Слово на Великий Пяток. О кресте и о разбойнике

Recently I spoke the wedding word to Rebekah, and today I proclaim the funeral word to the One who came from Rebekah, because today we celebrate the Master’s tomb, which has become the ark of life. Today we celebrate the royal coffin, which became a window into the coffin. Today we rejoice at the ark, which hid the three-day-old Dead Man in death. Today we celebrate at the world's vagina. Today we have fun at the grave prepared for the Dead. Today the Cross comes, and creation rejoices, because the Cross is the way for the lost; The cross is the hope of Christians; The cross is a bridle for the rich; The cross is a monument to victory over demons, help to the helpless, hope of the overwhelmed, intercessor of widows, repose of the mourners, goal of the elders; The cross is an eternal weapon, the wisdom of the unlearned, the preaching of the apostles, the chastity of virgins; The cross is the security of the universe; The cross is the destruction of idols, the strength of the powerless, the permission of the paralytic, the covering of the naked; The cross is the resurrection of the dead, a rod for the lame, the overthrow of the proud, victory over the devil; The cross is the hope of the desperate, the wall of those at war, the judge of the unjust, the guardian of infants; The cross is light to those sitting in darkness, wisdom of barbarians, law to the lawless, praise of martyrs; The cross is the joy of the priests, the overthrow of churches, a temptation for the Jews, healing for the sick; The cross is bread for the hungry, a guide for the blind, comfort for the poor, repentance for the incontinent; The cross is the nurturer of youths, the helmsman of sailors, the father of orphans; The cross is the advisor of the righteous, the head of men, the splendor of kings, the freedom of slaves, the preaching of prophets; The cross is the exercise of monks, the foundation of the Church, the destruction of idol altars, a source for the thirsty. Today the Cross comes and the underworld is destroyed. Today the hands of Jesus are nailed, and the bonds of the dead are loosed. Today they have dared to commit Christ-killing, and the way of the dead has been perverted. Today a bloody stream poured into the coffins, and the watered hell flourished. Now all day long Jesus was dragged hither and thither, blessing every hour of the day with His sufferings; early brought to Pilate, who judged in the praetorium, from there he was handed over to the Jewish insolence for reproach until the sixth hour; then, after suffering for three hours from being pierced by nails, He ends His suffering with death; after this, before the eleventh hour, he is removed from the tree, resembling a sleeping lion. Now he descends into hell, wanting to see the righteous who have died after their labors, and fixes his gaze on each of them, like a king who at noon examines the army resting in sleep. We see Adam shedding tears; sees Abel covered with blood like purple. Sees Noah adorned with righteousness. He sees Shem and Japheth, adorned with respect for their father. He sees Abraham crowned with all sorts of virtues. He sees Lot laboring in hospitality. Sees Isaac, blooming with constancy. Sees Jacob, shining with patience. He sees Job, like a fighter preparing for battle. He sees Phinehas armed with a gun (Numbers 25:7). Sees Moses dedicated by God's fingers. He comes to the son of Nun - and he is surrounded by armies; approaches Samuel - and he shines with the anointing of kings. He goes to David - and he is buried with the psalter. He approaches Elisha - and he is clothed in mantle. Isaiah joyfully shows the head cut off by a saw. Jonah is famous for saving the Ninevites. Jeremiah is anointed with mud from the pit. The eyes of Ezekiel are luminous from terrible visions. The kisses of lions are still fresh on the Daniils’ feet. The bodies of those in the cave sparkle with fire. The Maccabean squad is surrounded by instruments of torment. The head of the Baptist shines with beheading. He also sees holy women who have not yielded to their husbands in anything. He sees Sarah, shining with Abraham's faith. He sees Rebekah flourishing with the beneficial drink from the waterpot, He sees Rachel, radiant in chastity in marriage. The mother sees the strongholds opposing the tormentor, walled by seven sons. He sees every righteous man, he looks upon every prophet; preaches: behold Az - and the Divine army is awakened. But let this conclude a short story about the king. Let us finally turn our word to Pilate, for this is the beginning of current events. The Jews, having furiously taken Christ, handed him over to the hegemon's tortures, without observing the proper order in anything, without any record, without a legitimate accusation, without giving a reason, without presenting any complaint in justification. But how was it? The common people, a crowd of low people and rude villagers from the surrounding villages, and having gathered at the festival, cry out: “Crucify, crucify.” Pilate, not finding any other reason, but seeing that the movement among the people was aroused by envy, intending to atone for a greater punishment with a lesser one in order to save him from death, gives Jesus to be scourged. But since the Jews, despite all this, do not abandon their cruelty, then, having washed their hands, they say: “I am clean” “from the blood” of This (Acts 20:26). And with thousands of convictions he tries to turn these bloodthirsty people away from their intentions, bringing them Roman laws. “For what guilt,” he says, “will I crucify Jesus, O Jews? I must punish murderers, but He made the coffins empty. I was sent from Caesar to be a judge of crimes; Who doesn’t know about Him that He is above every wrongdoing? I put to death the one who blinds those who have sight; He opens the eyes of the blind. I do not leave without punishment the one who cuts off the legs of others; He made the lame walk upright. I issue a death sentence if anyone deprives a