s, disappears from under our feet, and we drown. And God grant that when we feel our approaching death, that we exclaim: “Lord, save me, I am perishing.” I am spiritually perishing, I am dying spiritually, I am becoming callous, I am losing faith and Your presence! And then may His hand be strong when it supports us and says: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
All this happened a long time ago, two thousand years ago, but millions of people continue this path along the “sea”, millions of people throughout all centuries and now all over the earth see the One who walks among the waves of life and speaks to us, confused and weak and sinful , - He tells us: “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid. I'm here next to you. I can give you a hand." And always in this Gospel we are given a sign that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow! Amen.
Matt. XIV, 22-34: 22 And immediately Jesus compelled His disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, until He sent the people away. 23 And having dismissed the people, He went up into the mountain to pray in private; and in the evening he remained there alone. 24 But the boat was already in the middle of the sea, and was tossed with waves, because the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And the disciples, when they saw Him walking on the sea, were alarmed and said, “It is a ghost; and they cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately spoke to them and said, “Be of good cheer; It's me, don't be afraid. 28 Peter answered Him: Lord! If it is You, command me to come to You on the water. 29 And he said, Go. And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to come to Jesus, 30 but seeing strong wind, got scared and, starting to drown, shouted: Lord! save me. 31 Jesus immediately 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 in the boat came and worshiped Him and said, “Truly You are the Son of God.” 34 And having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.
Mk. VI, 45-53: 45 And immediately he compelled his disciples to get into the boat and go forward to the other side to Bethsaida, while he sent the people away. 46 And having sent them away, he went up to the mountain to pray. 47 In the evening the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 And I saw them in distress on the voyage, because the wind was against them; About the fourth watch of the night he approached them, walking on the sea, and wanted to pass them. 49 When they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. 50 For everyone saw Him and were afraid. And immediately he spoke to them and said to them, “Be of good cheer; It's me, don't be afraid. 51 And he went into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were exceedingly amazed and amazed at themselves, 52 for they did not understand miraculously over the loaves, because their hearts were hardened. 53 And having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and landed To shore.
In. VI, 15-21: 15 But Jesus, having learned that they wanted to come and accidentally take Him and make Him king, again withdrew to the mountain alone. 16 When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and getting into a boat, they went to the other side of the sea, to Capernaum. It was getting dark, and Jesus did not come to them. 18 A strong wind blew and the sea was rough. 19 Having sailed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching a boat, and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid. 21 They wanted to take Him into the boat; and immediately the boat landed on the shore where they were sailing.
A Guide to Studying the Four Gospels
Prot. Seraphim Slobodskaya (1912-1971)
Based on the book “The Law of God”, 1957.
Walking of Jesus Christ on the waters
After miraculously feeding the people with five loaves, Jesus Christ ordered His disciples to go in a boat to the other side of Lake Galilee, to Bethsaida of Galilee. Having dismissed the people, he himself went up the mountain to pray.
Night has come. The boat with the students was already in the middle of the lake, and it was being hit by waves because a strong headwind was blowing.
Before dawn, Jesus Christ, knowing the distress of the disciples, walked towards them on the water. When they saw Him walking on the water, they thought that it was a ghost and screamed in fear.
But Jesus Christ immediately spoke to them: “Calm down, it is I, do not be afraid.”
Then the Apostle Peter exclaimed: “Lord! If it is You, then command me to come to You on the water.”
The Lord said: “go.”
Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to approach Jesus Christ. But seeing the strong wind and big waves, was frightened, faith disappeared from fear, and then he began to drown and shouted: “Lord! save me".
Jesus Christ immediately extended His hand to him, supported him and said: “You of little faith! Why did you doubt? And when they entered the boat, the wind died down.
The disciples came up, bowed to Jesus Christ and said: “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Archbishop Averky (Taushev) (1906-1976)
Guide to Study Holy Scripture New Testament. Four Gospels. Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, 1954.
28. The Lord walking on the waters and healing many sick
(Matt. XIV, 22-36; Mark VI, 45-56; John VI, 16-21)
Urged by the Lord to go to the west side of Lake Gennesaret, the disciples got into a boat and set sail. Darkness came (John v. 17), a contrary wind blew, the boat was in the middle of the lake, it was beaten by waves (Matt. v. 24), and the Lord was not with them. He was left alone on earth, but saw their distress (Mark v. 48). They were at a distance of twenty-five or thirty furlongs from the eastern shore (John v. 19). It was time about the fourth watch, i.e. It's already around dawn. And suddenly they saw Jesus walking towards them on the sea, but, however, as if wanting to pass them by (Mark).
