Огласительное поучение тринадцатое

[To those preparing in Jerusalem for enlightenment, spoken without preparation, to the words: Crucified and buried; and also to the words of Isaiah: Lord! who believed what we heard, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? and so on. He was led like a sheep to the slaughter (Isa. 53:1, 7).] 1. Every action of Christ constitutes the glory of the Universal Church, but the Cross constitutes a special glory. Knowing this, Paul says: But I do not want to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal.6:14) of Christ. Although it was wonderful that the man who was blind from birth in Siloam received his sight (see John 9:7), what does this mean in comparison with the blind throughout the universe? It is great and supernatural that Lazarus was resurrected for four days (see John 11:39–44), but this grace was only limited to him. What is this in comparison with those killed by sin in the universe? It is wonderful that the five loaves fed five thousand people abundantly (see Matt. 14:21), but what is this compared to those who hungered from ignorance throughout the entire universe? It is wonderful that a wife bound by Satan for eighteen years is allowed, but what is this in comparison with us who are bound by the bonds of sins? And the crown of the cross enlightened those blinded by ignorance, and freed all those in the power of sin, and redeemed the entire human race. 2. Do not be surprised that the whole world has been redeemed, for He who died for it was not an ordinary man, but the Only Begotten Son of God. The sin of one man, Adam, could have brought death to the world. If through one sin (see Rom. 5:17) death reigned in the world, then will not life reign through the truth of the One? And if then they were expelled from paradise for eating from the tree, will it not now be easier for believers to enter paradise through the tree of Jesus? If the first created from the earth caused universal death, then He who created him from the earth cannot bring eternal life, Himself being life? If Phinehas, having killed the icy man in jealousy, stopped the wrath of God (see Numbers 25:8), then Jesus, having not killed another, but given Himself for redemption, really cannot quench the wrath against people? (see 1 Timothy 2:6). 3. So, let us not be ashamed of the Savior’s Cross, but, on the contrary, let us boast in it. For the word about the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18); to the pagans it is foolishness, but to us it is salvation; but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God (ibid.). For He who died for us was not a simple man, as has been said, but the Son of God, God made man. Moreover, if the lamb under Moses removed the destroying Angel (see Ex. 12:23), then the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, will not even free him from sins? (see John 1:29). The blood of a dumb lamb brought salvation; will not the blood of the Only Begotten save? If anyone does not believe in the power of the Crucified One, let him ask the evil spirits. If anyone does not believe the words, then let him believe what he sees: many have been crucified in the universe, but the evil spirits are not afraid of any of them. Because they died for their own sins, but Jesus for the sins of others, for He committed no sin, and no flattery was found in His mouth. Although He was reviled, He did not revile (1 Peter 2:22–23). It is not Peter who says this, otherwise one could suspect him of flattering the Teacher, but it is Isaiah who speaks, who was not a body at that time, but in spirit foresaw His fleshly coming (see Is. 53:9). And why should I now bring one prophet as a witness? This is the testimony of Pilate himself, who, having condemned Him, said: He did not find this man guilty of anything (Luke 23:14). Giving Him over, devoted to him, and washing his hands, he said: I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One (Matthew 27:24). There is another witness to the innocence of Jesus - the thief who entered paradise first, who, reproaching those with him, says: “We... received what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad (Luke 23:41), and you and I were subject to condemnation.” 4. So, Jesus truly suffered for all people, for the Cross is not a dream, nor is redemption a dream. If death was just a ghost, then those who said are correct: We remembered that that deceiver, while still alive, said: After three days I will rise again (Matthew 27:63). So, suffering is true, for He was truly crucified, and we are not ashamed of this; He was crucified and we do not deny it, but I still boast when I talk about it. Yes, even if I began to deny, then this Golgotha, near which we all now find ourselves, would now convict me, the Tree of the Cross, parts of which are betrayed from here to the whole universe, would convict me. I confess the Cross because I know about the resurrection. For if Jesus had remained crucified, perhaps I would not have confessed Him, perhaps I would have kept silent about it together with my Teacher. But since the Cross was followed by the resurrection, I am not ashamed to talk about it. 5. So, He was crucified, being in the flesh like everyone else, but not for similar sins. He was not led to death for covetousness, for He was the Teacher of poverty; He was not condemned for carnal lust, for He Himself clearly says: everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28); not for a daring blow or beating, for he who struck the cheek He also converted the other; not for despising the law, for He was the executor of the law; not for the reproach of the prophet, for He Himself was proclaimed by the prophets; not for withholding payment, for He Himself served without payment and for nothing; not for sins in words, or in deeds, or in thoughts, He did not commit any sin, and there was no flattery in His mouth (1 Pet. 2:22-23), He did not go into suffering unwillingly, but voluntarily. If someone even now began to contradict Him, saying: Be merciful to yourself, Lord, He would again answer: get away from Me, Satan (Matthew 16:22-23). 6. And do you want to be sure that He voluntarily entered into suffering? Others die involuntarily, or unexpectedly, but He predicted about His suffering: and the Son of Man would be handed over to be crucified (Matthew 26:2). Do you know why the Lover of Humanity did not escape death? So that the world does not perish completely because of sins. Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified (Matthew 20:18); and in another place: He wanted to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). And do you want to know for sure that the Cross is glory for Jesus? Listen not to mine, but to His own words. Judas betrayed Him, having become ungrateful to the Lord of the House, soon after leaving the meal, after drinking the cup of blessing, he went to shed righteous blood for the saving drink: the man... who ate His bread lifted up His heel against Him (Ps. 40:10). One moment his hands were receiving blessings, and then he was preparing treacherous death for silver. Although he was convicted and heard the words: You said (Matthew 26:25), but he went. Then Jesus said: The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified (John 12:23). Do you see that He finds His glory in the Cross? Is it not dishonorable for Isaiah that he was sawn to death; is it really dishonorable for Christ to die for the world? Now is the Son of Man glorified (John 13:31). This does not mean that He did not have glory before - for He was glorified with glory before the foundation of the world, He, as God, was always glorified, and now He is glorified because He is crowned with the crown of patience. He did not forsake his life out of necessity and was not put to death by force; listen to what He says: I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again (John 10:18). By My own will I allow My enemies to fall, for if I had not wanted to, this would not have happened. So, of his own free will, He went into suffering, rejoicing at the accomplishment of the deed, rejoicing in the crown, and being comforted by human salvation. He was not ashamed of the Cross, for He saved the universe with it, because the sufferer was not a weak man, but God made man and struggling with the feat of patience. 7. But the Jews contradict this, always ready to contradict, but not disposed to believe, which is why the prophet now read says: Lord! who believed what they heard from us? (Isa.53:1). The Persians believe, but the Jews do not believe. They will see what was not told to them, and they will know what they have not heard (Is. 52:15), and those who practiced this will reject what they practiced. They contradict us and say this: does the Lord really suffer? Can human hands overcome the Lord? Read the book of Lamentations, for Jeremiah, who mourns you, wrote in his lament what is worthy of lamentation; he saw your destruction, saw your falling away, mourned the Jerusalem of that time, for the present one does not need to be mourned, since that one crucified Christ, and the present one worships Christ. So, the mourning prophet says: The breath of our life, the anointed (Christ) of the Lord is caught in pits (Lamentations 4:20). Is this my imagination? Here the prophet testifies that Christ the Lord has been taken by the people. What will happen from here? Tell me, prophet! And he says: under His shadow we will live among the nations (ibid.), fortune-telling, he says, that the grace of life will no longer be in Israel, but among the nations. 8. But since we hear many contradictions from them, now with the help of your prayers, as short time allows, with the assistance of the grace of God, we will offer a few testimonies about suffering. For everything that relates to Christ is written and nothing is doubtful, because nothing is without testimony. Everything is written in prophetic books, not on tablets of stone, but written clearly by the Holy Spirit. So, when you hear the words of the Gospel about Judas, shouldn’t you have evidence for them? Have you heard that (Christ) was pierced in the side with a spear, shouldn’t you find out if this is not also written? (see John 19:34). I heard that He was crucified in the garden, shouldn’t I find out if it was also written about this? (see John 19:41). I heard that He was sold for thirty pieces of silver, shouldn’t I try which prophet said this? (see Matthew 26:15). I heard that He was drunk with vinegar, try it, where is it written about this? (see Mark 15:36). I heard that His body was laid in a stone tomb and a stone was laid on it, shouldn’t I also have a prophetic testimony about this? (see Matthew 27:60). Have you heard that He was crucified along with the thieves? Shouldn’t you find out if this is also written? (see Matthew 27:38). I heard that He was buried, shouldn’t I find out if it was written accurately about the burial? I heard that He was resurrected, shouldn’t I find out if we are deceiving you when we teach this? (Luke 24:34). For our word and our preaching are not in convincing words of human wisdom (1 Cor. 2:4), we do not now offer refined wisdom for permission, we do not arm ourselves with words against words in order to refute them, but we preach Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:23) after He had already been preached before by the prophets. And you, having accepted the evidence, imprint it on your heart. Since there are many of them, and there is little time left, now listen, as much as possible, to some of the most important of them and, taking them as a basis, take care to find the rest yourself. For your hand must not only be stretched out to receive, but also ready to work. God gives everything, for if you lack wisdom, ask God (James 1:5), and you will receive. Through our prayers, may He give us, the speakers, the strength to do this in deeds, and for you, the listeners, to believe. 9 . So, let us seek evidence of the suffering of Christ, for we have gathered not to make a speculative explanation of the Scriptures, but mainly to be convinced of what we already believe. You have heard testimonies about the coming of Jesus before, as well as about the fact that He walked on the sea, for it is written: Your way is in the sea (Ps. 77:20). And you heard testimonies about various healings at other times. So I start from where suffering began. His betrayer, Judas, came and stood against Him, speaking peaceful words to Him, but preparing a hostile deed (see Matt. 26:49). The psalmist speaks about this: My friends and sincere ones have retreated from my plague, and my neighbors stand afar off (Ps. 37:12). And in another place: their words are more tender than oil, but they are naked swords (Ps. 54:22). Rejoice, Rabbi! (Matthew 26:49), but betrayed the Teacher to death, he was not ashamed of Him who, admonishing him, said to him: Judas! Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss (Luke 22:48). It was as if He were saying to him: remember your name, Judas means “confession”, you made a condition according to which you took the silver, confess it immediately: God of my praise! do not keep silent, for wicked lips and deceitful lips have been opened against me; They speak to me with a lying tongue; They surround me from everywhere with words of hatred (Ps. 109:1-3). And that there were some of the bishops with him, and that He was bound before the gates of the city, you have heard this before, if you only remember the explanation of the psalm, which speaks of that time and place, how they returned in the evening (Ps. 58:7), and became hungry like dogs, and went around the city (see Ps. 59:15). 10. Listen also about the thirty pieces of silver: And I will say to them: if it pleases you, then give Me My wages; if not, don’t give it, and so on. (Zechariah 11:12). You must give Me a different payment for healing the blind and lame, but I receive a different one. Instead of gratitude, I accept dishonor, instead of worship, insults. Do you see how the events are predicted in Scripture? And they will weigh out thirty pieces of silver as payment to Me (Zechariah 11:12). What accuracy are the prophets! How great and infallible is the knowledge of the Holy Spirit! He did not say: ten, nor twenty, but precisely: thirty, which is how many there were. Now tell me where this price is directed? Does the one who receives it own it or give it back? And if he gave it, then where is it directed? The Prophet says: And he threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter (Zechariah 11:13). Compare the Gospel with the prophecy; it says: Judas... repented, returned the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter (cf. Matt. 27:3, 5). 11. However, the doubt that appears to me here requires precise resolution. Those who reject the prophets say that the prophet says: and they put them into the church of the Lord in a furnace (Zech. 11:13), and the Gospel: and they gave them for the potter's ground (Matt. 27:10). How can both be true, listen to this. These strict Jews, the bishops of that time, seeing that Judas repented when he said: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood, they say to him: what is it to us? see for yourself (Matthew 27:4). Do you really not care about those you crucify? The one who received payment for the murder and paid it back will see, but you who kill will not see? Then they say among themselves: it is impermissible to put them in the church treasury, because this is the price of blood (Matthew 27:6). Out of your mouth comes your condemnation. If the payment is unclean, the deed is unclean, and if you act justly by crucifying Christ, then why do you not accept payment? But we need to prove that there is no disagreement when the Gospel says: the potter's earth, and the prophet: the crucible. Not only goldsmiths have a crucible, and not only those who work in copper have a crucible, but potters also have a meager crucible. For in order to cleanse the soft and fat and necessary part of the earth from small stones and to separate unusable dirt from it, they first pour water over the clay in the crucible so that the vessels can be processed without hindrance. Why be surprised if the Gospel says clearly: the potter’s land, but the prophet predicted it fortune-telling, since the prophecy for the most part speaks fortune-telling? 12. They tied Jesus up and took him into the bishop's courtyard. Do you want to know and see what is written about this? Isaiah says: Woe to their souls! for they bring evil upon themselves. Tell the righteous that it is good for him, for he will eat the fruit of his deeds. And woe to the wicked (Isaiah 3:9–10). And truly woe to their soul! - let's see why. Isaiah was sawn to death, but after that the people were healed. Jeremiah was cast into a muddy pit, but the wound of the Jews was healed. For it was not so great, because their sin was against man. But now, since the Jews sinned not against man, but against God made man, then woe to their soul! We will bind the righteous. But could not someone say, who released himself from the bonds of death of the four-day-old Lazarus (see John 11: 1-44), and who freed Peter from the iron bonds of prison? (see Acts 12:7). Ready to come The angels, saying: Let us break their bonds (Ps. 2:3), however, refrain from this, because the Master wants to endure it. Then He was brought to the judgment seat before the elders. You already have evidence of this: the Lord enters into judgment with the elders of His people and with their princes (Is. 3:14). I 13. The bishop, having asked Him and heard the truth, is indignant, and the evil servant strikes. And the face, shining like the sun, endured blows from lawless hands, while others came and spit in the face of the One who healed the blind from birth with clay (see Matt. 26:67). Do you repay the Lord for this, you foolish and senseless people? (Deut.32:6). The Prophet, surprised by this, says: Lord! who believed what they heard from us? (Isa.53:1). For it is an incredible thing—one God, the Son of God, and the power of the Lord endures this. However, so that those who are being saved do not have unbelief, the Holy Spirit first writes about this on behalf of Christ speaking, for the same One who spoke then later appeared: I gave My back to the smiters (Is. 50:6). For Pilate, having beaten Him, handed Him over to be crucified (see Mark 15:15). And My cheeks are striking; I did not hide My face from mockery and spitting (Is. 50:6); as if He were saying this, foreseeing: “They will beat Me, I did not turn away My cheeks, for how could I inspire the disciples to die for the truth if I myself were afraid of it? I said: He who loves his life will destroy it (John 12:25). If I valued My life, how could I teach this without Himself doing what I taught?” Therefore, first He Himself, being God, endured such suffering from people, so that after that we would not be ashamed for Him to endure such things from people. You see that the prophets clearly wrote about this too. However, due to the shortness of time, we leave many testimonies of Scripture, as I said before. For if someone seeks out everything with precision, then not a single one of Christ’s deeds will remain without testimony. 