Читать толкование: Евангелие от Луки, Глава 20, стих 4. Толкователь — Кирилл Александрийский святитель

For God the Father sent the blessed Baptist as the forerunner of Christ, crying out and saying, "Prepare you the way of the Lord: and make straight the pathways of our God." Of him too the wise evangelist John wrote; "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a testimony to bear witness of the light: he was not the light, but to bear witness of the light;" even of Christ. And he bore witness by saying, that "He That sent me to baptize in water. He said to me, that upon Whom you see the Spirit descend from heaven, and abide upon Him, He it is That baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I saw and bore witness, that This is the Son of God." The blessed Baptist therefore, as being so great and admirable, is one worthy of our acceptance to move us to faith, and to be a witness concerning Christ. But because it was the custom of the Jews lightly to slander the saints, and to call them false speakers, and to say that they had not been sent of God, but falsely assumed a knowledge of prophecy of their own mind, Christ asked them, what opinion they entertained of the Baptist? was he one who came from above, from God; did they honour him, that is, as one who had been sent to baptize in accordance with the will of God? or according to their custom, did they, from human considerations and wishes, deny that he came for this purpose?