Seeing Him walking on the water, they thought it was a ghost and screamed in fear, but the Lord reassured them with the words: “Be of good cheer, I am: do not be afraid!” Possessing an ardent temperament, Ap. Peter was inflamed with a desire to meet the Lord halfway and asked for a command to do so, to which the Lord answered him: “Go!” Peter got out of the boat, and the power of his faith performed a miracle: he walked on the water. But the wind that continued to rage and strong waves distracted Peter’s attention from Jesus, to whom he was walking. Under the influence of the fear that gripped him, his faith wavered, and he began to drown, crying out in despair: “Lord, save me!” The Lord immediately stretched out his hand to support him and said: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” About this walk Ap. Peter is conveyed by water only by one Ev. Matthew (vv. 28-31).
As soon as they entered the boat, the wind instantly died down, and the boat quickly landed on the shore where they were sailing. All those in the boat then came up, bowed to Him and said: “Truly you are the Son of God!” As soon as Jesus came ashore, he was immediately surrounded by the inhabitants of that place: they recognized Him, hastened to notify all the surrounding villages about this and brought all the sick to Him. Faith in the miraculous power emanating from Him was so strong that the inhabitants of the place where He landed asked only to allow the sick to touch His clothes, and those who touched were healed.
A. V. Ivanov (1837-1912)
A Guide to Studying the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels. St. Petersburg, 1914.
Jesus Christ's walk on the waters and arrival in the land of Gennesaret
(Matt. 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-56; John 6:15-21)
Those who saw the miraculous multiplication of the loaves wanted to make Jesus, against His will, king; but Jesus retired to a mountain in solitude and remained there in prayer, and commanded his disciples in the evening to go to the other side of the lake. The students struggled with waves and headwinds for almost the entire night and barely reached the middle of the lake. Jesus Christ, in the fourth watch of the night - that is, already before the morning - seeing them in distress at sea, walked towards them across the sea and, approaching the boat, showed that he wanted to pass them; but they, mistaking Him for a ghost, became frightened and began to scream. Jesus reassured them and with His presence encouraged them so much that always and in everything, zealous Peter asked for permission to walk to Him on the water and actually went to Him; but, afraid of the strong wind, he began to plunge into the water and drown. Having reproached Peter for his lack of faith and stretched out his hand to him, Jesus entered the boat with him and calmed the storm. Those in the boat worshiped Him and confessed Him to be the Son of God. After which the boat suddenly arrived at the shore. The inhabitants of the Gennesaret region hastened to take advantage of His presence and brought their sick to Him, whom He healed.
1. One cannot think about the walk of Jesus Christ that it was a ford through shallow water, even if it was even close to the shore - the Apostle Peter drowned in the very place where Jesus Christ walked on water. And such a walk cannot be assumed simply because Jesus Christ during the night crossed the entire Lake of Galilee, which could only be crossed in a boat.
2. The disciples saw their Teacher on the 4th watch of the night. This is how the night was divided among the Roman army; This division has been accepted by the Jews since the time of Pompey, who subjugated them to Roman rule. Among the ancient Jews, according to the testimony of Jewish writers, the night was divided into only three watches, that is, three shifts of watchmen.
3. Mark and John do not mention the Apostle Peter’s walking on water, probably because they wanted to mainly focus their readers’ attention on the face and actions of Jesus Christ Himself. Moreover, it is known that the Evangelist Mark, who wrote under the leadership of the Apostle Peter, at his request, omits other details about him, as the Fathers of the Church claim. The Apostle John, rereading the Gospels of the first Evangelists and adding to them, did not want to violate the pious sense of modesty of his brother and also did not mention Peter’s walking on the waters.
4. The sea of life, stirred up by adversity and storm, is often shaken by the doubts of the Savior’s closest disciples; but in the deepest night of misfortune, the Lord, eternally vigilant over everyone, comes to the soul to encourage it and call it to Himself; and if there are not many Peters who dare to walk through the waters of doubt to their Teacher, then in any case, in a moment of danger, not a single one drowning in the waves of doubt and crying out for salvation will be left without help. Such a one will soon be brought to a quiet refuge and confessed to the truth that Jesus is the Son of God.
5. A ship in the midst of a stormy sea is an image of the Church, overwhelmed by waves of misfortune in the midst of the world. Jesus is the quiet refuge of all those who are overwhelmed. Peter walking on the waters is the image of believers.
There are questions that are pointless to ask a work of art: for example, why Gandalf forced Frodo to do something not so pleasant walking, instead of taking him on an eagle and dropping him off at the very mountain, or why Proust even wrote everything that he wrote. These questions indicate a poverty of mind and a poverty of imagination. It's like asking a stone why it lies here. It lies and lies, let's not touch it.
By its very recumbent presence it creates the feeling of being an integral part of the landscape, but if you paint it, say, bright yellow or fuchsia, it will be conspicuous. And it will start again - who? How? Why? and for what? Artificial intervention will lead to exactly those questions that are absurd in the world of art.
But they also create that excitement, which, if presented correctly, helps turn a work into a profitable project, and people have long learned to take advantage of this feature. In the most successful cases, everyone is satisfied - the creator, the producer (sometimes the same person) and the public.