14. He went bound from Caiaphas to Pilate (see John 18:28); Isn’t it written about this too? And those who bound Him took Him as a gift to King Jareb (see Hos. 10:6). But one of the attentive listeners will object: Pilate was not a king; So, leaving many researches, we ask: how did those who bound Him send Him as a gift to King Jareb? But read what is written in the Gospel: Pilate, hearing that He was from Galilee, sent Him to Herod (Luke 23:7); and Herod was then king and was in Jerusalem. Note the prophetic accuracy. Therefore He was sent as a gift; And that day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for before they were at enmity with each other (Luke 23:12). For it was fitting for Him who wants to reconcile heaven with earth to be the first to reconcile those who condemned Him: moreover, the Lord Himself was present here, taking away the minds of the heads of the people of the earth (Job.12:24). Do you see the accuracy of the prophets and the truth of the testimony? 15. Marvel at the judged Lord; He endured being led and drawn by soldiers. Pilate, judging Him, sat, and He who sat at the right hand of the Father endured standing before him. The people, liberated by Him from the land of Egypt and liberated many times from other countries, cried out to Him: take, take, crucify Him (John 19:15). Why, Jews? Is it because he healed your blind? Or because you healed the legs of your lame and showed good deeds to others? So the horror-stricken prophet speaks about this: against whom do you widen your mouth, stick out your tongue? (Isa.57:4). And the Lord Himself says in the prophets: My destiny has become for Me like a lion in the forest; lifted up his voice against Me, therefore I hated him (Jer. 12:8). “It was not I who rejected them, but they themselves rejected Me.” Therefore, he immediately says: I have left My house (Jer. 12:7). 16. “Being judged, I remained silent, so that Pilate had compassion and said: Do you not hear that they testify against You? (Matthew 26:62)" Not because he knew the person being judged, but he was frightened by the announced dream of his wife. But Jesus was silent. Therefore, the psalmist says: and I became like a man who does not hear and has no answer in his mouth (Ps. 37:15). And one more thing: but I am like a deaf man who does not hear, and like a dumb man who does not open his mouth (Ps. 37:14). You've heard about this before, if you remember. 17. The soldiers, surrounding Him, laugh at Him; The Lord becomes a subject of laughter for them; and the Master endures ridicule (see Luke 23:36); when they see me, they nod [their] heads (Ps. 109:25); However, the image of royal power remains with Him: they laugh at Him, but bow their knees, and the soldiers crucify Him, having, however, first clothed Him in purple and placed a crown on His head. What needs, though thorny? Every king is proclaimed to be warriors: and Jesus, representatively, had to be crowned with warriors. That is why the Holy Scripture says in Songs: Go and see, daughters of Zion, King Solomon in the crown with which his mother crowned him (Song. 3:11). And the crown was a mystery, for it brought freedom from sins and liberation from the punishment determined for them. 18. Adam accepted condemnation: cursed is the earth for your sake; It will produce thorns and thistles for you (Gen. 3:17–18). Jesus takes thorns in order to free him from this condemnation; and buried in the ground so that the cursed earth, instead of a curse, would receive a blessing. Then, as the (ancestors) sinned, they were covered with fig tree leaves: therefore Jesus performed the last sign on the fig tree. For, intending to go to suffering, He curses the fig tree (see Matt. 21:19), not all fig trees, but one well-known one, for the image of the (paradise) fig tree, saying: from now on let no one eat fruit from you forever (Mark 11:14). The condemnation passed, and since the first parents were covered with leaves of the fig tree, He came at a time when there was no fruit on it. Who does not know that during winter the fig tree does not bear fruit, but is only covered with leaves? What everyone knew, didn’t Jesus know that? However, knowing this, he walked as if intending to look for fruit; He knew that he would not find them, but he only wanted to imagine the image of the curse on the leaves. 19. Touching upon the events that happened in paradise, I am rightly surprised at the truth of the transformations: in paradise there is a falling away, in the garden there is salvation; Sin is from the tree, and salvation is in the tree (see Gen. 3:8). After noon, the first parents hid from the Lord who walked, and after noon, the thief was led into paradise by the Lord (see Luke 23:43). But someone will tell me: you are making it up; present me with the testimony of the Tree of the Cross from the prophet; If you don’t bring a prophecy about it from the prophet, then I won’t believe it. So, listen to Jeremiah and be convinced: But I, like a meek lamb led to the slaughter, did not know that they were plotting against me (Jer. 11:19). Read interrogatively, as I said. For does he really not know who says: You know that in two days the Passover will take place, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified? (Matthew 26:2). Like a meek lamb led to the slaughter, he did not know what their plans were (Jer. 11:19). What lamb? John the Baptist will explain by saying: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). They plot against me (Jer. 11:19); He who knows thoughts did not know what was about to happen? What did they say? Let us put the poisonous tree for His food (Jer. 11:19). If the Lord deigns you, then you will subsequently learn that His body, according to the Gospel, was an image of bread: let us put poisonous wood as His food and tear Him away from the land of the living (Jer. 11:19). Life is not destroyed, why are you working in vain? His name will be remembered no more: your counsel is in vain; for His name abides before the sun (Ps. 71:17) in the Church. Also, about the fact that life hung on the tree, Moses says with tears: your life will hang before you, and you will tremble night and day, and you will not be confident in your life (Deut. 28:66). And the recently read Scripture says: Lord! who will believe what they hear from us? (Isa.53:1) 20. Moses presented this image in the crucified serpent, so that someone wounded by a living serpent, looking at the bronze serpent, would be healed by faith (see Numbers 21:9). So, if the crucified copper serpent saved, then will the incarnate Son of God crucified not save? Life is always given through a tree. For in the time of Noah, life was preserved by means of a wooden ark; and under Moses the sea, seeing the image of the rod, was afraid of the one who struck it. So the rod of Moses had power; Is the Cross of the Savior really powerless? For the sake of brevity, I leave many prototypes. The tree under Moses sweetened the water, and water flowed out of Jesus' rib on the tree. 21. The beginning of the signs of Moses was blood and water and the same was the end of all the signs of Jesus. First of all, Moses turned the river into blood (see Ex. 7:17); and Jesus, after all, released water and blood from his rib for perhaps two voices: the voice of the Judge and the voice of those crying; or for believers and unbelievers (see John 19:34). For Pilate said: I am innocent of blood (Matthew 27:24), and he washed his hands with water; and they that cried said, His blood be upon us (Matthew 27:25). So, two substances flowed out of the rib: for the judge, perhaps, water, and for those crying out, blood. And this can be understood even differently: for Jews it is blood, and for Christians it is water, for for those who are evildoers, there is condemnation from blood, but for you, who now believes, there is salvation through water. Because nothing was done by chance. The interpreters of Scripture, our fathers, presented another reason for this event. Since, according to the Gospel, saving baptism has a twofold power: one is given to those who are enlightened through water, and the other in persecution is communicated to the holy martyrs through their own blood, then from the saving rib flowed blood and water, which confirm grace when they confess Christ during enlightenment and martyrdom. There is another explanation regarding the rib: the culprit of sin was the wife, created from the rib; why Jesus, who came to grant forgiveness of sins to husbands and wives alike, was pierced in the rib for the wives in order to destroy sin. 22. If anyone searches, he will find other explanations, but what is said is enough, both because time is short and so as not to bore the listeners; although it should never be burdened by those who hear about the crowned Master, and especially by those who listen on this all-holy Golgotha. For others only hear, but we see and touch; don't burden anyone. Arm yourself against your enemies with the Cross itself. Place faith in the Cross as a sign of victory against those who disagree. For when you begin to compete with the infidels about the Cross of Christ, then make a sign of the Cross of Christ with your hand in front, and the one who disagrees will become numb. Do not be ashamed to confess the Cross, for the Angels set themselves the praise of saying: we know that you are looking for Jesus crucified (Matthew 28:5). Could not the Angel say: “I know whom you are looking for, my Master?” “But I,” he says frankly, “know the Crucified One.” For the Cross constitutes a crown, not dishonor. 23. Now let us turn to the prophetic instructions we mentioned. The Lord was crucified, you have evidence of this. You see the place of Golgotha ​​and, like one who agrees, you cry out in praise. Be careful not to renounce this at any time during persecution. Not only in times of peace rejoice in the Cross, but also in times of persecution have the same faith in it. Do not be a friend of Jesus in time of peace, but be His enemy in time of war. You now receive forgiveness of your sins and the royal rewards of the spiritual gift. When war comes, fight courageously for your King; Jesus, being without sin, was crucified for you: will you not also be crucified for Him who was crucified for you? You do not give a gift, for you first received from Him, but you repay the gift, paying tribute to Him who was crucified for you on Calvary. Golgotha ​​means "place of the forehead." And did not someone prophetically call Golgotha ​​the place where the true head Christ endured the Cross, as the apostle says: The Son is the image of the invisible God, and a little after: and He is the head of the body of the Church (Col. 1:15, 18)? Elsewhere: Christ is the head of every man (cf. 1 Cor. 11:3); and also: (He)... the head of all principality and power ( Col. 2:10 ). This chapter suffered on the forehead. How significant is this prophetic name! It seems that the name itself convinces you to say: do not look at the Crucified One as a simple person; the crucified head is the head of all power, the head having the Father. For the head of a man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God (1 Cor. 11:3). 24. So, Christ was crucified for us, having been judged in the night when it was cold, and therefore burning wood was laid out. He was crucified at the third hour: At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole earth and continued until the ninth hour (cf. Matt. 27:45), and from the ninth there was light again. Let’s investigate, isn’t it written about this too? Zechariah says to this: And it will happen in that day: there will be no light, the luminaries will be removed (Zechariah 14:6). It was winter, so Peter warmed himself. This day will be... known only to the Lord (Zechariah 14:7). So what? Does He not know other days? Many days; but this day is the day of the Lord’s suffering; the day that the Lord made. This day will be... known only to the Lord, and neither day nor night (cf. Zech. 14:7). What is the riddle that the prophet offers: this day is neither day nor night? What should we call it? Explains the Gospel, narrating about this event. It was not a day: for the sun did not shine equally from its rising to its setting, but from the sixth hour to the ninth hour there was darkness in the middle of the day. The middle of the day was occupied by darkness; and God called the darkness night. Therefore, this day was neither day nor night: for during its entire duration there was not light so that it could be called day; and not all the time there was darkness to be called night: but after the ninth hour the sun rose. And the prophet foretold this; for having said: neither is it day nor is it night, he added: and at evening there will be light (Zech. 14:7). Do you see the prophetic accuracy, do you see the truth of what is written? 25. But do you want to know at what hour the sun darkened, at the fifth, or at the sixth, or at the ninth? Tell me, prophet, to the definitely stubborn Jews, when will the sun stop shining? To this the prophet Amos says: And it will come to pass in that day, says the Lord God: I will cause the sun to go down at noon (Amos 8:9), for from the sixth hour there was darkness, and I will darken the earth in the midst of the bright day (Amos 8:9). What time is it, prophet, and what day? And I will turn your festivals into mourning (Amos 8:10). And this incident happened on the Feast of Unleavened Bread and during the celebration of Passover. Then he says: “I will put sackcloth on all the loins and bald spots on every head” (Am.8:10). Then was the day of unleavened bread and a feast; Meanwhile, the Jewish women lamented and wept, and the hiding apostles grieved. Truly a wonderful prophecy! 26. But someone will say: show me another sign. What other better sign could there be regarding this event? Jesus is crucified; He had on Himself one lower and one outer garment: the soldiers divided the outer garment, tearing it into four parts; but the lower one was not torn, because, being torn, it would be of no use. That’s why the warriors cast lots for her. These clothes are divided, and lots are cast for this one. Isn’t it written about this too? Diligent church psalmists know this; imitating the angelic army and always glorifying God, they are worthy to sing on Calvary and say: they divide my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothes (Ps. 21:19); and this lot was the lot of warriors. 27. Also, having been condemned before Pilate, Jesus was clothed in purple: for there they put purple on Him (Matthew 27:28). Isn’t it written about this too? Isaiah says: Who is this that comes from Edom, wearing scarlet robes from Bozrah? (Isa.63:1). Who is this, clothed in scarlet clothing as a sign of dishonor? For Bozhar means something similar to this among the Jews. Why is Your robe red, and Your garments are like those of one who has trodden in a winepress? (Isa.63:2). And he answers and says: All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient people, who walked... according to their own thoughts (Is. 65:2). 28. He stretched out his arms on the Cross to embrace the ends of the universe, for this Golgotha ​​is the middle of the earth. These words are not mine, but the prophet said: God, my King from everlasting, who arranges salvation in the midst of the earth (Ps. 73:12). He who with spiritual hands established heaven stretched out his human hands. They nailed them so that, while His humanity was nailed to the tree, taking up human sins, while humanity ceases to live, sin would die together and we would be resurrected in righteousness. Since death is one man, then life is one man, one Man is the Savior, dying according to His will. For remember His words: I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again (John 10:18). 29. However, He endured this, coming to save everyone, but the people repaid Him with evil for this. Jesus says: I thirst (John 19:28). He who brought water out of the solid rock for them asks for fruit from the grapes He planted. But what about these grapes, which by birth came from the holy fathers, and by choice from the Sodomites? For their grapes are from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah (Deut. 32:32). Having watered his lip and pierced his reed, he brings vinegar to the thirsty Lord: And they gave me gall for food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink (Ps. 68:22). Do you see the clarity of the prophetic prediction? “What kind of gall have they given to my mouth?” They gave Him, says the Gospel, wine with myrrh (see Mark 15:23); but myrrh is like gall and bitter. Is this what you repay to the Lord? (Deut.32:6) Are these grapes you offer to the Master? Isaiah rightly mourns for you, saying: My Beloved had a vineyard on the top of a fat mountain (Is. 5:1). We will not all say: I expected him to bring good grapes, I thirsted for his wine, but he brought wild berries (Is. 5:2). “Do you see the crown that is placed on Me? What kind of judgment will I pronounce after this?” And I will command the clouds not to rain on it (Is. 5:6). And the clouds, that is. the prophets were taken away from them; prophets are now in the Church of Christ, as Paul says: And let two or three prophets speak, and let the rest reason (1 Cor. 14:29); and in another place: God... appointed some apostles, others prophets (Eph. 4:11). Agabus, having bound his feet and hands, was a prophet. 30. About the thieves who were crucified with Him, it is said: and he was numbered among the evildoers (Is. 53:12; see Luke 23:32). Before this, they were both lawless, but from that time on one was no longer a lawless man. For one remained a lawless man until death, not accepting salvation. His hands were nailed, and his tongue struck with blasphemy. Passing Jews nodded their heads, cursing the Crucified One. What was written on them was fulfilled: when they saw me, they nodded [their] heads (Ps. 109:25). And this robber blasphemed along with them; but the other appeased the one who blasphemed, and the end of life was for him the beginning of correction, the surrender of the soul was the receipt of salvation. Dismissing the first, he then says: remember me, Lord (Luke 23:42), I cry to You. Leave him, his mental eyes are darkened, and remember me; I do not say: remember my deeds, for I fear them. Every person is disposed towards his companion, but I accompany You to death. Remember Your companion; but I do not say: remember me now, but when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:42). 