مَنْ يَتَكَلَّمُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِهِ يَطْلُبُ مَجْدَ نَفْسِهِ. ومَنْ يَطْلُبُ مَجْدَ مَنْ أَرْسَلَهُ فَهُوَ صَادِقٌ لا ظُلْمَ فِيه
إنجيل القدّيس يوحنّا07/من11حتى18/:”كَانَ اليَهُودُ يَطْلُبُونَ يَسُوعَ في العِيد، ويَقُولُون: «أَيْنَ هُوَ ذَاك؟». وكَانَ في الجَمْعِ تَهَامُسٌ كَثِيرٌ في شَأْنِهِ. كَانَ بَعْضُهُم يَقُول: «إِنَّهُ صَالِح»، وآخَرُونَ يَقُولُون: «لا، بَلْ هُوَ يُضَلِّلُ الجَمْع». ومَا كَانَ أَحَدٌ يَتَكَلَّمُ عَنْهُ عَلَنًا، خَوْفًا مِنَ اليَهُود. وفي مُنْتَصَفِ أيَّامِ العِيد، صَعِدَ يَسُوعُ إِلى الهَيْكَل، وأَخَذَ يُعَلِّم. وكَانَ اليَهُودُ يَتَعَجَّبُونَ قَائِلين: «كَيْفَ يَعْرِفُ الكُتُب، وهُوَ مَا تَعَلَّم؟». فَأَجَابَهُم يَسُوعُ وقَال: «لَيْسَ التَّعْلِيمُ تَعْلِيمي، بَلْ تَعْلِيمُ مَنْ أَرْسَلَنِي. مَنْ يَشَاءُ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ مَشِيئَةَ مَنْ أَرْسَلَنِي يَعْرِفُ هَلْ هذَا التَّعْلِيمُ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ الله، أَمْ أَنِّي مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِي أَتَكَلَّم. مَنْ يَتَكَلَّمُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِهِ يَطْلُبُ مَجْدَ نَفْسِهِ. ومَنْ يَطْلُبُ مَجْدَ مَنْ أَرْسَلَهُ فَهُوَ صَادِقٌ لا ظُلْمَ فِيه.”
أَعْطَاهُمُ اللهُ رُوحَ خُمُول، وأَعْطَاهُم عُيُونًا كَيْ لا يُبْصِرُوا، وآذَانًا كَيْ لا يَسْمَعُوا، إِلى هذَا اليَوم
رسالة القدّيس بولس إلى أهل رومة11/من01حتى12/:”يا إِخوَتِي، أَلَعَلَّ اللهَ رَفَضَ شَعْبَهُ؟ حَاشَا! فإِنِّي أَنَا أَيْضًا إِسْرَائِيلِيّ، مِنْ نَسْلِ إِبْرَاهِيم، مِنْ سِبْطِ بِنْيَامِين. لا، لَمْ يَرْفُضِ اللهُ شَعْبَهُ، وقَدْ عَرَفَهُ مُنْذُ القَدِيم! أَوَمَا تَعْلَمُونَ مَا يَقُولُ الكِتَابُ في شَأْنِ إِيلِيَّا، كَيْفَ كَانَ يُخَاطِبُ اللهَ شَاكِيًا إِسْرَائِيلَ وَيَقُول: «يَا رَبّ، قَتَلُوا أَنْبِيَاءَكَ، وَهَدَمُوا مَذَابِحَكَ، وَبَقِيتُ أَنَا وَحْدي، وهُم يَطْلُبُونَ نَفْسِي!». ولكِنْ مَاذَا يُجِيبُهُ اللهُ في الوَحي؟: «إِنِّي أَبْقَيْتُ لي سَبْعَةَ آلافِ رَجُل، مَا حَنَوا رُكْبَةً لِلبَعْل!». كَذلِكَ أَيْضًا في الوَقتِ الحَاضِر، لا تَزَالُ تُوجَدُ بَقِيَّةٌ بَاقِيَةٌ بِفَضْلِ ٱخْتِيَارِ النِّعْمَة. فإِذَا كَانَ الٱخْتِيَارُ بِالنِّعْمَة، فَلَيْسَ هُوَ إِذًا مِنَ الأَعَمَال، وإِلاَّ فَمَا عَادَتِ النِّعْمَةُ نِعْمَة. فمَاذَا إِذًا؟ إِنَّ مَا يَطْلُبُهُ إِسْرَائِيلُ لَمْ يَنَلْهُ، بَلْ نَالَهُ المُخْتَارُون. أَمَّا البَاقُونَ فَتَصَلَّبَتْ قُلُوبُهُم، كَمَا هُوَ مَكْتُوب: «أَعْطَاهُمُ اللهُ رُوحَ خُمُول، وأَعْطَاهُم عُيُونًا كَيْ لا يُبْصِرُوا، وآذَانًا كَيْ لا يَسْمَعُوا، إِلى هذَا اليَوم». ودَاوُدُ يَقُول: «لِتَكُنْ مَائِدَتُهُم فَخًّا وَشَرَكًا وَعِثَارًا وجَزَاءً لَهُم! وَلْتُظْلِمْ عُيُونُهُم فَلا يُبْصِرُوا، وَلْتَكُن ظُهُورُهُم دَوْمًا مَحْنِيَّة!». إِذًا أَقُول: «أَلَعَلَّهُم عَثَرُوا لِيَسْقُطُوا عَلى الدَّوَام؟ حَاشَا! وَلكِنْ بِزَلَّتِهِم نَالَ الأُمَمُ الخَلاص، لِكَي يُثِيرُوا غَيْرَةَ بَني إِسْرَائِيل. فإِنْ كَانَتْ زَلَّتُهُم غِنًى لِلعَالَم، ونُقْصَانُهُم غِنًى لِلأُمَم، فَكَم يَكُونُ بالأَحْرَى ٱكْتِمَالُهُم؟
Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.”
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 07/11-18/:”The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, ‘Where is he?’And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, ‘He is a good man’, others were saying, ‘No, he is deceiving the crowd.’ Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews. About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, ‘How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?’ Then Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.”
God gave them a sluggish spirit, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day
Letter to the Romans 11/01-12/:”I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.’
But what is the divine reply to him? ‘I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, ‘God gave them a sluggish spirit, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.’And David says, ‘Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling-block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and keep their backs for ever bent.’ So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!”.