Wednesday. [Acts 4:13–22; John 5:17–24]

   Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard (Acts 4:19–20). Thus spoke the holy apostles Peter and John to the authorities when the latter forbade them to speak about the Lord Jesus resurrected, after they healed a man lame from childhood by His name. They did not fear threats, for the obviousness of the truth did not allow them to be silent: we have seen and heard, they said, and our hands have handled, as Saint John later added (I John 1:1). They are eye-witnesses. According to the principles of human knowledge, eye-witnesses are the first reliable witnesses of the truth. There is not a single field of human knowledge that has such witnesses. For, eighteen and a half centuries have passed since that time, and the power of their testimony has not diminished at all, and consequently the obviousness of the truth testified by them has not diminished. If people fall away into faithlessness—and now there are very many who are falling away—they fall away for no reason other than a lack of good sense. They do not want to examine things and are carried away by phantoms to which the delusion of a depraved heart willingly imparts some probability. Poor souls! They are perishing, fancying that they have landed at last on the proper track, and are rejoicing especially that they have entered this track first and have become leaders for others. But it is not a great joy to sit on the throne of the destroyers.

Wednesday. [Gal. 3:15-22; Mark 6:7-13]

   When the Lord sent the holy apostles to preach, He commanded that they not take anything with them but the clothes on their backs, sandals on their feet, and staff in hand. They were to have no cares about anything, entering in to this work as if everything were fully provided. Indeed, the apostles were completely provided for, without any external provisions. How was this arranged? Through their complete devotion to the will of God; that is why the Lord arranged for them not to have any need for anything. Their preaching moved the hearts of listeners, who fed and sheltered the preachers. But the apostles did not think of this and did not expect anything, committing all to the Lord. That is why they bore any unpleasantness they might have encountered patiently. Their only care was to preach, and their only sorrow was if people would not listen to their preaching. From this came the purity, independence and great fruitfulness of their preaching. The same is needed today as well, but our infirmity demands external provision, without which we will not take a step. This, however, is not a reproach against our apostles of today. In the beginning they definitely find comfort in being provided for, but then the thought of it disappears from their mind, and through their very labour they are raised up to the state of committing themselves to God. Very likely from that moment their preaching begins to be truly fruitful. Committing oneself to God is a very high degree of moral perfection, and people do not reach it immediately the moment they understand its value. It comes on its own after labors over oneself.