31. By what power have you been admonished, robber? Who taught you to worship the one who was despised and crucified with you? O eternal light, enlightening the darkened! Therefore, he rightly heard: hope, not because your works give you the right to hope, but because the gracious King is here. There would have to be a petition for a long time; and grace was granted very quickly. Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43). Since today you heard My voice and did not harden your heart (see Ps. 94:7-8), I very quickly pronounced a decree against Adam, I very quickly forgive you. He was told: on the day that you eat from it, you will die (Gen. 2:17). Now you have submitted to faith, now you have salvation. He fell by eating of the tree; and through the tree you are introduced into paradise. Do not be afraid of the serpent, he will not spew you out; for he fell from heaven. I do not say to you today, You will go away, but today you will be with Me (Luke 23:43).” Hope that you will not be cast out, do not be afraid of the flaming sword: it will be ashamed of the Lord. How great and inexplicable is the grace! Faithful Abraham has not yet entered where the thief enters. Moses and the prophets had not yet entered, but the lawless thief entered. Paul marveled at this before you, saying: But when sin abounded, grace abounded all the more (Rom. 5:20). Those who had endured the heat had not yet entered, but at the eleventh hour the one who came did enter. No one should murmur against the Lord of the House, for He says: Friend!.. I do not offend you (Matthew 20:13). Do I not have the power to dispose of Mine as I please? The robber wants to do good, but death warns him. I not only expect works, but I also receive faith. Having come to graze in the cities, I came to graze in the cities (see Song 6:1-2). I have found the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-5): I take him on my shoulder, for he believes as he himself said: I have gone astray like a lost sheep; remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom! (Ps. 119:176; see Luke 23:42).” 32. “I foretold in songs about the grapes to My bride, and these words I spoke to her: I came into my garden, my sister, my bride (Song 5:1). At the place where He was crucified there was a garden (John 19:41). What do you find here? I gathered my myrrh (Song 5:1) when I drank wine and vinegar mixed with myrrh. Having accepted this, he said: It is finished (John 19:30). For the sacrament was fulfilled, what was written was fulfilled, sin was destroyed: But Christ, the High Priest of future blessings, having come with a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of such a construction, and not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, once entered into the sanctuary and acquired eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, through sprinkling, sanctify the defiled, so that the body may be clean, how much more is the Blood of Christ (Heb. 9:11-14). And in another place: Therefore, brethren, we have boldness to enter into the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus Christ, a new and living way, which He again revealed to us through the veil, that is, His flesh (Heb. 10:19-20). And since His veil, His flesh, was dishonored, the church veil that typifies it was torn, as it is written: And behold, the veil of the church was torn in two, from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). Even a small part remained intact. Since the Master said: Behold, your house is left to you empty (Matthew 23:38), then the house was destroyed. 33. The Savior endured this in order to... pacify ( Col. 1:20 ) the blood of the Cross between heaven and earth. For we were enemies because of sin; and God decreed death for the sinner. Which of the two should have been: according to justice, was it necessary to kill, or according to philanthropy should the definition be violated? But note the wisdom of God: He preserved both the truth of determination and the power of love for mankind. Christ bore our sins...in His body on the tree, so that we, having been delivered from sins, might live for righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). The one who died for us was important; The Lamb was not sensual; he was not a simple man; It was not just an Angel, but God made man. The iniquity of sinners was not so important as the truth of the one who died for them. We have not sinned so much as He has done righteousness by laying down His life for us; put it when he wanted, and again when he wanted to accept it. And do you want to know that He did not end His life violently and that He did not betray His spirit against His will? He cried out to the Father, saying: Father! into Your hands I commend My spirit (Luke 23:46). Betrayed in order to accept him again; and having said so, he gave up the ghost (cf. Matthew 27:50); but not for a long time, for he soon rose again from the dead. 34. The sun darkened for the sake of the Sun of righteousness: the stones fell apart for the sake of the spiritual stone; the tombs were opened, and the dead were raised for His sake, those who were thrown along with the dead (Ps. 87:6). He released His prisoners from the pit in which there was no water (Zechariah 9:11). So, do not be ashamed of the Crucified One, but speak with boldness: But He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses... by His stripes we were healed (Is. 53:4-5). Let us not be ungrateful to the Benefactor. And one more thing: for the crimes of My people I suffered execution. He was assigned a grave with the evildoers, but He was buried with a rich man because He committed no sin (Is. 53:8-9). Therefore Paul says clearly: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures... and was buried, and... rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4). 35. We want to know exactly where He is buried? Was His tomb made by His hands? Is it located above the ground, following the example of the royal tombs? Is the monument made of stones? And what is entrusted to him? Tell us definitely, prophets, about the tomb where He is laid, and where we should look for Him? They say: Look at the rock from which you were hewn (Isaiah 51:1), look and be ashamed. You hear in the Gospel: he laid it (the body) in a tomb hewn in the rock (Luke 23:53; Mark 15:46). So what next? What door is the coffin? And another prophet says to this: they threw my life into a pit and threw stones at me (Lamentations 3:53). “I, the cornerstone, the chosen one, the honorable one, lie within the stone, not for a long time; a stone of stumbling for the Jews, but a stone of salvation for those who believe.” So, the tree of life was planted on the earth so that the cursed earth would be blessed and the dead would be set free. 36. So, let us not be ashamed to confess the Crucified One; Let us boldly depict with our hands the sign of the cross on our foreheads and on everything: on the bread that we eat; on the cups from which we drink; let us depict Him at entrances, at exits, when we go to bed and get up, when we are on the road and when we rest. He is a great protection given to the poor as a gift and to the weak without labor. For this is the grace of God; a sign for the faithful and fear for evil spirits. Because through it He defeated them, putting them to shame (Col. 2:15). When they see the cross, they remember the Crucified One. They are afraid of the dragon who crushed the head. Do not neglect this sign for the reason that it was given to you freely; but for this, honor the Benefactor all the more. 37. And if when you happen to investigate this and you do not have evidence, then let firm faith abide in you; and having acquired a lot of information, it is better to stop the lips of the Jews with prophets, and the Greeks with their fables. They worship those struck by lightning; and the lightning that comes down from heaven does not come down without a reason (on such). If they are not ashamed to worship those hated by God, struck by lightning, then are you ashamed to worship the beloved of God and the Son of God, crucified for you? I am ashamed to talk about the gods they call, and for the shortness of time I leave it, and let those who know it speak. Let the lips of all heretics be stopped; if anyone says that the Cross is a dream, turn away from it. Hate those who say that His crucifixion was a ghost. For if the crucifixion on the Cross is a ghost, yet salvation is from the Cross, then salvation is also a ghost. If the Cross is a ghost, then so is the Resurrection. And if Christ has not risen... you are still in your sins (1 Cor. 15:17). If the ghost is the Cross, then the ghost is the ascension; and if the Rapture is a ghost, then, without a doubt, the Second Coming is a ghost, and, finally, nothing will be solid. 38. Let the Cross be your first unshakable foundation, and on it build all other teachings of faith. Do not deny the Crucified One: for if you deny, many will denounce you. Judas the traitor will be the first to expose you: for having betrayed you, he saw that Jesus was condemned to death by the bishops and elders. Thirty pieces of silver will testify against you. Gethsemane will testify, where the betrayal happened. I'm not even talking about the Mount of Olives, on which those who were there prayed at night. The night moon will testify; the day and the darkened sun will testify, for it could not look upon those who committed iniquity. The fire by which Peter warmed himself while standing will convict you. If you renounce the Cross, then eternal fire awaits you. I say cruelly, so that you will not be tempted cruelly. Remember the swords of Gethsemane, with which they marched against Christ, so that you will not be struck by the eternal sword. The house of Caiaphas will expose you, showing through its present desolation the power of Him who was then condemned in it. Both Herod and Pilate will stand against you, as if to say: Why do you deny Him Who was crucified by the Jews before us and about Whom we know that He did not sin in anything? For I, Pilate, washed my hands then. False witnesses and soldiers will stand against you, who dressed Him in a scarlet robe, and put a crown of thorns on Him, and crucified Him on Calvary, and cast lots for His tunic. Simon of Cyrene, who carried the Cross behind Jesus, will reprove you. 39. The darkened sun will reprove you from the luminaries, and from earthly things - wine mixed with myrrh, and from reeds - this cane, from plants - hyssop, from sea plants - lip, from trees - the Tree of the Cross. The soldiers will reprove you, as it is said, those who nailed you and cast lots for clothing; the warrior who pierced His side with a spear; wives who were there; the church curtain, then torn; the praetorium of Pilate, now desolate by the power of the Crucified One; this holy towering Golgotha, visible even today, showing to this day how the stones then fell apart for Christ; nearby is the tomb in which He was laid, and the stone placed at the entrance, which to this day lies at the tomb; Angels who were then; the wives who worshiped Him after the resurrection; Peter and John, flocking to the tomb; and Thomas, who put his hand into His side and his fingers into the wounds from the nails. For together and for us he touched Him with such care. Whatever you, not being there then, should have sought, he found, by Divine vision, having been there then. 40. Witnesses of the Cross are the twelve apostles, the visible universe and the world consisting of people who believe in the Crucified One. Even the very fact that you have now come here should convince you of the power of the Crucified One. For who brought you here now? What kind of warriors? By what ties are you drawn? What court forced you? The victorious, saving sign of the Cross of Jesus, the Cross gathered everyone. He conquered the Persians; tamed the Scythians; He, instead of cats and dogs and various errors, gave the Egyptians knowledge of God. He heals diseases to this day; to this day he drives away evil spirits and dispels the seductions of sorcerers and wizards. 41. The Sign of the Cross will appear from heaven again with Jesus. For the victorious banner will precede this King, so that, seeing Him who was pierced, and recognizing the one who was mocked by the Cross, the Jews would weep in repentance. They will weep, every knee will weep; for they will repent when they have no time to repent. But let us boast in admiration of the Cross, worshiping the Lord who was sent and crucified for us, and worshiping God the Father who sent Him along with the Holy Spirit. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: