5. But you, O man, when you hear this and see your Lord bound and led hither and thither, consider all that is present to be nothing. And what is in accordance with this, that while Christ suffered so much for you, you often cannot bear even words! He is spat upon, and you adorn yourself with expensive clothes and rings, and if you do not hear praise from everyone, then you consider life not to be life. He endures reproach, endures mockery and shameful blows on the cheeks; but you want everyone to honor you, and you cannot endure the reproach of Christ. Do you not hear what Paul says: "Be ye imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1)? And so, if anyone begins to mock you, remember your Lord: they worshipped Him with mockery, they dishonored Him both in word and deed, they laughed at Him much; and not only did He not take revenge in the same way, but He repaid everything with the opposite, with meekness and patience. It is Him that we will also imitate. Through this we will be able to get rid of all offense. In fact, it is not he who offends, but he who is faint-hearted and grieved by the insult, that is the cause of the insult, since it gives it acerbity. For if you had not been grieved, the insult would not have been an insult to you. And to feel grieved by insults does not depend on those who inflict them, but on those who are subjected to them. Why should you be upset? If you have been insulted unjustly, then it is most appropriate not to be indignant, but to feel sorry for him (the offender); but if it is just, then it is all the more necessary to be calm. Just as when someone calls you rich, while you are poor, such praise does not refer to you at all, but rather serves as a mockery for you, so when someone who insults you says something that is not really there, his reproach also does not apply to you in the least. But if your conscience reproaches you for what has been said (by the offender), then do not be grieved by his words, but correct yourself in your deeds. I am talking about real insults. But if anyone reproaches you for poverty and low birth, laugh at him. This is a disgrace not to the one who hears, but to the one who speaks, since he does not know how to be wise. But when this is said, you say, in the presence of many who do not know the truth, then the wound is unbearable? On the contrary, it is especially bearable when there are a multitude of witnesses before you, who praise and approve of you, and reproach and ridicule you. For among prudent people it is not he who takes revenge who is respected, but he who says nothing in response to the offense. If there is not a single prudent person among those present, then laugh even more at your offender and rejoice in the heavenly spectacle, because there everyone will praise you, applaud you and approve of you. And yet, one angel is enough in comparison with the whole universe. And what do I say about the angels, when the Lord Himself glorifies you? In such thoughts let us exercise ourselves. There is no harm in keeping silent in the event of an insult, but on the contrary, it is harmful to avenge an insult. If, indeed, it were harmful to endure insulting words in silence, then Christ would not have said: "Whosoever smites thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other" (Matthew 5:39). Therefore, if anyone tells a lie about us, let us feel sorry for him, because he brings upon himself the punishment and torment prescribed for slander, and becomes even unworthy to read the Holy Scriptures. Writing. "But God saith unto the sinner, Why dost thou preach my statutes, and take my covenant in thy mouth"? "Thou shalt sit and slander thy brother" (Psalm 49:16,20). And even if he had told the truth, he would be worthy of pity. For even the Pharisee spoke the truth; but by this he did not in the least harm the one who listened to him, but on the contrary, he still benefited him, and deprived himself of innumerable blessings, having suffered shipwreck from this condemnation. Thus, in either case, whoever insults you suffers harm, and not you. You, on the contrary, if you are attentive, will gain special benefit: on the one hand, you will propitiate God by your silence, and on the other hand, you will become much more modest, you will find in the words spoken about you a reason to correct your actions, and you will learn to despise the glory of man. And yet this also caused us grief that many are extremely partial to people's opinions. If we want to be curious in this way, then we will clearly know that everything human is insignificant. Let us learn this, and, having realized our shortcomings, let us gradually begin to correct them; Determine for yourself to correct one defect in the present month, then another in the next, and a third in the next. Thus, ascending, as it were, by a certain kind of steps, we will reach heaven by the ladder of Jacob; It seems to me that this ladder, together with the spectacle that Jacob saw, among other things, indicates a gradual ascent up the ladder of virtue, by which one can ascend from earth to heaven – not by sensual steps, but through the correction and improvement of morals. Let us embark on this journey and this ascent, in order to reach heaven and enjoy all good things there, according to the grace and love of humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