mother of her child; He gave the mother a son, raising him from the dead. It is my law to cut off the hand of someone who has cut off the right hand of another; He made a dry hand healthy. I condemn anyone who steals something stored up for food from another; For how many did he break bread in the wilderness? My business is to inflict wounds on those who, by their beatings, harm the health of others; He commanded the paralytic carried on his bed to walk. My business is to discipline by imprisonment those who harm the vineyards; He made the wedding feast bright, where His word replaced the vineyard. I punish anyone who dares to break down the wall; He blocked the hidden blood flows. I plunge into danger those who drowned the swimmers; He made Peter walk on the waves. Are you crying out for me to punish Him? Never before have I reached such madness. I have no sword to kill this Man. Will I put Jesus to death when I see Lazarus alive? Will I send to the grave a Man who is terrible at graves? How can one be a dead man against his will, by whom hell is brought to the hopelessness of having even a single dead man? Will not even the one who is killed rise again? And you will have new sorrows again!” Having said this and seeing that the Jews were not convinced, Pilate left the praetorium, leaving them to go and do what they wanted. But among the rebellious Jews, Wisdom stood in silence, and the Word did not give a word. They maliciously rejected Him and crucified Him. And immediately everything shook. Each element is thrown into shock: the day is hidden, the sky is darkened, the depths of the heavenly realms are mired, the earth weeps, having involuntarily taken upon itself the cross, and is thrown into confusion by violent shaking. The coffins fell apart like an ostnom (thorn) torn apart by the Cross; the stones cried out, shouting in anger, the church was exposed, not tolerating the unbearable insolence; the sun turned away from the daring and disappeared into the night, the creature wavered. But the Jews, although they saw so many horrors, nevertheless did not give room for sadness. At the very least, they unwittingly honored and, without knowing it, glorified Him with what they tried to dishonor; in the form of ridicule they awarded Him honor, and gave back what belonged to Him; Cursing, they worshiped Him, but, thinking to laugh, they themselves were ridiculed, because they confessed their slavery. They mocked Him and clothed Him in a mantle, and with their own hands they clothed Him as a king. They crowned Him with thorns, like uncultivated ground; they dissolved the ocet like a worthless vineyard; they brought bile as if the people were not hospitable; they gave him a sponge, like a Doctor of souls; they brought a reed, with which their rejection was written; crucified along with the robbers, but one of the crucified found in Him the Gatekeeper of heaven. “Lord,” he says, “remember me in Your Kingdom.” Look at the contrition of spirit of the slave! Look, what a humble petitioner, crying out for philanthropy! He doesn't dare ask for anything. He did not say: give me the keys that you gave to Peter; he did not ask for one of the thrones that the mother of the sons of Zebedee asked for. And is it necessary to talk about anything extraordinary? Nor did he imitate the tax collector who said: “Be merciful to me, a sinner”; did not even ask for forgiveness of sins; for he knew that he had many sins. Therefore, he asked for one commemoration in the Kingdom. He gave everything to the will of the Tsar: what to give him, and how to have mercy on a slave. “I dare not ask anything, Lord,” he says, “but this one thing will be given to me: when you come into Your Kingdom, when the Angelic army flows before You, when the clouds of the righteous meet You, when the handles (armfuls) of the dead are reaped on the furrows of the tombs, when the books of everyone’s deeds are opened - then remember me, saying: The Jewish people once crucified Me, and everyone has renounced communication with Me; They did not heed the proclamations of the petel, and those who were closest to Me hanging on the Cross also denied Me; the very ones to whom I gave My body for food looked from afar at Me being slain. The first of My disciples became the first of those who fled from Me; Peter confirmed with oaths that he shuns Me. Andrei, like a weak-hearted person, gave himself up to flight; Andrei, Petrov's brother, was Peter's brother by renunciation, as well as by nature. Philip refused to partner with Me. The sons of Zebedee did not show firmness. John, whom I warmed on the breasts, did not take away the spear when My side was pierced. Thomas was not there, Matthew left - this face of the twelve scattered. And those for whom I laid down My life did not vote for Me. Of the many who have been blessed by Me, none came to My aid. Then Lazarus, whom I called to life from the dead, did not appear to Me. The blind man to whom I gave a ray of light did not cry for Me; The lame man who received strength to walk from Me did not come to Me. One bound robber, crucified next to Me to My dishonor, confesses Me, and offends the Jews, calling Me king; when you remember me there, then bestow on me one share of bounties that you present. But I don’t dare ask for what you give; I do not seek royal generosity, I do not weigh the riches of philanthropy, I do not measure the sea of ​​generosity.” Did you see the robber's prayer? Look also at the royal gift: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). You asked to remember then, and now I give the promise of paradise to you, robber, predator, digger of the God-planted fence, snatcher of the remission of sins, maker of the royal robe, guardian of the open doors, guardian of the ancient shutters, the early ripening flower of the Cross, the first fruit from the leaves of Calvary, the gift of saving nails, the oud of repentance, the bait that snares into the life of Christ. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. You might be interested in: