Беседа 85

John 19:16–18. Then finally he handed Him over to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away. And, bearing His cross, He went out to a place called Skull, in Hebrew Golgotha; They crucified Him there... 1. Jesus Christ was crucified between two thieves. – What was the inscription on the cross of Jesus Christ intended for? – 2. Non-sewing clothing. – Why did Jesus Christ entrust his mother to his disciple? – The death of Jesus Christ was not a shame, but a glory. – 4. Fiery love of Mary Magdalene. – 5. Condemnation of the pomp of funeral ceremonies. – The last debt should be paid to the dead, but without excess. – The death of the crucified Jesus shows that death is not death. – The dead must be buried in such a way that it serves the glory of God: generous alms must be distributed. 1. Happiness can easily seduce and corrupt inattentive people. For example, at the beginning, the Jews, taking advantage of God’s protection, sought the law according to which the pagan kingdoms were governed, and in the desert after manna they remembered the onion. So, even now, refusing the kingdom of Christ, they proclaim over themselves the kingdom of Caesar. That is why (the Lord) appointed a king over them, in accordance with their verdict. And that Pilate, having heard this, “handed Him over to them to be crucified” is extremely unfair! He should have interrogated whether Christ really sought to usurp royal power to Himself, but he pronounced the sentence solely out of fear. So that he would not be subjected to it, Christ already said in advance: “My kingdom is not of this world”; but he, completely surrendering himself to the present, did not want to philosophize about anything great. Likewise, his wife’s dream must have struck him; but he did not come to his senses and did not look up to heaven, but betrayed Christ. Then (the Jews) laid a cross on Him, already as if he were condemned: they abhorred this tree so much that they did not even allow themselves to touch it. So it was in the type: Isaac also carried wood. Only then was the whole matter limited to the father’s intention, since it was a prototype; and now everything has come true, because it was the truth. “He went to a place called Lobnoye.” Some say that Adam died and was buried here, and that Jesus planted a sign of victory on the very spot where death reigned. Indeed, He came out carrying the cross as a sign of victory over the power of death, and, like the victors, He carried the sign of victory on His shoulders. What is the importance if the Jews had another intention for Him to bear the cross? They crucify Him even along with the robbers, but even in this case, against their will, they fulfill the prophecy: so everything that they did in reproach served to confirm the truth, so that you would know how great its power is. After all, the prophet predicted this from ancient times: “he was numbered among the evildoers” (Is. 53:12). So, the devil wanted to darken this event, but could not: three were crucified, but only Jesus shone, so that you would know that everything was accomplished by His power. And although miracles were performed at the time when three were nailed to crosses, no one attributed any of them to anyone else except Jesus alone. So the machinations of the devil turned out to be powerless, and everything turned to his head! After all, even of those two (robbers) one escaped. Thus, the devil not only did not damage the glory of the cross, but also contributed quite a bit to it, because converting the thief on the cross and leading him into paradise means no less than shaking the stones. “Pilate also wrote the inscription” (John 19:19) - in order, on the one hand, to take revenge on the Jews, and on the other, to protect Christ. Since they betrayed Him as a criminal, and tried to confirm this opinion by crucifixing Him along with the robbers, so that no one would subsequently have the right to bring evil accusations against Him and condemn Him, and showing that they rebelled against their own king, he laid, as if on a victory monument, an inscription that utters a majestic voice and proclaims His victory, and proclaims the kingdom, although not entirely. And Pilate announced this not in one, but in three languages. Since it was natural to assume that there were many foreigners among the Jews on the occasion of the holiday, so that none of them would remain ignorant of His justification, Pilate announced the fury of the Jews in all languages. Meanwhile, the Jews were jealous even when He was crucified. But what harm could happen to you from this inscription? None. After all, if (Christ) was mortal and weak, and had to disappear, then why are you afraid of the inscription that says that He is the king of the Jews? And what do they say? Say that He Himself (John 19:21) said (John 19:21), because now (this inscription expresses the judicial) verdict and general opinion, and if it is added: “He spoke,” then it will be attributed to His own insolence and impudence. However, Pilate did not change his decision, but remained with his previous opinion. And through this again, not