“We have nothing to lay upon the scales but one loaf...”
In Africa there lived a hard-hearted and miserly tax-gatherer named Peter. He never had mercy on the needy, nor feared the eternal torments to come, nor went to church. His heart was always shut against giving alms to beggars and to the needy. But the gracious and man-loving Lord does not desire the death of a sinner, and behold, one day He showed His goodness to Peter also, and in this manner delivered him from eternal torment.
One day beggars sitting in the street were talking among themselves: good and merciful people they praised and blessed, and the miserly they reproached. In the course of their talk they came to Peter also, and began to tell how harshly the tax-gatherer treated them; they asked one another whether any of them had ever received alms at Peter's house. No such man was found among them. Then one of the beggars rose and said:
— What will you give me if I go to him now and get alms from him?
They agreed, gathered a wager, and that beggar went off to Peter's house and stood at his gate. Soon Peter came out of the house. He was leading an ass laden with bread. The beggar bowed to the tax-gatherer and began loudly to ask for alms. Peter took one loaf, threw it in the beggar's face and went away. The man at once caught up the loaf, came to his companions and said to them:
— From Peter's own hands I have received alms! — and he began to glorify God and to thank Peter for such alms.
Two days later Peter the tax-gatherer became so ill that he was at the point of death, and it was then that he had a vision, as though he were at the judgement and his deeds were being laid upon a balance. On one side of the balance stood evil and wrathful spirits, and on the other side shining and gracious men. The evil spirits brought and laid upon the balance the evil deeds done by Peter the tax-gatherer throughout his life. But the shining spirits found in Peter not one good deed which they might lay upon the other side of the balance, and so they stood sorrowing and said one to another: — We have nothing to lay upon the scales. Then one of them said: — Truly, we have nothing but one loaf, which two days ago he gave in the name of Christ, and that not of his own will.
One of them laid this loaf on the other side of the balance, and it drew the balance down to their side. Then the shining spirits said to the tax-gatherer: — Labour, wretched Peter, and add to this loaf some other good deed, that the demons take thee not away to eternal torment.
Peter, coming to himself, fell to thinking and understood that all this was no phantom, but that he had truly seen it all; and with this he remembered all his sins, even those which he had long forgotten; clearly there stood before him all his sinful deeds, which the evil spirits had gathered and laid upon the balance. Then the astonished Peter thought: “If one loaf, which I threw in a beggar's face, so defended my soul that the demons could not take me away, how much more bountiful is alms given with faith and diligence, how much does it help those who without miserliness give away all their riches to the poor?!”
From that time Peter became so merciful that he did not spare even himself. Once he was going to his customs house. On the way he met the owner of a ship: the man was naked, for after the loss of his ship he had become utterly destitute. And behold, this man fell at Peter's knees and asked for clothing to cover his nakedness.
Peter took off his own beautiful and rich garment and gave it to him. But the man was ashamed to wear such clothing and sold it to a merchant. When Peter was returning from the customs house, he chanced to see his garment set out for sale on a stall. This so deeply grieved the tax-gatherer that, coming home, he refused even food, shut himself in his room, began to weep and said as he wept: “The Lord has not accepted my alms; I am not worthy that the Lord should remember me!”
In this weeping and sorrow Peter soon fell asleep, and behold, there appeared to him a certain gracious man who shone brighter than the sun; above his head a cross was figured, and he was clothed in that very garment which Peter had given to the ruined shipowner.
— For what dost thou sorrow and weep, brother Peter? — he asked. The tax-gatherer answered: — How shall I not weep, my lord, when I give away to the poor what Thou hast given me, and they carry what I have given out again for sale. Then the Saviour said to him: — Dost thou know the garment which now is upon Me? Peter answered: — Yes, Master, I know it, it is mine; I clothed a naked man with it. Then Jesus said to him: — Cease then from sorrow, for the garment which thou gavest to the poor man I have received, and, as thou seest, I wear it. I praise thee for this good deed, for thou hast clothed Me when I was perishing of cold.
The tax-gatherer awoke in amazement, was filled with divine zeal for the poor and said: “If these wretched ones are the same as Christ, then I swear that I shall not die until I myself become one of them!”
He at once gave away to the beggars all his substance and set his slaves free, keeping only one of them, to whom he said:
— I wish to entrust thee with a secret. Keep it and obey me; but if thou dost not keep it and dost not obey me, know that I shall sell thee to the heathen. To this the slave answered: — Whatever thou commandest, I shall do it all, master. Then Peter said to him: — Let us go to the holy city, let us venerate the Sepulchre of the Lord, and there do thou sell me to some Christian, and the money received give away to the poor — then thou too shalt be free.
The slave greatly marvelled at his master's strange decision and said to him: — To the holy city I shall go with thee, for I am thy slave, but my master I shall never sell. Then Peter said: — If thou dost not sell me, I shall sell thee to the heathen, as I have already told thee!
Soon they came to Jerusalem. They venerated the holy places, and Peter said again to the slave: — Sell me; if thou dost not sell me, I shall sell thee to the barbarians into grievous slavery.
The slave, seeing his master's unbending resolve, was obliged to obey. Soon he met a certain well-known God-fearing goldsmith named Zoilus and said to him:
— Hear me, Zoilus, buy of me a good slave. The goldsmith answered: — Brother, believe me: I am so ruined that I can in no wise pay thee. Then the slave proposed: — Borrow of someone and buy him, for he is a very good slave, and the Lord will bless thee for his sake.
Zoilus listened to the slave, borrowed thirty gold pieces from a friend, and with this money bought Peter from the slave, but he did not know that Peter was himself the master of this slave. And the slave, having received the money for his master, gave it away to the poor, told no one anything, and set out for Constantinople.
From this time Peter began to serve in Zoilus's house. He had to do what he had not been used to before: now he worked in the kitchen, now he tilled the ground in the vineyard, now he carried burdens. With such heavy work he wore down his body and bore everything obediently and without murmuring. Zoilus saw that with Peter's coming his house was filled with grace and his wealth was doubled, and he came to love him greatly. At the same time, seeing his uncommon obedience, he was filled with reverence for him. One day he said to Peter:
— Peter, I wish to set thee free; be my brother! But Peter preferred service as a slave to freedom. Often one could see how the other slaves quarrelled with him, sometimes even beat him and dishonoured him in every way, while he bore all patiently and did not say a word.
Once Peter saw in a dream that shining man who had once appeared to him in Africa in his own garment. Now he held thirty gold pieces in his hand and said to him: — Sorrow not, brother Peter, for I Myself have received the money for thee; be patient until the time when they know thee!
After some time merchants came from Africa to venerate the holy places. Zoilus invited them to his house for dinner. During the dinner the guests recognised Peter and said one to another: “How like this man is to Peter the tax-gatherer!”
When Peter caught their talk, he began to hide his face from them, that they might not know him for certain. But they knew Peter nevertheless and said to the master of the house:
— We must tell thee something of importance! Knowest thou that in thy house a great man serves thee — Peter? In Africa Peter was a man of considerable renown, but he suddenly set his slaves free and himself vanished somewhere. The prince of our land is greatly grieved and sorrows, and therefore we wish to take Peter with us.
At this time Peter stood behind the door and heard everything. He set on the ground the food he was carrying for the guests and went towards the gate, to flee. The gatekeeper was deaf and dumb from birth and opened and shut the gate only by signs known to him.
Peter hastened to flee and said to this man: — To thee I say, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, open the gate for me at once! Then the lips of the dumb man were opened, and he answered: — Very well, master, I shall open it at once!
At these words he opened the gate at once, and Peter hastily went out. And the former deaf-mute came to his master and before them all began to speak. All who were in the house saw and heard what he was saying. They all began to seek Peter, but found him nowhere. And the deaf man said:
— Look, has he not fled? Know that he is a very great servant of the Lord; when he came to the gate, he said to me: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to thee I say, open the gate!” — and I at once noticed a flame coming from his lips, which touched me, and I at once began to speak.
Everywhere they sought Peter diligently, but found him nowhere. Then in Zoilus's house all wept and said: “How did we not know that he was a very great servant of God?” And they glorified the Lord, Who has such precious servants. And Peter, having fled from human glory, hid himself in secret places until the end of his life, and in the sixth century reposed in the holy city.
