Could!!. But how, then, could we know about God's infinite omnipotence, about God's infinite condescension? God deigned to act as Judge and Father, to manifest His justice and His goodness: His goodness towards man who violated His law, and His justice as Judge in the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thus, for the sake of love for man, He did not spare His Only-begotten Son (Romans 8:32)... Abraham once decided to sacrifice his only-begotten son out of love for God, but pay attention to the outcome of this event.. When Abraham reached the appointed place, he built an altar, put wood on it, lit a fire under it, and bound his Isaac, and laid it on the altar, then took a knife and raised his hand, but at the moment when he was about to deliver a deadly blow, God looked upon him and, having been propitiated, said to him through His angel: "Abraham, Abraham, stop, do not lay your hand on your servant, and do him no harm! Your good will is enough for Me! May your son Isaac live, may he be the father of many nations, and I will bless them and multiply them like the stars of heaven and like the sand of the sea!" (Genesis 22:11-17) But, my God, what wonder if Abraham wanted to sacrifice his son to you for the love of you? You are a God worthy of infinite love, you are the God of both Abraham and Isaac, you are God, and whatever man does for you will be worthy and righteous... And what is a person? An insignificant worm of the earth, a transgressor of Thy commandments... And Thou didst love him so much that for the sake of this love Thou didst sacrifice Thy Son?! "What is man, that thou rememberest him? or the Son of man, for thou hast visited him?" (Psalm 8:5). What is all this, if not the greatest condescension of God? He took pity on one man's son and did not allow him to be slaughtered, but He did not spare His own Son and left Him to die! "Thou hast not spared Thy Son, but hast delivered Him up for us all!" (Romans 8:32). He delivered Him up to be sold by His disciples, to the renunciation of His friends, to the condemnation of His enemies. He betrayed Him to the envy of the Jews, to the judgment of the Gentiles, to the reproach of the priests, to the mockery of the soldiers, to the hatred and fury of the ungrateful people who thirsted for His blood... He delivered Him over to spitting, to strangulation, to scourging, to with thorns, to the cross, as if no longer recognizing Him as His Son, but seeing only a sinner or, better, sin itself! He betrayed Him in order to condemn Him, His Son, as guilty, and to free the criminal man from guilt, in order to punish the sinless and justify the sinner, to fulfill all God's righteousness in Him and to pour out all infinite mercy on man. "For knowing no sin," teaches the holy Apostle Paul, "commit sin for us, that we may be righteous in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). What an abyss of God's condescension to us! Such was the Father's definition of the Son! And in what was the will of the Son expressed? In infinite humility and obedience. "He humbled Himself, being obedient even unto death" (Phil. 2:40). Remember the upper room of the Last Supper! Here more than anywhere else He appears in the slave's eye, washing the disciples' feet in the laver with His hands, and gives Himself as food to the disciples in the great mystery. We see an example of endless obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane. As a man, revealing the weakness of His nature, He grieves, but with deep sorrow, even unto death... He struggles with such a great feat that sweat pours out like abundant blood dripping on the ground... He throws his face to the ground, and the prayer of the soul is expressed through his lips — that he may not taste, if possible, the bitter cup of death (Matt. 26:39). For all this, he remains obedient to "the will of the Father even unto death. "Father," he says, "not as I will, but as Thou wilt... Thy will be done!" (Matt. 26:39 and 42). Returning to the three disciples, He finds them asleep and awakens them with the words: "Arise, let us go" (Matt. 26:46) to where the will of the Father and the salvation of man call! What is most amazing here, Christians? The decision of the Father, who condemned His Son to death, or the obedience of the Son, who so readily goes to death? Neither. Let us rather marvel at God's infinite condescension towards us!