a small matter is arranged, but a very important event. In fact, since the wood of the cross was buried in the ground, because no one bothered to remove it, partly out of fear, and partly because the believers were busy with other, extremely necessary matters; since, on the other hand, they subsequently had to look for this tree, and meanwhile it was natural that the three crosses lay together, so that the cross of the Lord would not remain unrecognized, the Lord allowed an inscription to be on it, and thus this cross became known to everyone, firstly, because it lay among the others, and then because of the inscription on it, because the crosses of the robbers did not have inscriptions. The soldiers divided the vestments among themselves, but did not divide the tunic (John 19:23). See how prophecies are fulfilled through all their evil deeds! And this was predicted from ancient times (Ps. 21:19). Although three were crucified, the predictions of the prophets were fulfilled only on Him. Why, in fact, did they not do the same with the clothes of others, but only with the clothes of His alone? But notice the accuracy of the prophecy. The Prophet spoke not only about what they divided, but also about what they did not share. And indeed, they divided the clothes, but did not divide the tunic, but they left the matter of it to lot (John 19:24). The expression “woven on top” (John 19:23) is also used not without meaning; but some say that it has an allegorical meaning and means that the Crucified One was not an ordinary man, but also had a deity “from above.” 2. Others argue that the evangelist in this case describes the very appearance of the tunic. Indeed, since in Palestine they weave clothes by putting two pieces of material together, John, to show that this was exactly what the tunic was, says: “woven on top.” And he says this, it seems to me, in order to point out the poverty of clothes and the fact that Christ, both in everything else and in clothes, observed simplicity. While the warriors were sharing clothes among themselves, the Crucified One himself entrusts His Mother to the disciple, teaching us to take every possible care until our last breath about our parents. Thus, when she untimely disturbed Him, He said: “What do I and You have, O woman?” (John 2:4) - and: “Who is My Mother?” (Matthew 12:48). And now he shows the greatest love for her and entrusts her to the care of the disciple “whom he loved” (John 19:26). John again hides his name out of modesty; if he wanted to boast, he would certainly present the reason why he was loved, since this reason, of course, was something great and wondrous. But why doesn’t Christ talk to John about anything else and comfort him in his sorrow? Because there was no time for words of consolation. On the other hand, it was also important that he was honored with such a great honor and received such a reward for his constancy. But notice with what peace of mind Christ did everything at the time when the crucified man was hanging on the cross - he talked with his disciple about His Mother, fulfilled prophecies, gave good hopes to the thief, while before the crucifixion we see Him in sweat, spiritual anguish and fear. What does this mean? There is nothing incomprehensible here, nothing unclear: there the weakness of nature was revealed, and here the greatness of strength was revealed. On the other hand, Christ teaches us both that we, although we are embarrassed before the onset of disasters, nevertheless should not shy away from them, and that, having set out for the feat, we should consider everything easy and convenient. So let us not tremble at death. It is true that the soul by its very nature has a love of life; however, it is up to us to either resolve these bonds of the soul and weaken this desire for life, or strengthen and strengthen them. Just as we, although we have a lust for carnal intercourse, nevertheless, when we become wise, weaken the power of lust, the same thing happens with the love of life. Just as God instilled carnal desire in us for procreation, in order to preserve the succession in our race, and not in order to prevent us from walking along the higher path of abstinence, so He instilled love for life in us in order to turn us away from suicide, and not in order to forbid us to despise real life. Knowing this, we must observe moderation and, on the one hand, we should never go to death on our own, even if we are oppressed by countless disasters, and on the other hand, we should not shy away from it and refuse it when we are dragged to death for godly deeds, but boldly go to death, preferring the future life to the present. The women “stood at the cross” (John 19:25). The weakest sex then appeared the most courageous: so everything changed! Christ, entrusting His Mother to the disciple, says: “Behold, Your son” (John 19:26). Oh, with what great honor He honored His disciple! Since he himself was already leaving, he entrusted him to the care of a disciple. As a mother, She naturally grieved and sought protection; and therefore He rightly hands her to his beloved disciple and says to him: “Behold, your mother” (John 19:27). He said this in order to unite them with mutual love. The disciple understood this and therefore “took Her to him” (John 19:27). But why did Christ not mention any other wife, although others stood at the cross? To teach us to give preference to our mothers. Indeed, just as in such a case, when parents interfere in spiritual matters, one should not even know them, so, on the contrary, when they do not interfere at all, they must be given all their due and preferred to all other people, for the fact that they gave birth to us, for the fact that they raised us, for the fact that they suffered a lot of work and grief because of us. With this Christ stops the mouth of Marcion’s shamelessness. In fact, if He was not born according to the flesh and did not have a mother, then why does He show such great concern only for her? “After this Jesus knew that all things had already been accomplished” (John 19:28), i.e., that nothing remained undone in the plan of God’s economy. So in all cases He tried to show that His death was extraordinary, because everything depended on the power of the Dying One, and death came to His body not before He himself wanted it; but He willed it when everything had already been fulfilled. That is why He said: “I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it up again” (John 10:18). So, knowing that everything has already been fulfilled, Christ says: “I thirst” (John 19:28), and in this case he again fulfills the prophecy. But think about the villainy of those standing at the cross. After all, even if we had countless enemies, even if we experienced unbearable insults from them, we cry with pity when we see them being killed; and at the same time, Christ’s enemies did not reconcile with Him, and did not soften, looking at His suffering, but became even more embittered and increased their ridicule, and, bringing vinegar with their lips, they gave Him a drink as they usually give to criminals, which is why they had a cane with them. “When he had tasted the vinegar, he said, It is finished” (John 19:30). Do you see how He did everything without embarrassment and with authority? This is also evident from what follows. When everything had already been accomplished, Christ, “bowing his head,” since it was not nailed down, “gave up his spirit” (John 19:30), that is, gave up his breath. Usually one does not give up the ghost after bowing the head; but here it was the opposite: Christ bowed his head not when he had already given up his spirit, as usually happens with us, but then he gave up his spirit when he bowed his head. By all this the evangelist showed that He is the Lord of the whole world. Meanwhile, the Jews, devouring a camel and straining out mosquitoes (Matthew 23:24), having committed such a great atrocity, again show special concern for the day. “Since it was Friday then... so as not to leave the bodies on the cross on the Sabbath,... they asked Pilate to break their legs” (John 19:31). Do you see how powerful the truth is? What they strive so zealously for is through this same prophecy being fulfilled and a new one that was before them coming true. In fact, when the soldiers came, they broke the legs of others, but they did not break Christ’s; but to please the Jews they pierced His side with a spear and thus mocked even His dead body. What a vile and disgusting crime! But do not be embarrassed, beloved, and do not be discouraged! What they did with evil intentions contributed to the establishment of the truth; This is exactly what the prophecy was about, which says: “They will look at Him whom they have pierced” (John 19:37). In addition, this atrocity served as the basis of faith for those who subsequently did not believe, for example, for Thomas and others like him. And at the same time, an indescribable sacrament took place here: “immediately blood and water flowed out” (John 19:34). It was not without meaning and not by chance that these sources flowed out, but because the Church was made up of both. Those initiated into the mysteries know this: they are reborn by water, and nourished by blood and flesh. Thus, this is where the sacraments originate; and therefore, when you approach the terrible cup, approach as if you were drinking from the rib itself. “And he who saw it testified, and his testimony is true” (John 19:35), i.e.: I did not hear it from others, but I myself was there and saw it, and the testimony is true. And this is fair, because he talks about the reproach that Christ suffered, and not about something great and wonderful, because of which you could suspect his word. He recounts in detail what happened in order to stop the mouths of heretics and foreshadow future sacraments, contemplating the treasure contained in them. At the same time, another prophecy is fulfilled, namely: “Let not His bone be broken” (John 19:36). Although this was said about the lamb of Judah, in the type it was done in advance for the sake of the truth, and it was more perfectly fulfilled in the present case. That is why the evangelist presented the words of the prophet. Since, constantly pointing