DISCOURSE 84

"For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth; whosoever is of the truth heareth my voice" (John 18:37)

1. Long-suffering is a wonderful thing! It places the soul, as it were, in a quiet refuge, freeing it from waves and harmful winds. Christ has always taught patience, but especially now, when He is judged and led to various places. Thus, when He was brought to Annas, He answered with great meekness, and to the servant who struck Him on the cheek, He spoke such words as can destroy all pride. From there He passed on to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, and having thus spent the whole night, He manifested great meekness everywhere and in everything. While they said of Him that He was a villain, although they could not prove it, He stood silent; and when he was asked about the kingdom, then he answered Pilate, in order to teach him and lead him to higher concepts. But why does Pilate conduct the interrogation not in the presence of the Jews, but in private, having entered the praetorium? He had a rather high concept of Christ, and therefore he wanted, far from the confusion of the Jews, to know everything exactly. But when he asked, "What hast thou done" (v. 35), Christ said nothing about it in His answer; and what Pilate wanted to hear about most, namely, about His kingdom, he said the following: "My kingdom is not of this world," i.e., I am indeed a king, but not such as you imagine, but much more glorious. With these and further words, He already makes it clear that HE has done no evil. For He who says of Himself, "For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth," shows that He has done no evil. Then, having said, "Whosoever is of the truth heareth my voice," he attracts Pilate's attention and induces him to become a hearer of his words. If anyone says that he is true and loves the truth, he will surely listen to Me. And with these few words Pilate really captivated him, that he said, "What is the truth" (v. 38)? However, (Pilate) continued to engage in a matter that brooked no delay. He knew that the matter was time-consuming, and yet he wanted to deliver Jesus from the fury of the Jews. That is why he went out and – what does he say? "I find no fault in Him" (v. 38). Look, what prudence! He did not say, "Since He has sinned and is worthy of death, then forgive Him for the feast; but first He acquitted Him of all guilt, and then He rightly asks that they, if they do not want to let Him go as innocent, at least spare Him as guilty for the sake of the feast. Wherefore he added, "And it is your custom that I should let you go alone at the Passover," and then, wishing to bow down to them, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews? Then they all cried out, Not Him, but Barabbas" (v. 39, 40). What a vile desire! For those like themselves, they ask and release the guilty, but they order the innocent to be put to death! This is their custom for a long time! But in all this, notice the Lord's love for mankind. "Pilate [commanded] Him to be beaten" (19:1), perhaps wishing thereby to calm and tame the fury of the Jews. For as He could not deliver Christ by the former means, He commanded Him to be beaten, and suffered all that had been done to Him, to put upon Him "a crown and a scarlet robe" (v. 2), to appease their wrath. For this reason he brought Him out to them in a crown, so that they, seeing the shame to which He was subjected, would calm down somewhat from passion and spew out poison from themselves. But why did the soldiers do this, if, indeed, there was no order from the commander? To please the Jews. And so at first, not by his command, they went by night, but dared to do anything for money, to please the Jews. Meanwhile, even in the face of so many and so great insults, Christ stood silently, as He did during the interrogation, and did not answer anything. And thou shalt not only hear this, but keep it constantly in thy mind; and when you see that the Lord of the universe and of all the angels, being reproached by the soldiers in word and deed, endures everything in silence, – do the same yourself. Pilate called Christ the king of the Jews; therefore they put on Him the garment of ridicule. Then he brought Him out and said, "I find no fault in Him" (v. 4). And behold, he went out "wearing a crown of thorns," but even this did not quench the fury of the Jews; they cried out, "Crucify Him, crucify Him" (v. 5, 6). Then Pilate, seeing that all his efforts were in vain, said, "Take Him, and crucify Him" (v. 6). From this it is evident that he also permitted the former (insults) to tame their fury: "For I," he says, "find no fault in Him," v. 6.