Ivan_Albright
In 1945, Hollywood director Albert Lewin announced a painting competition for his new film The Private Life of a Dear Friend, an adaptation of Maupassant's novel. The novel features “a painting by the Hungarian artist Karl Markovic depicting Christ walking on the waters,” which caused a lot of noise.
Paul_Delvaux
Lewin, who graduated from Harvard and came to Hollywood from the University of Missouri, where he taught English literature, seemed to see his mission as popularizing great literature 19th century. His previous film, The Picture of Dorian Gray, naturally revolved around the film - and then he tried out a technique that he returned to during the filming of Bel Ami. He commissioned a portrait of Dorian Gray from Ivan Albright, and at the climax of an otherwise entirely black-and-white film, he gave the only close-up color shot of the painting.
Eugene_Berman
In the same way, now, faced with the need to use some conventional work of art in the props, he decided to repeat his find, making it something like his own trademark. However, this time, apparently, other considerations were mixed in with this. Perhaps realizing that the film turns out to be quite boring (it’s a good adaptation, but nothing more), the director for a long time Having served as a producer under such a prototypical producer as Irving Thalberg, he was not averse to attracting additional public attention to the film with the help of a small advertising campaign and the special kind of excitement that avant-garde films with religious themes always generate. On the other hand, he sincerely loved contemporary art and, most likely, hoped to simultaneously provide financial assistance to the artists whom he especially valued and revered.
Leonora_Carrington
Be that as it may, the idea was implemented on a grand scale. However, first of all, it was necessary to make changes to the plot of the film, since good old American censorship - o tempora! o more! – did not allow the “physical” image of Christ on the screen. This ban was even beneficial for Llewyn, because he knew that the subject of walking on water was not the most attractive for artists. So he chose The Temptation of St. Anthony.
Llewyn himself selected the contestants. Invitations were sent to twelve artists. Some of them were European masters of the first magnitude who emigrated to the United States due to Nazi persecution. They were Ivan Albright, Eugene Berman, Leonore Finney, Paul Delvaux, Horace Pippin, Stanley Spencer, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, Louis Guilhelmi, Salvador Dali, Dorothea Tanning and Abraham Rattner.
Abraham_Rattner
Ultimately, eleven artists submitted paintings - all except Leonor Finney, who did not meet the deadline. Each participant was entitled to $500 per painting, and the winner was to receive $2,500. The winner was determined by an independent jury of three experts, who awarded the main prize to Max Ernst. With the proceeds, the artist bought a plot of land in Sedona, Arizona, near the Hopi reservation.
Salvador_Dali
To promote the film, it was agreed in advance that a tour of America and Europe would be organized for the films. The scandal, so necessary to fuel interest in contemporary art, was provided from the very beginning by the mayor of Boston, who banned the exhibition of paintings in his city, considering them “religiously and morally offensive.” The organizers filed a lawsuit, mutual lawsuits followed, but in the end the case died out on its own.
Horace_Pippin
This amazing story, in which everyone was satisfied. Albert Lewin brought attention to his film, helping several artists (many of whom were in difficult financial situation) and once again acted as an educator, introducing the American public to contemporary art.
The artists received considerable money for those times. Max Ernst won the competition; however, his wife Dorothea Tanning also shared the victory. Salvador Dali, although formally lost, created one of his most popular paintings. The mayor of Boston and film critics took the opportunity to declare their morally correct and artistically correct position.
Stanley_Spencer
All the paintings were distributed to museums and private collections; one - Louis Guilhelmi - was lost (“whereabouts unknown”). One and only time in 1981, nine “Temptations” were again in the same hall - at the Cologne exhibition “Westkunst”.
Dorothea_Tanning
Meanwhile, this plot itself is a gift for a semiotician. Here several rows of oppositions are built, several levels of reflection are involved, transitions between several mediums are played out. The painting “The Temptation of St. Anthony” as a real object was painted for a film adaptation literary work. Naturally, in the film the picture is no longer a picture, but another reflection of itself. The combination of artistic, visual, cinematic and literary reflections of fictional reality creates a real matryoshka doll of realities, in which plans are superimposed on each other in such a way that ultimately the sequence of reflections ceases to have any meaning, turning into a doll-labyrinth. The saint is tempted on a multiply multiplied scale: in a novel (not by Maupassant, naturally, but by Flaubert, but, of course, it was Flaubert that almost all artists were guided by in their interpretation of the plot), in a film, in eleven paintings, and this makes his feat take on new colors.
Max_Ernst
P.S. And an elegant addendum: when this text was already written, there was a message in the news feeds that art critic Gergely Barki, while looking through “Stuart Little” with his daughter, discovered in one of the scenes hanging behind the backs of the characters Robert Bereny’s painting “Sleeping Woman with a Black vase", thought to be lost since the late 1920s. May the spirit of Christmas be with us.