To free the Jews from slavery in Egypt, God sent a man – Moses. For the remission of their sins, sacrificial blood must be shed in burnt offerings, but this was the blood of goats and bulls. And in order to liberate us from the dominion of hell, He Himself came — Himself — "Appear on earth, and dwell with men" (Dogmat., 8). He shed His blood to atone for our sins. "Not by the blood of a goat lower than a heel, but by His own blood" (Hebrews 9:12) He saved us. So precious is our salvation that the blood of God is at its price! Just one drop of God's blood is the priceless margaret of paradise! A single drop can extinguish the entire flame of eternal torment! And yet, how much of it has been poured out for our salvation! All of it was exuded to the last drop Crucified for us! Delve deeper into all this, Christians! The One Who suffered, Who was nailed to the cross, Who died for us is the Son of God. He shed all His blood for the redemption of our souls. And we, alas! "Are we still leaving our souls in captivity?!" Are we still enslaved to sin? Are we still far from heartfelt repentance and contrition? "What is the use, our Saviour can tell us, what is the use of the fact that My blood has been shed of all My members?" The feat with which I struggled in the vineyard, those streams of My blood shed from scourging, from thorns on my head, from the spear that pierced My side, from the nails that pierced My hands and feet — what then? Was it all in vain? Did all this fall to earth to be trampled underfoot by people? There is no profit in shedding My blood?!. O Father without beginning, I have fulfilled Thy holy will, I have suffered, I have been crucified, I have given up My Spirit, I have poured out all My blood for the salvation of Christians, but Christians do not wish to know their Saviour, they do not seek salvation, having reconciled themselves to eternal torment?!. I ask forgiveness for the Jews who crucified and killed Me. Let them go (Luke 23:34). But against Christians who make My death useless to them, I demand judgment! "Judge them, O God" (Psalm 81:8). Thy righteousness hath commanded Me to shed My blood, and the same righteousness shall repay My blood... And the unrepentant Christian will have no excuse, "trampling down the Son of God, and remembering the defilement of the covenant blood" (Hebrews 10:29), according to the words of the Apostle! Let us glorify our Saviour, may we receive salvation, and bring repentance, may the priceless Blood poured out for us be salvific! We saw Who suffered for us, and marveled at the infinite condescension. Now let us imagine how much He suffered, that we may suffer His infinite longsuffering.

2

Have you, Christians, ever seen a small boat in the middle of a vast sea, far from the shore, with inexperienced and helpless swimmers, tossed by the strongest contrary winds? Fierce waves rush at her from all sides, and she sinks into the abyss... Now imagine that you see the only Son of the Most Holy Virgin in the bloody sea of the most cruel sufferings, far from the embrace of the beloved Mother, abandoned by the Father without beginning, who gave Him over to suffer – alone, without any help and participation of the disciples who left and fled.. However, no! Here comes a disciple, with a crowd of soldiers and servants, with weapons, torches, lanterns... I see him approaching, hugging, kissing Him... In a good hour you have come, friend and faithful disciple, to console the distressed Teacher, to be with Him! Tell us, then, with what good tidings have you come from the court of bishops? Perhaps you persuaded them to leave in peace the God-Man, Who did not give them any temptation, but on the contrary, showed all the people of Jerusalem a thousand blessings? Have you not learned of some wicked design on their part, and have now brought with you a large detachment to guard Him? Why don't you answer? Wait, let me take a closer look at you. Oh! Why, this is Judas the traitor, the traitorous apostle, the evil disciple! So it is you who kiss Him for betrayal?! Oh, the terrible ingratitude of Judas! Oh, the unspeakable suffering of Christ.. It is said that when Julius Caesar, surrounded by assassins in the senate, saw Brutus, whom he loved as a son, among them, he exclaimed: "And you, my child?!" and immediately covered his face with a mantle, so as not to see such terrible treachery, which made him shudder more than death itself. What sorrow did the appearance of Judas the betrayer cause Jesus? And you, My child... And you, My disciple?! And you, My apostle, are in fellowship with My enemies? Do you serve them as a guard, having taken upon yourself the betrayal? "Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with the kiss?" (Luke 22:48) And in this terrible treachery — how much humiliation there is for the teacher who is betrayed! Others were betrayed and sold, but as Christ was betrayed and sold, no one else! Brutus betrayed Caesar, but under the pretext of liberating the fatherland. Joseph's brothers sold him, but in order to save him from death (Genesis 37:26-27). Judas betrayed Christ to death – "the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified" (Matt. 26:2). He will be recognized as the Son of God — so be it! The time will come when His glory will be revealed! So let them at least recognize His rights as the Son of Man! But no, they treat Him as if He were dumb, like a lamb doomed to the slaughter!

His blood is thirsty for by the bishops and elders and the entire Sanhedrin, who gathered in the house of Annas and Caiaphas, where all the "spira" attracted and put Jesus on trial. Judges are enemies, false witnesses, what decision should we expect from you? "He is guilty of death" (Matt. 26:66). Guilty of death? So let him accept death! But why spit in His face, why stab and beat Him? Why should we mock Him and, closing our eyes, with a spice of evil mockery at each blow of the sacrilegious hand, ask Him: "Prophets, who are those who have struck Thee?" (Luke 22:64). Wait, wait, bold servants! Let me ask him also: "My Jesus, my Deliverer, do you still endure mockery? Until now, under the cover of faith, as if covering Thy radiant face with their hands, do they insult Thee? (This refers to Christians who, bearing the title of Orthodox Christians, lead a non-Christian way of life.) "Prophets" to us, "Who is Thee to smite? Prophets to us," who strikes Thee without number? Jew? Heretic? An Orthodox Christian? "Prophets" to us, whose hand most often strikes You, a Jew-servant, a heretic or an Orthodox Christian? "Prophets" to us, who beats Thee more painfully, what spiritual blaster, wicked or layman, a harlot who has lost her shame or a young adulterer, an unrighteous judge or a greedy covetous, a bloodthirsty murderer or a predatory robber? But now my Jesus no longer preaches, He is silent, "like a lamb... voiceless," according to the words of Isaiah (53:7).

Do you not want me to prophesy to you instead of Him? Incomparably more painful to Him than the innumerable blows of the servants of the bishops are the three blows inflicted upon Him by His threefold denial: "I know no man" (Matt. 26:72). The stone of faith has become a stumbling block... The only stone that disintegrated even before Christ's death, during the threefold renunciation of Christ. But he was contrite for repentance, in order to confess the Teacher. Once upon a time in the wilderness the rod of Moses struck a stone; this stone was crushed by the sight of Christ, but water flowed from that stone, sweet as honey, and now bitter tears are flowing... "He went out weeping bitterly" (Matt. 26:75). It behooves thee, Peter, to shed inconsolable tears, but blessed art thou that thou hast so quickly repented of thy utter renunciation. For one hour you sinned — and all your life you mourned your sin! O woe to us! We are so quick to sin — and so slow to repent! We spend our whole lives in sins – and we don't want to cry about them for even one hour!

Peter repents and weeps bitterly, a sign that the noose has cried out three times. Morning. The day comes... they opened the doors of Pilate's praetorium, where Christ was led from the court of Caiaphas bound as a criminal. It was hard for Him in the hands of priests, in the courts of bishops, and even worse in the hands of pagans, in the chambers of rulers. O woe! There is no refuge or help for Him anywhere, everywhere there is shame and torment... Priests and laity, Jews and pagans, rulers and slaves, judges and soldiers, young men and old men, all the "spira", all the people – all condemn Him as a criminal, demand His death, all cry out: "Crucify Him, crucify Him" (Luke 23:21). They prefer the well-known thief Barabbas, but for the sinless Jesus, everyone has one thought, one cry: "Let him be crucified" (Matt. 27:22). Pilate is amazed at this malice and wants to know what the fault is: "Your generation... and the bishop delivered Thee over to me; What hast thou done?" (John 18:35). What's wrong with you, Pilate?! Or are you the only stranger here in Jerusalem who has never heard of the dealings of Jesus of Nazareth? "What hast thou done?" If you please, I will tell you: I have restored the light of the eyes to the blind, I have cleansed the lepers, I have raised the paralytic from their beds of sickness, I have raised up the dead, I have fed the hungry, I have taught the lost. This is His fault! What hast thou done? Ask the people who listened with delight to His preaching! Ask the Samaritan woman who, at His word, became chaste from a prostitute, ask Magdalene, who from a sinner became Equal-to-the-Apostles, Zacchaeus, who from a covetous became a merciful benefactor, Matthew, who from a publican became an evangelist, ask Lazarus, whom He resurrected, a four-day-old dead. Ask the children of Jerusalem, who met Him with branches and branches, singing: Hosanna! "What hast thou done?" Yes, if it were possible, then the sea and the wind, who obeyed Him, and the demons themselves, His enemies, who confessed Him to be the Son of God, would talk to you about His works! What hast thou done? You'd better ask what He didn't do! If you had a mind enlightened by the lofty knowledge of God, I would tell you that He is the eternal Word of the Father without beginning, in Whom all things were. He created all that you see and do not see, the earth with its plants and animals, the heavens with its stars and the sun, the angels and the human race, and you yourself, Pilate! Only one thing He did not do – sin! "Thou shalt not commit sin, for deceit shall be found in His mouth" (1 Peter 2:22). But you yourself know this, loudly proclaiming aloud to all the people: "I find no guilt in Him!" (John 19:6) However... lawless are the judgments of the earth, unrighteous are the judgments of the sons of men... Innocence alone is not enough to justify a person, if he falls into the hands of an unjust judge, who cares most of all about his own interests, who trembles with fear that he will lose the favor of Caesar...

The sinless Jesus is scourged, and if you were to ask the judge himself why, he would answer: because I do not find guilt in Him. O sight worthy of tears! To see the Son of God clothed in heaven with light like a garment, naked before the eyes of the soldiers who mock Him, and the Jews who revile Him! Here they are arming their inhuman hands with whips – beating, striking, tormenting the most pure body of the Divine Emmanuel... He shudders, sweats, is exhausted by the abundance of blood shed... Did I not have to endure all these torments? Should not these lashes afflict my body, which has sinned with a thousand sins? Should not these streams of blood flow from my body to wash away my impurity?

Angels, seraphim, make haste, hasten to cover these immaculate limbs, hide them from the impure eyes of the wicked!

But behold, I see, they are covered with scarlet chlamys — the soldiers put it on Him, mocking Him as the king of the Jews. Like a royal crown, they put on Him a crown of thorns, piercing and deeply wounding the head. Instead of a scepter, they give Him a reed and, often snatching it from His hands, they strike it on the head. They kneel, mocking Him as if he were a madman, and greet Him with spitting and scolding: "Rejoice, King of the Jews!" (John 19:3) You are not mistaken, you wicked, no, you are not mistaken. By making Him a mockery of the false King of the Jews, you have made Him the true King of Christians. The kingdom of Jesus Christ is not a kingdom of this world. We worship this King, mocked and tormented, because this mockery and this torment are our greatness. We recognize in Him our King in this desecration of chlamys: this mockery is our honor and glory. We honor His crown of thorns, because sorrow and distress are our earthly lot. We do not want to see Him with any other scepter than a light reed, because we do not strive for the weight of earthly differences. (An allusion to the papacy's desire for temporal power.) Truly you are not mistaken, you wicked! In spite of yourselves, you have made Him King over the armies of martyrs, over the hosts of ascetics, over the assembly of all those who seek the Kingdom of Heaven. Oh! If you knew that this King, whom you so mock, would be willingly worshipped by all the kings of the earth.. Know this, then, that under the veil of this torn chlamys, which you have put on Him, all the families of the earth will gather to worship! Know this, then, that these sharp thorns, from which you have wove a crown for Him, will be arrows that strike the enemies of the true faith. Know that this light reed that you have given Him will destroy the Jewish synagogue and the temples of the Gentiles!

Isn't that so, Christian listeners? Truly He is the King of Whom we are slaves. King of suffering and long-suffering! Look at him! Here He comes out, wearing a crown of thorns and a scarlet garment, followed by Pilate, who shows Him to all the people of Jerusalem: "Behold, a man" (John 19:5). Hold back your tears...

I wouldn't want you to cry... Better prostrate yourselves before our King! "Behold the Man!" Heavenly Father, this Man, who now has neither form nor kindness, for Thy only-begotten Son, Whom Thou didst beget from the womb before Lucifer! Angels, archangels, this long-suffering Man is the King of glory, to Whom you silently sing a song of victory in heaven! "Behold the man!" Stand before you, prophets: you will see the expectation of the tongues, the King of Israel, the desired Messiah. Where are you, apostles? Look at your teacher and God! Where are you, Mary, the most tender Mother, look at Your only dear Son! "Behold, man!" Priests, look to your supreme High Priest! Virgins, look at your Bridegroom, the orphans at the Father, the lost at their Teacher! Paralytics, look to your Healer, sinners to your Savior! Look, all Christians, men and women, and greet your King: "Rejoice, O King," not the Jewish one, but the Christian one! O Divine Saviour of our souls, eternal Wife of His Church, now Thou hast neither the form nor the form of a man, but we worship Thy countenance, we kiss the bonds of Thy hands that have set us free. Thou art mocked, beaten, bloodied, and yet Thou art our King! "Do you not know anything else! Behold, Man!" We recognize Him as a man when we look at His sufferings, but at the same time we see God in Him when we look at His blessings. Man and God are together, because He suffers and saves! But, merciful Lord, we beseech Thee — is there not enough suffering? Why suffer more? Sufficient for our salvation and for the blood that You have already poured out! My Jesus, do not be angry with me—I will not depart from you! Oh, if it were possible, I would hide You in the depths of my heart... Ah, woe is me! My heart is defiled by sins, and I tremble that it is more pleasing to You, the purest, to go to the cross than to remain in my unclean heart! So be it! But let me follow You, with my tears and my word!

And truly the cross is the death to which Pilate condemned Him: "Deliver Him up to them, that He may be crucified" (John 19:16). With a terrible cry, with mad joy, in the midst of an innumerable crowd, the Jews lead Him out of Pilate's praetorium. The soldiers place on His shoulders the instrument of execution – the tree of the cross. They lead Him through the streets of Jerusalem and, exhausted by a heavy burden, exhausted by sufferings, drenched in sweat all over His face and blood all over His body, they lead Him to Golgotha, moisten His parched lips with vinegar and gall. But there is already a little life left in the suffering body, and they hasten to finish their lawless work. They tear off their clothes, throw them to the ground, stretch them out on the cross, pierce with nails first the right hand, then the left, then both feet, and finally, with a thousand terrible shouts and blasphemy, they raise them to a height and put a cross on the Cranius, i.e., the place of the forehead. Aren't there enough horrors? No! At the same time, two more thieves are crucified, one on the right hand and the other on the left, so that the extreme degree of suffering may not be devoid of extreme dishonor, so that both body and soul may suffer doubly! The terrible torments of the cruelest execution of the crucifixion could only be depicted by those who had the patience to experience them for themselves! Reflecting on the most holy body of Christ, the holy theologians say that it is above nature, "not of blood, nor of the lust of the flesh" (John 1:13), but of the omnipotence of God, of the Holy Spirit, and of the pure blood of the Ever-Virgin. It is the God-created abode of the brightest soul, endowed with the inner world and external forces in wondrous perfection. Therefore, we are told, all the torments experienced by the martyrs, taken together, cannot be compared even with one of the torments that Christ tasted. Moreover, during the sufferings of the martyrs, God Himself was invisibly present and strengthened them with His grace. That is why they often rejoiced in the midst of the flames, rejoiced at being killed, as if they did not feel the suffering at all or forgot about it. But in the sufferings which Christ tasted, God forsook Him and, as it were, completely apostatized from Him, of which, as if sighing, Jesus Himself says: "My God, My God, hast thou forsaken Me?!" (Matthew 27:46) The Heavenly Father left Christ, but His beloved Mother did not abandon Him... Ah, Christians! The cross holds the nailed Christ behind His shoulders. The presence of the sweetest Mother is another cross for Him before His eyes... "Standing... at the cross of Jesus His Mother" (John 19:25).

She stands, looks, does not weep, does not express her suffering, but silently holds in her heart the sword that Simeon foretold Her. She stands at the crucifixion, as if nailed to the cross herself, and at the same time constitutes a kind of second cross for the Crucified One... But, O crucified King, is not the end of Thy long-suffering? Is it not enough for Thee to drink the bitter cup of death? No! "I thirst!" (John 29:28). And so He tastes vinegar mixed with gall, as if the last drop of a bitter cup... "And when Jesus was received, he said, 'It is finished' (John 19:30). Thus, at His death, He acts like a prudent householder. Sensing the nearness of the hour of death, He completes the work of establishing the New Testament and puts an end to the Old. Then... First of all, He bequeaths forgiveness to His enemies, the Jews: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). To the soldiers who crucified Him, He bequeaths His garments, which they divided among themselves, casting lots. He does not forget the good thief who prayed to Him: "Remember me, O Lord, when thou comest in this kingdom, bequeathing to him paradise: "Amen, I say unto Thee, today shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:42-43). He rewards the centurion who believes in Him with true knowledge of God: "Truly this is the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54). He entrusts His beloved disciple John with the care of His Mother: "Behold, thy mother" (John 19:27). He leaves the suffering Mother, to help Her, a disciple: "Behold, Thy son" (John 19:26). He bequeaths His cross to His Christian children, so that they would carry it with them and not part with it throughout their lives. He gives His spirit to His Heavenly Father — "Father, in Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46). But he does this with the usual obedience — "bow thy head, give up thy spirit" (John 19:30). And now You're dead, voiceless, God's Word... I will not stop my word for a long time, leaving my listeners to meditate in their souls on Your sufferings and to suffer for Your ineffable long-suffering!