2. See how many means the judge uses to defend Him, constantly declaring Him innocent; but nothing could bend those dogs. For these words, "Take and crucify," show that he denies and does not want to have a share in the lawless deed with them. In this way they brought Christ in order to kill Him according to the sentence of the ruler; but the opposite happened: according to the sentence of the ruler, He should have been released as soon as possible. Being put to shame by this, they say, "We have the law, and according to our law he must die, because he made himself the Son of God" (v. 7). But how, when the judge said to you, "Take Him, and judge Him according to your law," you said, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death" (18:31), and now you have recourse to the law? And note the accusation: "Because He made Himself the Son of God"! But, tell me, is it a crime when he who does the works proper to the Son of God calls himself the Son of God? What about Christ? And while they were thus talking among themselves, He was silent, fulfilling the prophetic saying: "He did not open His mouth. Out of bondage and judgment He was taken" (Isaiah 53:7,8). Meanwhile, Pilate, hearing from them that He had "made Himself the Son of God," was afraid, fearing that what they had said would not be true in practice, and that he might appear to be a transgressor of the law. And they, although they knew this both from words and from deeds, are not terrified, but kill Him for the very thing for which it is proper to worship Him. For this reason, Pilate no longer asks Him, "What have You done?" – but, shaken by fear, he again conducts the interrogation first, saying: "Thou art the Christ"? But He did not answer (v. 9), because (Pilate) had already heard, "For this I was born, and for this I came," and, "My kingdom is not of this world," and therefore he had to resist the Jews, and set Christ free, but he did not do this, but on the contrary, yielded to the fury of the Jews. Then the Jews, refuted in all things, turn to the accusation of a crime of state, and say, "Whosoever maketh himself king is an adversary of Caesar," v. 12. Therefore, it would be necessary to carefully investigate whether He really coveted power and plotted to overthrow Caesar from the kingdom; but Pilate does not make such a thorough examination. That is why Christ did not answer him, because He knew that he was asking everything in vain. On the other hand, His deeds bore witness to Him, and therefore He did not want to refute and defend Himself with words, showing that He voluntarily went to death. And since he was silent, Pilate says, "Do you not know that I have power to crucify you" (v. 10)? Do you see how he has already condemned himself beforehand? And truly, if everything depends on you, then why do you not find any fault in Him, and do not let Him go? When Pilate has thus condemned himself, (Jesus) says, "Greater sin is on him who delivered me to you" (v. 11), showing that he too is guilty of sin. And in order to bring down his arrogance and pride, he says, "I would have no power over me, if it had not been given to you" (v. 11), which shows that all this is not done by chance, nor according to the usual order, but mysteriously. And so that when he heard the words, "If it had not been given to you," he would not think that he was free from all guilt, he added, "More sin is on him who delivered Me to you." But if indeed "it was given," then obviously neither he (Pilate) nor they (the Jews) are subject to accusation? In vain will you say this. The expression "given" here means – admitted. It was as if Christ had said: (God) allowed this to happen; but therefore you are no strangers to crime. With these words He frightened Pilate and presented a clear excuse to Himself, which is why Pilate "sought to let Him go." But the Jews cried out again, "If you let him go, you are no friend of Caesar" (v. 12). Since, having presented accusations from their own law, they did not have time in the least, they now maliciously turn to foreign laws, saying: "Everyone who makes himself a king is an opponent of Caesar." But where was He the thief of royal power? And how can you prove it? Porphyry? Coronet? With clothing? Warriors? But did He not always walk alone with the twelve disciples, eating all the simple things – food, clothing, and shelter? But what cowardice and what misplaced timidity! Pilate, thinking that he would indeed be in danger if he neglected this, went out as if with the intention of investigating the matter (this is the meaning of the expression: "sat down at the judgment seat"); and yet, without making any investigation, he betrays Him, thinking thereby to bow them down. And that he did it with such intention, listen to what he says, Behold your King, v. 14. And when they said, "Crucify him" (v. 15), he again added the following words, "Shall I crucify your king" (v. 15)? But they cried out, "We have no king but Caesar" (v. 15), and thus voluntarily subjected themselves to punishment. For this reason God also betrayed them, because they had already rejected His providence and protection from themselves in advance. And since they had unanimously denied His kingdom, He also allowed them to be subjected to their own judgment. What was said could certainly have calmed their anger; but they feared that Christ, being released, would again gather the people around Him, and therefore they tried in every way to prevent this. A great evil is truly lust for power, a great evil, and it can destroy the soul. That is why they never listened to Him. Pilate, in consequence of His mere words, wanted to let Him go; And they do not cease to say: "Crucify"! But why do they insistently desire to subject Him to this kind of death? Because it was the most shameful death. Fearing that there will be no memory of Him in the future, they try to subject Him to a shameful execution, not understanding that the truth is exalted by obstacles. And what they supposed, listen to what they say: "We remembered that the deceiver said, After three days I will rise" (Matthew 27:63). Therefore, they set everything in motion and used all measures to blacken the subsequent events; That is why they constantly shouted: "Crucify," i.e., the disorderly crowd, bribed by the leaders, shouted.

3. But we will not only read about it, but we will also keep it all in our minds – the crown of thorns, the garment, the reed, the beatings, the blows on the cheeks, the spitting, the ridicule. Constant remembrance of this can destroy any anger. Whether we are ridiculed, or whether we endure anything unjustly, we will constantly say: "A servant is not greater than his master" (John 15:20), and we will imagine the words of the Jews, which they said to Christ in a frenzy: "Thou art a Samaritan, and a demon in Thee" (John 8:48); "He does not cast out demons except [by the power of] Beelzebub" (Matt. 12:24). For this reason Christ endured all this, so that we might follow in His footsteps and patiently endure mockery. Ridicule is incomparably more irritating than abuse, and yet He not only endured it, but did everything to deliver those who mocked Him and free them from the punishment that awaited them. In the same way He sent the Apostles for their salvation, and therefore you hear them say: (we know) "that you did it out of ignorance" (Acts 3:17), and with such words they draw them to repentance. Let us also imitate this; nothing propitiates God so much as love for enemies and doing good to those who offend us. When someone offends you, look not at him, but at the devil who causes him to do so; Pour out all your anger on the devil, and even feel sorry for him, since he is under the influence of the devil. If the lie is from the devil (John 8:44), how much more is the foolish wrath from him. In the same way, when you see someone mocking you, think that it is the devil who is impelling him, because ridicule is not a Christian thing. And if he who is commanded to weep (Matthew 5:4), who has heard the words: "Woe to you who laugh now" (Luke 6:25), if he reviles others, mocks and is irritated, then he deserves not reproach from us, but tears. For Christ was also troubled in spirit when He thought of Judas. So, let us try to put all this into practice. If we do not do this, then we have sewn into this world in vain and without benefit, or, better to say, for our own evil. Faith alone cannot lead us into the kingdom of heaven; on the contrary, it is because of it that those who lead a wicked life will be especially condemned, because "he who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, will be beaten with many stripes" (Luke 12:47), and again: "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin" (John 15:22). What excuse shall we have, when we are within the royal palaces, when we have been vouchsafed to enter the very sanctuary, have become partakers of the sacraments of purification, and yet we live worse than the pagans, who have not been vouchsafed any of these gifts? If they, for the sake of vain glory, have shown so much wisdom, how much more should we, in order to please God, exercise every virtue. And yet, we do not neglect even wealth. They have repeatedly neglected even their own lives, and in time of war have sacrificed their children to the fury of demons, and despised their own nature for the sake of pleasing demons; but we do not want to despise even silver for Christ's sake and wrath to please God, but we are inflamed and are no better than those who suffer from fever. And just as the latter, being possessed by illness, burn as if in fire, so we, as if tormented by some fire, are never able to restrain ourselves from wishing, but on the contrary, increase anger and covetousness. Wherefore I am ashamed and amazed when I see among the heathen men who despise riches, and among us all those who are madly devoted to it. And if there are those who despise wealth, they are possessed by some other passion, for example, anger and envy, so that it is a difficult matter to find pure wisdom. And the reason for this is that we do not try to receive healing from the Holy Spirit. And we listen to it not with tenderness, sorrow and lamentation, but without any attention when we have free time. That is why, when the rushing stream of worldly affairs runs, it drowns everything and buzzes with all the benefits that may have been acquired. For if a man, having a wound, applied medicine to it, but did not bind it carefully, but allowed it to fall away, and allowed water and dust and heat and innumerable other things that can aggravate his wound to get into his ulcer, then surely he would not receive any benefit, but not from the weakness of the medical means, but from his own carelessness. This usually happens to us, when we pay little attention to divine words, and give ourselves over to worldly cares wholly and uninterruptedly. In this case, every seed is suppressed and everything becomes barren. Therefore, in order that this may not happen, let us open, at least a little, our eyes, let us look up to heaven, let us look at the tombs and graves of the departed people. And the same end awaits us, and this need to relocate often comes to us before evening. Let us prepare for this departure. We need to store up a lot for this path, because there is great heat, great heat, and a complete desert. It is no longer possible to stay there in a hotel; you can't buy anything; but you must take everything with you from here. Listen to what the virgins say: "Go to those who sell" (Matthew 25:9); but those who went gained nothing. Listen to what Abraham says: "A great gulf is established between us and you" (Luke 16:26). Listen to what Ezekiel says about that day, "Noah, Daniel, and Job would not have saved their sons" (Ezekiel 14:14,18). But God forbid us to hear these words! May God grant, on the contrary, that we may store up here all that is necessary for eternal life, and that we may boldly behold our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom the Father, with the Holy Father, the Holy Father. By the Spirit, glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 85

"Then at last he delivered Him up 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; there they crucified Him" (John 19:16-18)

1. Happiness can easily deceive and corrupt inattentive people. For example, even in the beginning, the Jews, taking advantage of God's protection, sought the law by which the kingdoms of the pagans are governed, and in the wilderness after manna they remembered the bow. In the same way, now, rejecting the kingdom of Christ, they proclaim the kingdom of Caesar's over them. For this reason (the Lord) appointed a king over them, according to their sentence. And that Pilate, hearing this, "delivered Him up to them for crucifixion" is extremely unjust! He should have questioned whether Christ really sought to arrogate to Himself the royal power, and whether he pronounced the sentence solely out of fear. In order that he might not be subjected to it, Christ had already said beforehand: "My kingdom is not of this world"; but he, completely devoting himself to the present, did not want to inquire about anything great. In the same way, his wife's sleep must have struck him; but he did not come to his senses from any of this, nor did he look up to heaven, but betrayed Christ. Then (the Jews) laid the cross on Him, as on the condemned one: they so abhorred this tree that they did not even allow themselves to touch it. So it was in the type: and Isaac carried wood. Only then was the whole affair limited to my father's intention, for it was a foreshadowing; and now everything was fulfilled by the very deed, 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 in the very place where death reigned. Indeed, He went out bearing the cross as a sign of victory over the power of death, and, like the victors, carried the sign of victory on His shoulders. What is the importance if the Jews determined Him to bear the cross with a different intention? They crucify Him even with the thieves, but even in this case they fulfill the prophecy against their will: so that everything they did for reproach served to confirm the truth, so that you would know how great is its power. After all, the prophet foretold about this from ancient times: "He was numbered among the evildoers" (Isaiah 53:12). And so, the devil wanted to darken this event, but he could not: three were crucified, but Jesus alone shone forth, so that you might know that all things were accomplished by His power. And although the miracles were performed at the time when the three were nailed to the crosses, yet no one of them ascribed any of them to anyone other than Jesus alone. So powerless were the wiles of the devil, and everything turned to his head! After all, even of those two (robbers) one was saved. In this way, the devil not only did not harm the glory of the cross, but also contributed to it not a little, because to turn the thief on the cross and lead him into paradise is no less important than to shake the stones. "Pilate also wrote the inscription" (v. 19) – in order to take revenge on the Jews on the one hand, and to defend Christ on the other.

And this Pilate announced not in one, but in three languages. Since it was natural to suppose that there were many foreigners among the Jews on the occasion of the feast, so that none of them would remain ignorant of His justification, Pilate proclaimed the fury of the Jews in all languages. Meanwhile, the Jews were jealous even when He was crucified. But what harm could this inscription have done to you? No. For if (Christ) was mortal and feeble, and was to disappear, 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 said (v. 21), because now (this inscription expresses the judgment) and the general opinion, and if it is added, "He spoke," then it will be attributed to His own audacity and insolence. However, Pilate did not change his mind, but remained in the same opinion. And through this, again, not a small matter is arranged, but a very important event. Indeed, since the wood of the cross was buried in the ground,

The soldiers divided the garments among themselves, but did not divide the tunic (v. 23). See how through all their evil deeds prophecies are fulfilled! And this was foretold of old (Psalm 21:19). Although three were crucified, the predictions of the prophets were fulfilled only in Him. Why, in fact, did they not do the same with the garments of others, but only with the garments of Him alone? But notice the accuracy of the prophecy. The prophet spoke not only about what they divided, but also about what they did not divide. And indeed, they divided the garments, but did not divide the tunic, but left the matter to lot, v. 24. It is not without meaning that the expression "woven from above" (Article 23) is also used; but some say that it has an allegorical meaning and means that the Crucified One was not a simple man, but also had a deity "from above".

2. Others assert that the Evangelist in this case describes the very appearance of the chiton. Indeed, since in Palestine they weave garments by putting together two pieces of cloth, John, in order to show that this was precisely the tunic, says: "woven from above." And he says this, it seems to me, in order to indicate the poverty of clothing and the fact that Christ, as in everything else, as well as in clothing, observed simplicity. While the soldiers were dividing their garments, the Crucified One Himself entrusts His Mother to His disciple, teaching us to take care of our parents in every possible way until our last breath. Thus, when he untimely disturbed Him, He said, "What have I to do with Thee, O Woman?" (John 2:4)? – and: "Who is My Mother" (Matthew 12:48)? And now he shows the greatest love for her, and commits her to the care of the disciple whom he loved, v. 26. John again conceals his name out of modesty; if he had wanted to boast, he would certainly have given the reason why he was loved, since this reason, of course, was something great and wondrous. But why does Christ not talk to John about anything else and comfort him in his sorrow? Because there was no time for words of consolation. And on the other hand, it was not unimportant 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 that time, when the crucified man hung on the cross, conversing with the disciple about His Mother, fulfilling the prophecies, giving good hopes to the thief, whereas before the crucifixion we see Him in sweat, anguish and fear. What does this mean? There is nothing incomprehensible, nothing unclear: there the weakness of nature was revealed, and here the greatness of power was revealed. On the other hand, Christ teaches us to both that we, too, although we are troubled before the onset of calamities, must nevertheless not shrink from them, and that, having set out on a podvig, we must consider everything easy and convenient. Therefore, let us not tremble at death. True, the soul by its very nature has a love of life; However, it depends on us either to loosen these bonds of the soul and weaken this desire for life, or to strengthen and strengthen them. Just as we, although we have a desire for carnal copulation, nevertheless, when we are wise, we weaken the power of lust, so it is with the love of life. Just as the lust of the flesh God has placed in us for the sake of procreation, in order to preserve the succession in our race, and not in order to prevent us from following the higher path of abstinence, so He has instilled in us the love of life in order to prevent us from committing suicide, and not in order to forbid us to despise the present life. Knowing this, we must observe moderation and, on the one hand, we must never go to death of our own accord, even if we are oppressed by innumerable calamities, and on the other hand, we must not evade and refuse it when we are dragged to death for God-pleasing deeds, but boldly go to death, preferring the future life to the present.

"At the cross stood" the women (v. 25). The weakest sex then appeared to be the most courageous: so everything changed! Christ, entrusting His Mother to His disciple, says: "Behold, Thy son" (v. 26). Oh, with what great honor He honored His disciple! Since he himself was already leaving, he entrusted the care of a disciple. As a mother, she naturally grieved and sought protection; wherefore He justly commends it to His beloved disciple, and says to him, Behold thy Mother, v. 27. He said this in order to unite them in mutual love. The disciple understood this, and therefore "took her unto himself" (v. 27). But why did Christ not mention any other woman, although the others were standing at the cross? To teach us to give preference to our mothers. Indeed, just as in such a case, when parents hinder us in spiritual matters, we should not know them, so, on the contrary, when they do not hinder us in the least, we should give them all their due and prefer them to all other people, for having given birth to us, for having brought us up, for having endured much labor and sorrow because of us. In this way Christ stops the mouth of Marcion's shamelessness. In fact, if He was not born in the flesh and did not have a mother, then why does He show such great care for her alone? "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were already finished" (v. 28), i.e., that there was nothing left unfulfilled in the plan of God's economy. Thus, in all cases, He tried to show that His death was extraordinary, because everything depended on the power of the Dying One, and death did not come to His body before He Himself willed; and He willed then, when all things were already fulfilled. That is why He said: "I have power to give" My life, "and I have power to receive it again" (John 10:18). So, knowing that all things have already been fulfilled, Christ says, "I thirst" (v. 28), and in this case he again fulfills the prophecy. But think of the wickedness of those who stand at the cross. For even though we have had an innumerable multitude of enemies, even though we have experienced intolerable insults from them, we weep with pity when we see that they are being killed; but the enemies of Christ were not reconciled to Him, nor did they soften in the sight of His sufferings, but became even more hardened and increased their ridicule, and, offering vinegar with their lips, they gave Him to drink as criminals are usually given to drink, for which purpose they had a reed with them. "And when he had tasted vinegar, he said, It is finished" (v. 30). Do you see how He did everything without embarrassment and with authority? The same can be seen from what follows. When all was done, Christ, "bowing His head" because it was not nailed, "gave up His spirit" (v. 30), that is, He gave up His breath. Usually they do not give up their breath after bowing their heads; but here it was the opposite: Christ did not bow His head when He had already given up His spirit, as is usually the case 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, who devour the camel and strain out the mosquitoes (Matt. 23:24), having committed such a great crime, again show special concern for the day. "As it was Friday, that they might not leave the bodies on the cross on the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to break their legs" (v. 31). Do you see how powerful the truth is? For which they are so zealously endeavoured, through the very same prophecy is fulfilled and the new prophecy that was to them fulfilled. In fact, when the soldiers came, they broke the legs of others, but they did not break Christ; but in order to please the Jews, they pierced His side with a spear, and thus mocked even His dead body. What a vile and abominable crime! But do not be dismayed, beloved, and do not lose heart! What they did with evil intent contributed to the establishment of the truth; this was precisely the prophecy that says, "They shall look upon Him whom they have pierced" (v. 37). In addition, this evil deed served as the basis of faith for those who later had to disbelieve, for example, for Thomas and others like him. And at the same time, an ineffable mystery was performed: "Immediately blood and water flowed out" (v. 34). These sources did not flow without significance and not by chance, but because the Church was composed of both. Those who are initiated into the sacraments know this: they are reborn by water, but they are nourished by blood and flesh. Thus, from here the sacraments originate; and therefore, when you approach the terrible cup, approach as if you were drinking from the very rib. "And he who saw" it "testified, and his testimony is true" (v. 35), i.e.: I did not hear from others, but I myself was at it and saw, and the testimony is true. And this is just, because he tells of the reproach to which Christ was subjected, and not of anything great and wonderful, because of which you might suspect his word. He tells in detail about what happened in order to stop the mouths of heretics and foretell future mysteries – contemplating the treasure contained in them. At the same time, another prophecy is fulfilled, namely, "Let not His bone be broken" (v. 36). Though this was said of the Jewish lamb, yet in the type it was done beforehand for the sake of truth, and it was more perfectly fulfilled in the present case. That is why the Evangelist presented the words of the prophet in appearance. Since, constantly pointing to his own testimony, he could seem unworthy of faith, he presents Moses as a witness, saying that this also did not happen by chance, but was already prescribed from ancient times. This is exactly what the words mean, "Let not His bone be broken." On the other hand, by his testimony he confirms the words of the prophet. I, he says, have spoken of this in order that you may know that there is a great resemblance between type and truth. Do you see how much effort he takes to convince us of what seems to be shameful and apparently causes dishonor? Truly, the fact that the soldier mocked even a dead body was much worse than the crucifixion itself; Yet I, he says, have spoken of these things, and have spoken with great care, "that ye may believe" (v. 35). Therefore, let no one refuse to believe, let no one be ashamed or thereby harm our works. That which seems especially shameful is precisely our most precious good. "After this" came "Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus" (v. 38), not of the twelve, but perhaps of the seventy. Believing that at last the cross has tamed the fury (of the Jews), the followers of Christ fearlessly come and take care of the burial. Joseph, appearing before Pilate, asks his 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 not to allow it to quickly give way to corruption. This shows that they had no idea of anything great about Christ; nevertheless, in this is seen their great love for Him. But why did not any of the twelve come, neither John, nor Peter, nor any other of the great ones? The Evangelist does not hide this either. Perhaps someone will say that they were afraid of the Jews; but they also (Joseph and Nicodemus) were also possessed by fear. Of Joseph it is said that he was "secret for fear of the Jews" (v. 38). Thus, it cannot be said that he did this because he completely despised the Jews; no, he was afraid, and yet he came. And John, although he was present at the cross and saw the end of Christ, did nothing of the kind. What does this mean? It seems to me that Joseph was one of the most famous men, as is evident from the burial itself, and that he was known to Pilate. That is why he received permission. And he buried Him, no longer as a criminal, but, according to the Jewish custom, magnificently, as a great and glorious man.