to his own testimony, he could seem unworthy of faith, he presents Moses as a witness, saying that this did not happen by chance, but was already ordained from ancient times. This is exactly what the words “let not His bone be broken” mean. On the other hand, with his testimony he confirms the words of the prophet. He says, I said this so that you would know that there is a great similarity between the type and the truth. Do you see how much effort he uses to convince him of what seems shameful and, apparently, causes dishonor? Truly, the fact that the warrior abused even a dead body was much worse than the crucifixion itself; however, he says, I spoke about this too, and said it with great care, “so that you may believe” (John 19:35). So, let no one refuse to believe, let no one be ashamed and thereby cause harm to our affairs. What seems especially shameful is precisely what constitutes our most precious good. “After this Joseph came from Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus” (John 19:38), not from among the twelve, but perhaps from among the seventy. Believing that the cross has finally tamed the fury (of the Jews), the followers of Christ fearlessly come and take care of the burial. Joseph, appearing before Pilate, asks him for permission - and he allows it. And why wouldn't he allow it? Nicodemus also takes part in Joseph's work, and they perform a magnificent burial, because they still thought of Christ as a simple man. They bring such aromas that mainly had the power to preserve the body for a long time and prevent it from soon giving in to decay. This shows that they did not imagine anything great about Christ; nevertheless, however, their great love for Him is visible in this. But why did none of the twelve come - neither John, nor Peter, nor anyone else significant? The evangelist does not hide this either. Perhaps someone will say, they were afraid of the Jews; but those (Joseph and Nicodemus) were also overcome with fear. It is precisely said about Joseph that he was “hidden out of fear from the Jews” (John 19:38). So, it cannot be said that he did this because he completely neglected the Jews; no, and he was afraid, and yet he came. But John, although he was present at the cross and saw the death of Christ, did nothing of the kind. What does this mean? It seems to me that Joseph was one of the very famous people, as can be seen from the burial itself, and that he was known to Pilate. That's why he received permission. And he buries Him, no longer as a criminal, but, according to Jewish custom, magnificently, as a great and glorious man. 4. But since they did not have much time left (the death of Christ followed at the ninth hour, and therefore, naturally, while they were going to Pilate, and while they were taking the body down from the cross, evening had already come, when it was impossible to do work), they put Him in the nearest tomb. It was arranged so that Christ was laid in a new tomb, in which no one had been laid before, so that the resurrection could not be attributed to someone else lying with Him, so that the disciples, in the proximity of this place, could easily come and be spectators of what happened, and so that not only they, but also enemies would be witnesses of the burial. The fact that seals were placed on the coffin and a guard of soldiers was assigned was, indeed, on their part, evidence of burial, since Christ wanted His burial to be no less certain than His resurrection. That is why the disciples zealously try to prove that He really died. His resurrection was to be confirmed by all subsequent time; meanwhile, if His death at that time had been hidden and had not become completely known, then this could have harmed the word about the resurrection. However, this is not only why it happened that Christ was laid close, but also so that the falsity of the rumor about the theft of His body would be revealed. “On the very first day of the week,” that is, on Sunday, “Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and sees that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb” (John 20:1). Christ was resurrected while the seals and the stone were lying. But since it was necessary for others to be completely convinced, the tomb, after His resurrection, is opened, and thus this event becomes reliable. This is exactly what made Maria nervous. Flaming with the most tender love for the Teacher, as soon as Saturday passed, she could not remain in peace, but went into the deep morning, wanting to receive some consolation from the place. When she saw this place and the stone rolled away, she did not enter or look into the coffin, but, prompted by strong love, she ran to the disciples. She was concerned about finding out as soon as possible what happened to the body. This is precisely what her flight indicates; This is also what her words mean: “They have taken away,” she says, “the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they laid Him” (John 20:2). Do you see that she still did not clearly know anything about the resurrection, but thought that the body had been transferred, and without any pretense she announced everything to the disciples? But the evangelist did not take away from this wife the great praise that belonged to her and did not consider it a shame for himself that the disciples were the first to learn about the resurrection from her, since she was awake the whole night. So in all cases his true-loving disposition shines! When she came and spoke about this, the disciples, having listened to her, hastily came to the tomb and saw the linens lying; and this was a sign of resurrection. Indeed, if someone had transferred the body, he would have done so without exposing it; just as if someone stole it, he would not bother to take it off, sir, roll it up and put it “in another place,” but - how? I would have taken the body as it lay. That is why the evangelist previously said that during the burial of Christ a lot of myrrh was used, which glues the shrouds to the body no worse than lead. So, when you hear that the headbands were lying separately, do not believe those who say that they were stolen. A thief would not be so stupid as to care so much about an object that is completely unnecessary. Indeed, why did he leave the burial shrouds? And how could he hide if he did this? Naturally, he had to spend a lot of time on this, and if he slowed down, he would have been caught. But why do the shrouds lie separately, and the folded cloth separately? So that you know that this was done without haste and without embarrassment, since one thing was laid out separately, and the other was laid out and twisted separately. That is why the disciples believed in the resurrection. And when Christ subsequently appears to them, they were already convinced by what they saw. Notice here too how far the evangelist is from boasting and how he testifies to the thoroughness of Petrov’s research! He himself, having preceded Peter and seeing the linens lying, does not examine anything further, but moves away; and fiery Peter went inside the coffin, examined everything carefully and, seeing something more, invited him to look. Entering the tomb after Peter, John saw the burial shrouds lying separately from one another. And the fact that they were separated, and some were placed in one place, and others, twisted, in another, showed that this was done by someone with care, and not somehow, not in embarrassment. 5. And you, when you hear that Christ rose naked, stop madly spending money on burial. What, in fact, do these unnecessary and useless costs mean? They cause great loss to the burying party, and do not bring any benefit to the deceased and, to tell the truth, are even harmful. Luxurious funerals have repeatedly been the cause of grave robberies and have resulted in the fact that the person who was once buried with all the sophistication then lay naked and without burial. But, oh, vanity! What great power it reveals in the midst of weeping itself! What madness it leads to! Many, in disgust of robbery, tear the thin burial shrouds and fill them with many aromas, so as to render them doubly useless to the kidnappers, and thus consign them to the earth. Isn't this crazy? Is it not madness of the mind to exhibit splendor and at the same time destroy it? No, you say, we are inventing all this so that we can safely lie on the dead. So what? If thieves don’t take them, won’t moths and worms eat them? And if moths and worms do not eat, will not time destroy decay? But let us assume that neither thieves, nor moths, nor worms, nor time, nor anything else will destroy the things placed in the grave; Let us assume that the body will remain intact until the resurrection, and all those things will remain new, strong and thin: what is the benefit of this for those who have departed, when the body will rise naked, and all these things will remain here and will not bring us any benefit during future tortures? But why, you say, was it like this at the burial of Christ? You should not at all compare the burial of Christ with the burials of men. It also happened that the harlot poured ointment on His holy feet. However, if something needs to be said about this, then, firstly, it was done by people who did not know the doctrine of the resurrection. That is why it is said: “as the Jews usually bury” (John 19:40). For they were not among the twelve who honored Jesus with burial; but these were those who did not value Him very highly. The twelve did not honor Him that way, but by their death, by giving themselves up to the slaughter, and by enduring various misfortunes for Him. True, that was an honor, but much lower than the one I just talked about. On the other hand, with us, as I already said, we are now talking about people; and then all this was done for the Lord. And so that you know that Christ did not desire this at all, (listen) to what He said: you saw Me hungry, and you fed me; to the thirsty and gave them something to drink; naked, and clothed (Matthew 25:35–39); but nowhere did he say: dead, and buried. I say this not in order to destroy the custom of burial - no - but in order to stop luxury and inappropriate splendor. Would you say that grief and sadness and compassion for the deceased are conducive to this? No, this does not come from compassion for the deceased, but from vanity. If you want to show condolences to the deceased, I will show you another method of burial and teach you to clothe him in such clothes that will rise with him and present him in a brilliant form. These clothes are neither destroyed by moths, nor destroyed by time, nor stolen by thieves. What kind of clothes are these? This is the robe of almsgiving. This clothing rises with the deceased, because the seal of alms remains with him forever. With these clothes will shine those who will then hear: you fed Me when I was hungry. These clothes make the dead glorious, famous and safe, but the clothes of the present are nothing more than the food of moths and the meal of worms. And I say this not because I forbid having care for the dead; but in order for you to do this with moderation, cover only the body and do not bury it naked. If the living should not have anything more than the covering of the body, then even more so the dead, because a dead body does not need clothes as much as a living and breathing one. While we live, we need clothing both because of the cold and for decency; and since we have died, we do not have these needs, and only so that the body does not lie naked, we need burial shrouds. Our best burial shrouds are the earth, the most beautiful and most fitting covering for our earthly body. So, if now, when we have so many needs, there is no need to look for anything superfluous, then pomp is all the more inappropriate when there are no such needs. But people, you say, who see this will start laughing. Even if someone began to laugh, obviously one should not pay much attention to him, as if he were a completely stupid person. Many, on the contrary, would rather be surprised at us and praise our wisdom. This is not worthy of laughter, but what we do now when we cry, weep and, as it were, bury ourselves with the dead. This is what is worthy of both laughter and punishment; and wisdom in all this, as well as observing moderation in clothing, brings us crowns and praise. In this case, everyone will praise us, marvel at the power of Christ and say: oh, how great is the power of the Crucified One! He convinced mortals and perishables that death is not death, and so they act as if they were not dying, but were moving to a better country. He convinced them that this corruptible and earthly body would be clothed in clothing much more brilliant than silk and gold-woven garments - it would be clothed with incorruptibility; and therefore they do not care much about funerals, but consider a virtuous life to be the best funeral decoration. This is how everyone will talk about us when they see us being philosophical. If they see that we are tormented by grief, faint-hearted and surrounded by a choir of sobbing women, then they will laugh and mock us, and condemn us a thousand times, reproaching us for reckless spending and wasted work. And we hear that everyone really condemns us for this; and - very fair. Indeed, what excuse will we have when we adorn our body, destroyed by corruption and worms, but despise Christ, the thirsty, naked and stranger? Let us leave behind this vain concern. We will bury the dead in such a way that it will benefit both us and them, to the glory of God. We will give abundant alms for them and send them off with this most beautiful parting word. If the memory of deceased famous men protected the living (as the Lord says: “I will guard this city for Myself and for the sake of David My servant” (2 Kings 19:34)), then much more will alms do this. She, it was she who raised the dead - when they surrounded (Peter) “widows,... showing the shirts and dresses that Serna made while she lived with them” (Acts 9:39). So, when someone dies, let the relatives of the dying person prepare a funeral robe for him and let him convince him before his death to leave something for the poor. Let him go away with these clothes, let him leave Christ as his heir. If those who appoint kings as their heirs leave their relatives in the greatest safety, then imagine what kind of favor he will gain both for himself and for all his people who, together with his children, leaves Christ as his heir! Here is a beautiful robe for the dead. It is useful both for those who remain alive and for those who depart. If we are buried in this form, we will appear resplendent at the time of resurrection. And if, while caring for the body, we neglect the soul, then we will suffer many troubles and be subjected to great ridicule. It is no small shame to leave here without virtue; It is not so much a shame for the body to be cast down without burial as it is for the soul to appear then without good deeds. So, let's begin to clothe the soul, let's begin to clean it throughout our entire life. If during our lifetime we neglected her, we will come to our senses, at least at death, and bequeath to our relatives to help us after death with alms. With such mutual assistance to each other, we will receive great boldness, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: